Craven County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Craven County

County Courthouse
For wills and estate records contact:

Estates Division Craven County Clerk of Court 302 Broad Street New Bern, NC 28560 (252) 639-9004

For Vital Records (births, deaths, marriages) and Land Records contact:

Craven County Register of Deeds 226 Pollock Street New Bern, NC 28560 (252) 636-6617 Online indexes available at http://deeds.cravencounty.com/default.aspx

History
1.) Craven County one of three counties (Albemarle and Clarendon being the others) set up in 1664 by the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. Its territory embraced what later became South Carolina. 2.) Craven County was established in 1705 as Archdale Precinct of Bath County, although there is evidence that an Archdale County existed as early as 1696. The name was changed to Craven County about 1712. 3.) Craven County included the Ashley River settlement known as Charles Town (Charleston, South Carolina).

Parent County
1705--Craven County was created 3 December 1705 from the Archdale Precinct of Bath County. Bath County was abolished in 1739. County seat: New Bern

Boundary Changes
1722--Carteret County was formed from Craven in 1722, with several boundary changes through the 1880s. 1729--New Hanover County was formed from Craven in 1729. 1746--Johnston County was formed from Craven in 1746. 1757--Part of Beaufort County was annexed to Craven in 1757 and 1801. 1764--Part of Craven was annexed to Dobbs County in 1764. 1778--Jones County was formed from Craven in 1778. 1787--Parts of Craven were annexed to Pitt County in 1787; Lenoir County in 1798, 1804 and 1819; and Greene County in 1801. 1872--Pamlico County was formed from parts of Craven and Beaufort Counties in 1872, and part of Craven was annexed to Pamlico in 1875.

Populated Places

 * Bridgeton (2001 population: 201)
 * Cove City (2001 population: 425)
 * Dover (2001 population: 443)
 * Havelock (2001 population: 22,463)
 * New Bern (2001 population: 23,415)
 * River Bend (2001 population: 2,918)
 * Trent Woods (2001 population: 4,186)
 * Vanceboro (2001 population: 892)

Neighboring Counties

 * Beaufort
 * Carteret
 * Jones
 * Lenoir
 * Pamlico
 * Pitt

Newspapers
The first newspaper in North Carolina was published in New Bern, N.C., by James Davis in 1751. The North Carolina State Archives has microfilmed copies of many New Bern newspapers. A list of North Carolina Newspapers, including Craven County can be found at the North Carolina Newspaper Index page of the North Carolina Newspaper Project. Craven County newspapers begin on page 37 of the index.

The New Bern-Craven County Public Library also has a list of many New Bern newspapers based on the above list from the North Carolina Newspaper Project. That list is available at http://newbern.cpclib.org/research/newspapers.html.

Vital Records
Birth and death records from 1913 can be found at the Register of Deeds Office for Craven County at 226 Pollock Street, New Bern, NC 28560. An online index is available at http://deeds.cravencounty.com/default.aspx.

Marriage registers from 1858 to the present and marriage licenses from 1904 to the present are also available at the Register of Deeds Office. An online index to marriages from 1909 is available at http://deeds.cravencounty.com/default.aspx.

An index to obituaries listed in New Bern newspapers from 1751 to the present (not complete) is available at the Kellenberger Room of the New Bern-Craven County Public Library. The site for the obituaries is http://newbern.cpclib.org/research/obituary.html.

Craven County Genealogical Society of North Carolina, Inc.
PO Box 1344 New Bern, NC 28563-1344

http://www.cravengenealogy.org

New Bern Historical Society
512 Pollock Street New Bern, NC 28560

http://www.newbernhistorical.org

New Bern-Craven County Public Library
400 Johnson Street New Bern, NC 28560-4098

http://newbern.cpclib.org

Kellenberger Room website: http://newbern.cpclib.org/research

Godwin Memorial Library
Craven Community College Barker Hall 800 College Court New Bern, NC 28562

http://www.cravencc.edu/educational/learningresources.cfm

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog