Person County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Person County is located in the north-central portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Virginia. It was named for Revolutionary War General Thomas Person.

County Courthouse
Person County Courthouse 105 South Main Street Roxboro, NC 27573 Phone: 336-503-5200 Person County Website Register's office has copies of birth, marriage and death records as well as land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Person county was formed in 1791 from Caswell. The act was to become effective February 1, 1792. In 1792 the eastern four districts of Caswell County became Person County. In 1792 Pittman's was mentioned in an act as the place where the courthouse was to be established. In 1793 Roxboro was established as the courthouse and is now the county seat. The present area of the county is 390.87 square miles and the 1990 population was 30,180. General Thomas Person was a Revolutionary Patriot, a member of the Council of Safety and a trustee of the University of North Carolina. He gave a large sum of money to the University, and a building was erected in his honor, which is called Person Hall.

Bible Records

 * Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Archives - index and image
 * Person County, NC Bibles at USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images Also at: Ancestry ($)

Church Records

 * 1700-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Baptist List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Flat River. Constituted 1777.
 * Head of Mayo Creek. Constituted 1793.
 * South Hico River Lower Church. Constituted 1793.
 * South Hico River Upper Church. Constituted 1792.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1775-1948 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1893-1915 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1862-1870   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1863-1872   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Redford, Dorothy Spruill. As Long as You Call My Name, I Live: Somerset Place Slave Burial Register, 1785-1865.FS Library 975.6165 V3r
 * Redford, Dorothy Spruill and Michael D'orso. Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost Heritage. New York, New York Doubleday, c 1988. FS Library 929.273 L732r
 * Redford, Dorothy Spruill. Somerset's Slave Community: an Antebellum Genealogical Study. Portsmouth, Va.: D. S. Redford, 9C. 1986

Funeral Homes

 * Brooks and White Funeral Home and Crematory in Roxboro.
 * Hester-Whitted and Daye Funeral Services in Roxboro.
 * Strickland and Jones Memorial Funeral Services in Roxboro.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * North Carolina Land Grants at NC Historical Records Online - index, requires free account to view images
 * Person County Register of Deeds searchable database.
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * Reminiscences A sketch and letters descriptive of life in Person County in former days
 * Resources: Books: listings of Person County books at NCGenWeb.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Person County Maps Page
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War 
 * 1778-1833 Delamar Transcripts of Revolutionary War Petitions at North Carolina Genealogical Society - index ($)
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War 


 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 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 and 1901 1885 and 1901 Confederate Pension Applications at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1885-1953  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * - U.S. Colored Troops-Person County - list of soldiers from Person Co.
 * - 4th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company C
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain George F Fisher's Company
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain R S Davie's Company

World War I 
 * 1914-1918 World War I Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II 
 * 1939-1945 World Ward II Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * List of Person County Newspapers, current and past
 * Library of Congress: Chronicling America
 * State Library: North Carolina Newspapers
 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC

Other Records
Voter Registration
 * 1868-1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1663-1789 Secretary of State Wills at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1663-1978 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1720-1960 at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1792-1823 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1792-1876 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1792-1952 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1792-1966 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1792-1966  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * Transcribed Wills and Estates
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1792 1792 - Nash District
 * 1793 1793 - Nash District
 * 1794 1794 - Nash District
 * 1797 1797 - Nash District
 * 1798 1798 - Nash District
 * 1800 1800 - Nash District

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1913-1922  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1759-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death

 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images  Also at:  MyHeritage ($)
 * 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Divorce

 * 1926-1975  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

FamilySearch Centers

 * Caswell North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Eden North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Elon North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Greensboro North Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Richard H Thornton Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Person County Public Library 319 S Main St Roxboro, NC 27573 Phone: 336-597-7881 Email: [mailto:pclibrary@personcountync.gov pclibrary@personcountync.gov] Facebook Website
 * Includes a local history room and large amount of genealogy information.

Wilson Special Collections Library University North Carolina 200 South Road Chapel Hill, NC 27515 Phone: 919-962-3765 Email: [mailto:wilsonlibrary@unc.edu wilsonlibrary@unc.edu] Facebook Website

Societies
Person County Historical Society PO Box 887 Roxboro, NC 27573-0887 Phone: 336-597-3134 Email: [mailto:personhistorical2020@aol.com personhistorical2020@aol.com] Facebook Website Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society PO Box 1103 Danville, VA 24541-1103 Email: [mailto:vancsoc@gamewood.net. vancsoc@gamewood.net.] Facebook Website

Websites

 * Person County NCGenWeb - many genealogy resources for Person County
 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * – 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.