Beaufort County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Beaufort County is located in the Eastern portion of North Carolina and it took its present name from Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort to whom King Charles II granted tracts of land in the New World called "Carolina".

County Courthouse
Beaufort County Courthouse 112 W 2nd Street Washington, NC 27889 252-946-2323 Beaufort County Website Register of Deeds has marriage and land records Clerk Superior Court has probate 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

 * Beaufort County: Two Centuries of it's History

Bible Records

 * Beaufort Co., NC Bibles
 * Beaufort Co., NC Bible Records at NCGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * Beaufort Co., NC Biographies
 * Biographies of Beaufort Co., NC at NCGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and
 * Yeatesville Cemetery - Yeatesville (by Sandy Carawan)
 * Access Genealogy for Beaufort County Cemeteries

Census Records

 * Beaufort Co., NC Census Records at NCGenWeb Archives
 * Beaufort Co., NC Census &amp; Tax Records

Church Records

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


 * Free Church on Chocowinity
 * Church Minutes, Beaufort Co., NC, 1858
 * Churches of Beaufort Co., NC
 * Churches at NCGenWeb Archives

Baptist
 * Durham's Creek. Constituted 1790.
 * The Kehukee Baptist Association, 1765 to 1885 (History of the Church of God)
 * Beaufort Co., NC Subscribers List for 1834

Catholic
 * St. John the Evangelist, Washington, N.C. Consecrated 1829.

Church of England List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * St. Thomas's Parish, Bath, N.C. Built 1734.
 * Trinity Church aka Blount's Chapel. Built about 1775.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * Beaufort Co., NC Court Records
 * Court Records at NCGenWeb Archives

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


 * NC-US Colored Troops Project

American Indian
 * Native Americans of Beaufort Co., NC

Land and Property Records

 * Beaufort Co., NC Deeds &amp; Land Grants
 * Land Records at NCGenWeb Archives

Local Histories

 * Durham's Creek, NC
 * History at NCGenWeb Archives
 * Early history of Washington Park 1839-1925 (1950) - book by Lida B. Small; freely available online
 * A History of colonial Bath (1955) - book by Herbert Richard Paschal; freely available online
 * Saint Peters Parish, Washington, North Carolina a record of the century, 1822-1922 (1922) - book by Edmund Harding Hoyt; freely available online
 * Washington and the Pamlico (1976) - book by Ursula Loy; freely available online

Photographs
 * Beaufort Co., NC Photographs

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1590 White - de Bry Map of Coastal North Carolina
 * 1630 Map of the Southeast [Mercator] (by Johannes Cloppenburg)
 * 1696 Carte General de la Caroline (Hargrett Library, Univ. of Georgia)
 * 1709 Map by John Lawson (from Francis L. Hawks)
 * 1733 A New and Correct Map of North Carolina (by Edward Moseley)
 * 1770 John Collet Map
 * 1775 A Map of North and South Carolina by Henry Mouzon (Library of Congress)
 * c1779 Plan of the Town of Washington comprised of the original 60 lots (read owners names)
 * 1808 Price-Strothers Map
 * 1833 A New Map of the State of North Carolina (by MacRae-Brazier)
 * 1840 Bath Creek Survey
 * 1862 Civil War Map of North Carolina (from Harper's Weekly)
 * 1882 Kerr-Cain Map of North Carolina
 * 1895 Map of Beaufort Co., NC (from Rand-McNally's Atlas)
 * 2006 State Travel Map of Beaufort Co., NC (NC Dept. of Transportation)
 * Beaufort Co., NC - Earth from Space (NASA-Johnson Space Center)
 * Beaufort County, NC Townships, 1930 Census (by Larry Flowers)
 * Beaufort County, NC Map (showing major towns)
 * Animated Atlas (From the beginning of the 13 states to present--Excellent history lesson!)
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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


 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

Military Records

 * Beaufort Co., NC Military Records (from Colonial Militia to Vietnam)
 * Beaufort Co., NC Military Records at NCGenWeb Archives

Revolutionary War 
 * 1779-1782 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War 


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch.org - 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
 * 1885-1953 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * -3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * -4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 17th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry (1st Organization), Company K
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company G
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company G
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company I
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company B
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company C
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company I
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company I
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company I
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company E
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company I

Civil War Battles  The following Civil War battle was fought in Beaufort County:


 * March 30-April 20, 1863 Washington


 * Map showing Civil War battles in North Carolina.

World War I 
 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II 
 * 1940-1948 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC
 * 1799-1893 - Beaufort County marriages - are included throughout 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 searcheable. Available on the North Carolina Digital Collections website.
 * Brief Abstracts From The American Recorder, 1815-1825 from Betsy Ross
 * Beaufort County news from miscellaneous newspapers
 * Beaufort Co., NC Newspapers at NCGenWeb Archives
 * Beaurfort County deaths - list of county area deaths reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.

Obituaries

 * Beaufort Co., NC Obituaries
 * Beaufort Co., NC Obituaries at NCGenWeb Archives

Other Records
Miscellaneous
 * Masonic Records of Beaufort Co., NC
 * Historical Markers of Beaufort Co., NC
 * Penny Postcards of Beaufort Co., NC at NCGenWeb Archives
 * Hurricanes of North Carolina
 * Blackbeard

Letters and Journals


 * Beaufort Co., NC Letters at NCGenWeb Archives
 * Pamteco Tracings Table of Contents (Journal of the Beaufort County Genealogical Society)

County Records
 * 1833-1970 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images. (incomplete)


 * Beaufort County, NC Records (Original &amp; Microfilm) Guide to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives:County 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 $
 * 1663-1979 - 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)
 * 1720-1775 - Images of Wills and Estates North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * 1735-1970 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
 * Pre-1790 - Pre-1790 Beaufort County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online. Website tips.
 * Beaufort Co., NC Wills
 * Beaufort Co., NC Estates
 * Beaufort Co., NC CRX Estates
 * J. Bryan Grimes Wills &amp; Inventories
 * Beaufort Co., NC Wills &amp; Estates at NCGenWeb Archives

School Records

 * Beaufort Co., NC Schools
 * Beaufort Co., NC School Yearbooks

Yearbooks 
 * Beaufort County students at NC colleges - list via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index

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

 * 1717 - A 1715 Corn List for Beaufort and Hyde Precincts (transcript) online at NCGenWeb
 * 1717 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1717 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1755 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1755 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1755 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1755 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1755 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1755 (images) online at FamilySearch
 * 1755 - 1755 Beaufort County, North Carolina Tax List FHL Book 975.6 A1 no. 249
 * 1755-1755 Beaufort County Tax List (transcript) online at FamilySearch
 * 1764 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1764 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1764 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1764 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1764 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1764 (images) online at FamilySearch
 * 1779 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1779 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1779 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1779 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1779 - Tax Lists, New Bern District, 1779 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1779 - Tax Lists, New Bern District, 1779 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1784 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1784 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1786 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1786 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1786 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1786 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1787 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1787 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections (stats and names of captains only)
 * 1789 - Tax Lists, Beaufort County, 1789 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1818 - Tax Lists, District of Bath (Beaufort County), 1818 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1832-1852 - Tax Lists, 1832-1852 (images) online at FamilySearch
 * Beaufort Co., NC Census &amp; Tax Records

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Uncertified copies of vital records can be ordered for a small fee from the Register of Deeds. Please contact them for more information.

Birth

 * 1800-2000 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1866-1964 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1874-1950 - Beaufort County Birth Index, Volumes 1-11, 1874-1950 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 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.org - How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1762-1969 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1763-1868 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1778-1795, 1847-1930 - Beaufort County Marriage Books A-F, P-Z, 2A-K and 2L-Z Index 1778-1795 and 1847-1930 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * Marriages at NCGenWeb Archives

Death

 * 1898-1994 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1930 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection;index and images
 * 1908-2004 - North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 - North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994 - at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Vital Records at NCGenWeb Archives

Divorce

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

Libraries

 * Washington North Carolina Family History Center

Societies

 * Beaufort County Genealogical Society PO Box 1089 Washington 27889-1089
 * Beaufort Historical Association PO Box 363 Beaufort, NC 28516-1709

Websites

 * NCGenWeb: Beaufort County genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
 * Beaufort County at Our Family Tree
 * – 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.