Halifax County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Halifax County is located in the eastern portion of North Carolina and its name was derived from George Montague, Second Earl of Halifax and president of the British Board of Trade and Plantations.

County Courthouse
Halifax County Courthouse King Street Box 67 Halifax, NC 27839 Phone: 252-583-2101 Halifax County Website Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913, marriage records from 1867, divorce, probate records from 1868, court records from 1893, land records from 1729 and military discharge records from 1918.

History Timeline
In 1758 the residents of Edgecombe County petitioned the Governor and the Colonial Assembly requesting that the parish of Halifax be granted the status of an individual county - having functioned along with St. Mary’s Parish as the two original Edgecombe County parishes since its creation in 1741 from the southwestern section of Bertie County. Bertie County was formed from the western extension of Chowan Precinct (west of the Chowan River) in the year 1722, and was even earlier, an undefined part of the now extinct original Albemarle County 1664-1668. All territory within the boundaries of Edgecombe County north of the Fishing Creek and Rainbow Banks on the Roanoke River - approximately 711 square miles - was officially designated as Halifax County on January 1, 1759. Halifax County is located in the northeastern area of North Carolina and is bordered on all sides by seven neighboring NC counties. As suggested by Governor Author Dobbs, Halifax was named for George Montague II, Earl of Halifax, first Lord of the Board of Trade and Plantations. The county seat, also named Halifax (town) had been established in 1757 on the Roanoke River. Located on the fall line of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, the county has an interesting mixture of flat and hilly terrain and an excellent climate for agricultural pursuits. The original residents of this area along the southern banks of the Moratuck [Roanoke] River and Quankie Creek were the Tuscarora Indians.

In 1917 Milton Whitney, Chief of Bureau, U. S. Department of Agriculture submitted an official report to the US Government in which he stated that the early settlers of the Halifax County area came mainly from the British Isles. Many of them settled first in New Jersey and other northern States and then migrated to this county. Others came directly to Halifax County. The first settlements in Halifax County were apparently made near the watercourses. The first crops grown were corn, peas, potatoes, flax, and various vegetables. Live stock was brought in at an early date, and gradually increased in number. Flax was spun and woven into garments for home use. Considerable wool was produced and made into clothing at home. Tanneries were in operation at an early date, and furnished leather for making shoes. Nearly every settler grew tobacco for domestic use. Cotton was grown in small patches and made into homespun garments, the lint being separated from the seed by hand.

In 1774, the southeastern part of Halifax County was combined with part of Tyrrell County to form Martin County. Today Halifax County is comprised of twelve townships with a total population of 57,370 people (2000 Census). The Townships are: Brinkleyville, Butterwood, Conoconnara, Enfield, Faucett, Halifax, Littleton, Palmyra, Roanoke Rapids, Roseneath, Scotland Neck, and Weldon.

Land records of Edgecombe County, and Bertie District, are included in the record of deed series.

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch

Church Records
Baptist
 * Davis's Meeting House, aka Concinnary. Established by 1783.
 * Kehukee. Church built 1742. Also spelled Quehuky. Edwards published a membership list dated 1742 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 129.
 * Lawrence's, aka New Meeting House, aka Fishing Creek; near Scotland Neck, N.C. Established by 1779.
 * Lower Fishing Creek. Church built 1757. Edwards published a list of early members in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 133-134.
 * Rocky Swamp, near Enfield, N.C. Established by 1773.
 * Quankey, near Halifax, N.C. Established by 1799.

Church of England
 * Trinity Parish, near Scotland Neck, N.C. Established about 1732. A history was published in 1955.

Methodist
 * Eden, near Enfield, N.C. Established by 1789.

Court Records

 * Halifax County Court Minutes 1832-1846, Part 1 (NCGenWeb)
 * Halifax County Apprenticeships &amp; Other Records 1847-1865 (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Free People of Color Register 1847-1865 (USGenWeb Archives)

Land and Property Records

 * Halifax County Register of Deeds Court Services Building PO Box 67 357 Ferrell Lane Halifax, NC 27839 Phone: 259-583-2101 Access the Property Index Search on their website Has copies of land records starting from 1732. Marriage records are available since 1825. Birth &amp; death records are available since October 1913. Generally, it is more cost effective to obtain documents from the County offices for non-certified copies rather than the State Archives, so contact the Registry for availability &amp; pricing.


 * North Carolina State Archives has copies of most records prior to about 1930. For a listing of available Halifax County records at the Archives, click onto our Guide. It is generally more cost effective to order directly from the County offices, so check the local offices first for document availability. Before ordering anything from the Archives, please read our Contacting the State Archives page.

Deed transcriptions:


 * W. W. Carter, Sheriff to John Justiss, 1813
 * James Carstarphen Records 1777-1785
 * Thomas Curlin to John Taylor, 1818
 * Thomas Curlin to Richard Bailey, 1818
 * Thomas Curlin to John Lee, 1819
 * Thomas Curlin to Thomas Carlisle, 1845
 * Edmund Daniel to Cory Cox, 1783
 * Zachariah Harman to Drewry Harrington, 1787
 * Milly Hyde to John Hyde, 1794
 * Henry &amp; Ann Long to Joel Walker, 1784
 * John Long to Joel Walker, 1775
 * John Peebles to John Curlin, 1810
 * Jesse Read Deeds
 * Mary Read to Aaron Pendry, 1769
 * Mary Read to Lydia Read, 1769
 * Mary Read to Moses R. Pendry, 1769
 * Matthew &amp; Sarah Roburn to John Long, 1778
 * John Taylor to Thomas Curlin, 1799
 * George Washington to John Cooper, 1791
 * Thomas Willie to Thomas Curlin, 1817

Local Histories

 * Halifax County History Index
 * Sally M. Stanton Letter
 * History and Pioneers of Halifax County
 * Historical Family Collections
 * Richard Thompson Family Letters
 * Those Kitchin Girls
 * William Hodges Kitchin Family
 * Sally's Family Place
 * Mingia Family History Pages
 * Bacon, Grady, Kitchin, Satterfield, Stack, &amp; Travis Families
 * Descendants of Hezakiah Morris
 * Descendants of James Gill
 * The Little Legend
 * The Stiths Family
 * The Descendants of Richard Jordan I
 * Guide to the Robert Lynch Papers
 * The Haliwa-Saponi (from Wikipedia)
 * Sale of the Slaves of Cary Whitaker of Halifax
 * Biography of James Edward O'Hara
 * Halifax County 1860 Largest Slaveholders &amp; 1870 Surnames Match
 * Slaves named in Halifax Co. Wills, 1758-1854
 * Joseph Baysmore, a Historical Sketch of 1st Colored Baptist Church

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Halifax County Maps page

Military Records
Revolutionary War 
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch

Military record transcriptions:


 * The Halifax Resolves
 * Cato Copeland Revolutionary War Pension
 * James Carter Revolutionary War Pension
 * Benjamin Richardson Revolutionary War Pension
 * Elijah Bass Revolutionary War Pension
 * Moses Read Revolutionary War Pension
 * Shadrick Lassiter, Revolutionary Soldier
 * Joel Etheridge Revolutionary War Pension
 * Willie Jones of Halifax County
 * John Toney Revolutionary War Pension
 * William Carter Revolutionary War Pension
 * Isham Scott Revolutionary War Pension
 * The Patriot Resource. Lists Revolutionary War battles with descriptions.
 * The 2nd North Carolina Regiment in the Continental Army. Resources and histories.
 * Africans in America: The Revolutionary War

Civil War 


 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1885-1953  at FamilySearch


 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company G
 * - 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company I
 * - 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 4th Volunteers, Company A
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company K
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry,usually known as the Bethel Regiment, Company I
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company F
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company K
 * - 41st Regiment Volunteers - 3rd Cavalry, Company G

Civil War record transcriptions:


 * 1861-1865 Halifax County Civil War Confederate Enlistments 1861-1865
 * List of Soldiers in Halifax Confederate Burial Ground
 * Halifax County Civil War Page
 * Halifax County U.S. Colored Troops

World War I 
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch

World War II 
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch

Newspapers

 * Roanoke Daily Herald
 * Warren Record
 * Littleton News
 * The Lake Gaston Observer

Obituaries

 * Halifax County Obituaries Index

Other Records
County Records
 * 1833-1970  at FamilySearch

Probate Records

 * North Carolina Probate Records tips


 * North Carolina State Archives has copies of most records prior to about 1930. For a listing of available Halifax County records at the Archives, click onto our Guide. It is generally more cost effective to order directly from the County offices, so check the local offices first for document availability. The Clerk of the Superior Court for Halifax County has copies of court, wills and estate records starting from 1759 if they have not been transferred to the State Archives.

Online Probate Records
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry $
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch
 * 1755-1961  at FamilySearch
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
 * Pre-1790 Pre-1790 Halifax County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
 * Wills & Estates 1758-1774; 1781-1824 North Carolina Pioneers $

Will and estate record transcriptions:


 * Mariah Evans, 1881
 * Benjamin Richardson, 1809
 * William Richardson, 1798
 * Alfred Richardson, 1874
 * Lucy (Williams) Manley, 1930
 * Presley Williams, 1879
 * Julius Zollicoffer, 1853
 * Sallie (Holly) Richardson, 1928
 * Gideon Richardson, 1880
 * Eliza Louisa Richardson, 1908
 * William Hattaway/Hadaway, 1795
 * Joseph John Alston, 1780
 * W.F.S. Alston, 1854
 * William Andrew, 1761
 * Simmons J. Baker, 1853
 * William Bishop, 1782
 * Jeremiah Brinkley, 1838
 * Brinkley Family Estate Record
 * William Bryant, 1762
 * Sarah Elizabeth Bunn, 1877
 * Joseph Burt, 1788
 * Richard Burt, 1805
 * Stephen Burt, 1793
 * Richard Carney, 1793
 * John Cooper, 1794
 * Thomas Cooper, 1794
 * Henry Cotton, 1785
 * Joseph Cotton, 1794
 * David Crawley, 1773
 * Matilda Daniel, 1842
 * William Daniel, 1800
 * Thomas Davis, 1764
 * Rosanna Conner Faulcon, 1844
 * William Fluellen, 1784
 * Ambrose Foster, 1802
 * Thomas Gardner, 1777
 * William Green, 1760
 * Robert Hall, 1796
 * William Herbert, 1820
 * John Knight, 1833
 * Alexander McCulloch, 1798
 * Barnaby McKinnie, 1761
 * Barnaby McKinnie Jr., 1761
 * Henry Medford, 1773
 * Josiah Mohoon, 1772
 * Hezekiah Morris, 1799
 * Bethel Pair, 1804
 * Harmon Read, 1767
 * Read Wills Addendums
 * Jesse Read, 1820
 * Mary Read, 1781
 * Rhesa Read, 1823
 * James Sikes, 1779
 * Lacy Simmons, 1789
 * Joseph Wheeles (Whelas) 1761
 * Joseph Wheeless, 1786
 * Jacob Wyatt, 1761
 * See All additional wills

Tax Records

 * 1782 Tax Lists, Halifax County, 1782 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1782 Records: Halifax County, North Carolina: Tax Lists for Years 1782 and 1790... (transcript) at FamilySearch
 * 1783 Tax Lists, Granville County, 1783 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
 * 1783 Tax Lists, Halifax County, 1783 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1784 Halifax County 1784 Taxables (transcript) at NCGenWeb
 * 1784-1834 Lists of Taxables, 1784-1834 (images) at FamilySearch
 * 1784-1802, 1863 Tax Lists 1784-1802, 1863 (images) at FamilySearch
 * 1790 Records: Halifax County, North Carolina: Tax Lists for Years 1782 and 1790... (transcript) at FamilySearch

Vital Records

 * Halifax County Register of Deeds Court Services Building PO Box 67 357 Ferrell Lane Halifax, NC 27839 Phone: 259-583-2101 Access the Property Index Search on their website Has copies of land records starting from 1732. Marriage records are available since 1825. Birth &amp; Death records are available since October 1913. Generally, it is more cost effective to obtain documents from the County offices for non-certified copies rather than the State Archives, so contact the Registry for availability &amp; pricing.

Online Records
 * 1800-2000 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch
 * Trinity Parish Register. Marriages, baptisms, deaths starting from 1831

Marriage

 * 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
 * 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1759-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch
 * 1851-1953 Halifax County Marriage Books 1-13 Index 1851-1953 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * Some Halifax County Marriage Licenses
 * Cato Copeland/Nancy Mitchell Marriage Bond, 1778
 * Halifax County Marriages 1867-1872
 * Benjamin Richardson/Mary Bass Marriage Bond, 1783
 * Elijah Bass/Mary Bass Marriage Bond, 1777
 * Marriages from Halifax County NCGenWeb Archives
 * Trinity Parish Register. Marriages, baptisms, deaths starting from 1831

Death

 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch
 * 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994  at FamilySearch
 * Trinity Parish Register. Marriages, baptisms, deaths starting from 1831

Divorce

 * 1926-1975  at FamilySearch
 * 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Roanoke Rapids North Carolina Family History Center

Societies

 * Halifax County Genealogical Society PO Box 447 Halifax, NC 27839
 * North Carolina Genealogical Society PO Box 22 Greenville, NC 27835 Website
 * Edgecombe County Genealogical Society PO Box 656 Pinetops, NC 27864 Website
 * Tar River Connections Genealogical Society PO Box 8764 Rocky Mount, NC 27804 Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Halifax County NCGenWeb Project
 * Halifax County USGenWeb Archives
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.