New Hanover County, North Carolina Genealogy

Guide to New Hanover County, North Carolina ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
New Hanover County Courthouse 3rd &amp; Princess St Rm 103 Wilmington, NC 28401-4090 Phone: 910-341-7125 Courthouse burned 1798, 1819, &amp; 1840 1810 Census Missing Reg of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records  Register of Deeds 216 N. Second St. Wilmington, NC 28401 Telephone: 910-798-4530 Fax: 910-798-7751 Website  Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 2023 Wilmington, NC 28402 Telephone: (910) 772-6600

Parent County
1729--New Hanover was created from Craven County. County seat: Wilmington

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating North Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Neighboring Counties
Brunswick | Pender

Record Loss
1789, 1819, 1840-- Courthouse fires in 1789, 1819, and 1840 resulted in some record loss.

Biography

 * [Lewis] Lewis, J.D. My Neck of the Woods: The Lewis Families of Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina. Little River, S.C.: J.D. Lewis, 2002.

Cemeteries

 * Pine Forest Cemetery is a historical African American burial ground dating back to 1860 and the final resting place of many notable citizens. It is located on 15 acres in the city of Wilmington at the north end of 16th Street and Rankin. The Wilmington Journal published an article (May 2012) on the history of the cemetery with contact information for donations towards the preservation and upkeep of the cemetery. Search known burials and contribute information at Find A Grave. Learn more about Pine Forest Cemeteryfrom the Folk Art Society of America.

Baptist

 * Black River. Established by 1758.

Church of England

 * St. James's Parish, Wilmington, N.C. Established 1729. Official website. Church records from 1737 to 1892 have been published. Baptisms 1754-1880 (Batch ) and Marriages 1811-1892 (Batch ) are included in the International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * St. Philip's Parish. Established by 1741.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Wilmington

Methodist

 * St. Stephen A.M.E. Church, Wilmington, N.C. Formed 1865. Served the African American community.

Emigration and Immigration
Wilmington has been a port since colonial times.

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Migration
Early migration routes to and from New Hanover County for European settlers included:


 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s
 * Fayetteville, Elizabethtown, and Wilmington Trail
 * Wilmington, Highpoint, and Northern Trail

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1885 - 1953 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company D
 * - 13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company E
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Artillery 10th Regiment Volunteers-1st Artillery. Company E
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Artillery 10th Regiment Volunteers-1st Artillery. Company I
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company E
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company A
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company B
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company B
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company B
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company C
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company C
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company D
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company D
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company E
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company H
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 1st Company A
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, 2nd Company H
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company D
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company F
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company D
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company F
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company K
 * - 41st Regiment Volunteers - 3rd Cavalry, Company A
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (59th North Carolina State Troops), Company C
 * - 7th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company B
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company C
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Benjamin J Jacob's Company
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Neill McNeill's Company
 * - 10th Battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery, Company D

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in New Hanover County:


 * December 7-27, 1864 = Fort Fisher I
 * January 13-15, 1865 = Fort Fisher II
 * February 12-22, 1865 = Wilmington, also known as Fort Anderson, Town Creek, Forks Road, or Sugar Loaf Hill


 * Map showing Civil War battles in North Carolina.

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
North Carolina Newspaper Digitization Project, North Carolina State Archives. Search full text historical newspapers published in Wilmington.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records


 * 1660 - 1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1663 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1665 - 1998 - North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1735 - 1970 - at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1760 - 1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images
 * 1844 - 1943 - Bonds, Volumes 1–17,, New Hanover – FamilySearch
 * 1682 - 1905 - Wills Index,, New Hanover – FamilySearch
 * 1735 - 1943 - Wills Index, Volumes 1–2, New Hanover – FamilySearch
 * Images of Wills & Estates, Book C, 1747-1858; Book D, 1858-1868. North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * Pre-1790  - Pre-1790  Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.
 * 1943 - 1961 - Wills Index, Volume 3, New Hanover – FamilySearch.
 * 1740 - 1760 - Abstracts of Wills 1740-1760. North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * 1790 - 1836 - Images of Wills and Estates in Court of Common Pleas. North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * 1827 - 1837 - Images of Wills and Estates in Court of Common Pleas. North Carolina Pioneers ($)


 * Minutes of the Pleas and Quarter Session Court 1738-42; 1759-1769 and General Index. (contains estates, inventories, wills, deeds proved, administrators appointed, orphans, etc.) North Carolina Pioneers ($)

Taxation

 * 1755 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1755 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1762 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1762 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1763 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1763 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1765 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1765 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1767 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1767 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1782 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1782 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1815 - Tax Lists, New Hanover County, 1815 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections

Vital Records
Search online public record databases of the New Hanover County Register of Deeds, including birth and death certificates, and marriage records.

Birth Records

 * 1800 - 2000 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1866 - 1964 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Marriage Records

 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1759 - 1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1762 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1763 - 1868 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * New Hanover County Vital Records at USGenWeb - free. (As of Jan 15, 2015 many of the links on this site are broken, although some still work.)

Divorce Records

 * 1926 - 1975 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Death Records

 * 1898 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1906 - 1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1908 - 2004 - North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1909 - 1975 - North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1931 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Wilmington North Carolina Family History Center

Family History Centers are also located in Shallotte, Jacksonville, Kinston, and Myrtle Beach.

Libraries
New Hanover County Public Libraries

Main Library and Law Library 201 Chestnut Street Wilmington NC 28401 901-798-6301

Northeast Regional Library 1241 Military Cutoff Rd Wilmington NC 28405 910-798-6371

Myrtle Grove Library 5155 South College Rd Wilmington NC 28412 910-798-6391

Carolina Beach Library 300 Cape Fear Blvd Carolina Beach NC 28428 910-798-6385

Museums
African American Heritage Museum of Wilmington PO Box 968 Wilmington NC 28402 info@aahfwilmington.org

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science 814 Market Street Wilmington NC 28401 Phone 910-798-4350 Fax 910-798-4382

Societies
Old New Hanover Genealogical Society PO Box 2536 Wilmington NC 28402-2536 E-mail:[mailto:info@onhgs.org info@onhgs.org] Website

New Hanover County Public Library North Carolina Room 201 Chestnut Steet Wilmington NC 28402 901-798-6305 ONHGS additional contact:

Websites

 * New Hanover County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * North Carolina Pioneers ($)