Lenoir County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Lenoir County is located in the southeastern portion of North Carolina and was named for General William Lenoir, a prominent Revolutionary War hero, Speaker of the State Senate, and trustee of the University of North Carolina.

County Courthouse
Lenoir County Courthouse PO Box 3289 Kinston, NC 28502 Phone: 252-523-2390 Lenoir County Website Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1880. Register of Deeds has marriage and 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:

Census Records

 * Lenoir County census records (NCGenWeb)

Church Records

 * 1700-1970 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Lenoir County church records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Various Church records, 1830-1875 available on microfilm at the FHL.

Baptist
 * Bear Creek. Established by 1785.
 * Beaver Dam. Established by 1808.
 * Wheat Swamp, near Kinston, N.C. Organized about 1760. Has belonged to the Disciples of Christ since 1843.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Howard's Chapel Branch was the first congregation of Church members residing in and around Kinston, Lenoir County in the early 1900s. List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Record of members, 1939-1942 available on microfilm at the FHL.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * Lenoir County court records (USGenWeb Archives)

Directories

 * Statewide NC Business Directories, Lenoir County (NCGenWeb)

Land and Property Records

 * Deeds of Lenoir county (USGenWeb Archives)

Local Histories

 * The Story of Kinston and Lenoir County, North Carolina by Talmage Johnson and Charles R. Holloman available at the FHL.
 * 200 years of progress : a report of the history and achievements of the people of Lenoir County, 1776-1976 by Mike Kohler available at the FHL.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Lenoir County (North Carolina State Library)
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Lenoir County military records (USGenWeb Archives)

Revolutionary War 
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch

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


 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company C
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company G
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company A
 * - 41st Regiment Volunteers - 3rd Cavalry, Company E
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (63rd Regiment Volunteers), Company B
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company D
 * - 8th Battalion, North Carolina Cavalry (Partisan Rangers), 2nd Company

Civil War Battles  The following Civil War battles were fought in Lenoir County:


 * December 14, 1862 Kinston
 * March 7-10, 1865 Wilmington, also known as Wilcox’s Bridge, Wise’s Fork, Second Kinston, Second Southwest Creek, or Kelly's Mill Pond
 * Map showing Civil War battles in North Carolina.

World War I 
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch

World War II 
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch

Newspapers

 * 1799-1893 Lenoir County marriages are included in Carrie Broughton's 6-volume index of the Raleigh Register &amp; State Gazette newspaper (1799-1893). Marriages are listed by year and PDF files are searchable. Available at North Carolina Digital Collections.
 * Kinston Free Press Index, transcriptions of articles from the paper
 * Newspaper articles of Lenoir County (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Newspapers of Lenoir County. A listing of newspapers published in the county. (Library of Congress)
 * North Carolina Newspaper Digitization Project. Historical newspapers from the 18th &amp; 19th century. Includes papers from the New Bern area, which includes Lenoir County,
 * Deaths of Lenoir County. Listing of county area deaths reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.

Obituaries

 * Lenoir County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Lenoir County, various records for deaths and obituaries. (NCGenWeb)

Probate Records

 * North Carolina Probate Records tips

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
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
 * 1861-1891 Images of Wills and Estates.   North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * 1869-1922  at FamilySearch
 * Wills &amp; Estates (NCGenWeb Archives)

School Records

 * Grainger High School Senior class listings from 1927-1970
 * Lenoir County Students at NC colleges, Yearbook Index. (NCGenWeb)

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.

Tax Records

 * 1769 Tax Lists, Dobbs County, 1769 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, at Ancestry $
 * 1769 Tax Lists, Dobbs County, 1769 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1769 Tax List, 1769 (images) online at FamilySearch
 * 1779 Tax Lists, Dobbs County, 1779 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, at Ancestry $
 * 1779 Tax Lists, New Bern District, 1779 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, at Ancestry $
 * 1779 Tax Lists, New Bern District, 1779 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1780 Tax Lists, Dobbs County, 1780 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, at Ancestry $
 * 1780 Tax Lists, Dobbs County, 1780 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1844 Tax Lists, Lenoir County, 1844 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * Lenoir County Tax Lists (USGenWeb Archives)

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Uncertified copies of vital records can be ordered for a small fee from the Register of Deeds.

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch
 * 1913-1922  at FamilySearch — 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
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch
 * 1873-1952 Lenoir County Marriage Index 1873-1952 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

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
 * Lenoir County, various records for deaths and obituaries. (NCGenWeb)

Divorce

 * 1880-1914, 1922-1969 Lenoir County Divorces 1880-1914, 1922-1969 at NC State Archives - free.
 * 1926-1975  at FamilySearch
 * 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Kinston North Carolina Family History Center

Libraries

 * Heritage Place Lenoir Community College 231 Highway 58 South Kinston, NC 28502-0188 Phone: 252-527–6223 Website

Societies

 * Heritage Genealogical Society PO Box 6204 Kinston, NC 28501
 * Historical Preservation Group Kinston, NC Phone: 252-522-0540 Email:[mailto:diamondgp@suddenlink.net diamondgp@suddenlink.net] Website

Websites

 * Lenoir County (NCGenWeb)
 * – 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.