Columbus County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States North Carolina  Columbus County

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

County Courthouse
Columbus County Courthouse 612 North Madison Street Whiteville, NC 28472 Phone: 910-640-6225

Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913 marriage records from 1867 and land records Clerk  Superior Court  has divorce and court records from 1868 prorobate records from 1817  Register of Deeds PO Box 1086 Whiteville, NC. 28472 Telephone: 910-640-6625 Fax: 910-640-2547 Website Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 1587 Whiteville, NC 28472 Telephone: (910) 641-4400

History


Columbus County was named for Christopher Columbus. It was formed in 1808 from land that was originally part of Bladen and Brunswick Counties. Bordering counties are Brunswick, Pender, Bladen, Robeson, Dillon County, SC and Horry County, SC.

The county has several important geographical features including Lake Waccamaw, the largest natural lake between New York and Florida, the Waccamaw and Lumber Rivers which link this area to South Carolina and the coastal town of Georgetown, and the Cape Fear River which provides access to the port city of Wilmington.

Parent County
1808--Columbus County was created 15 December 1808 from Bladen and Brunswick Counties. County seat: Whiteville

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating North Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Bladen
 * Brunswick
 * Dillon County, South Carolina
 * Horry County, South Carolina
 * Pender
 * Robeson

Baptist

 * White Marsh. Established about 1765. Previously located in Bladen County.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Dulah
 * Tabor City Branch
 * Whiteville Branch

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Land
Register of Deeds 125 Washington St. Suite B P.O. Box 1086 Whiteville, NC 28472 Phone: (910) 640-6625

The Register of Deeds Office records all land transactions, birth, deaths, and marriages that occur in Columbus County.

Online Real Estate Lookup Search

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1885-1953 - at FamilySearch — images


 * - 7th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company B
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain David Callihan's Company
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Neill McNeill's Company

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1660 – 1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $]
 * 1663 - 1979 at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1665 - 1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1735 - 1970 at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1760 – 1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images
 * 1808-1908 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

Vital Records
County records are available from the Columbus County Register of Deeds. Uncertified copies of records are $.25.

Births

 * North Carolina Births and Christenings, 1866-1964 - search this name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state; via FamilySearch
 * 1800 - 2000 at FamilySearch.org — index

Marriage

 * 1762–1979 -  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1763-1868 - at FamilySearch — index and images*1799-1893 - Columbus County marriages - may be 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 searchable. Available on the North Carolina Digital Collections website.
 * 1850s-1900 - Columbus County Marriages 1850s-1900 at USGenWeb - free.
 * 1851-1967 - Columbus County Marriage Index 1851-1967 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1741-2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1759-1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Deaths

 * Misc. Columbus County Deaths - on the Columbus County NCGenWeb site
 * Columbus County Obituaries - contributed to the NCGenWeb Archives Project
 * Columbus County Deaths - contributed to the NCGenWeb Archives Project
 * Columbus County deaths - list of county area deaths reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.
 * North Carolina Death Certificates, 1906-1930 - search a statewide collection of freely available death certificates - images are included; via FamilySearch
 * Columbus County Coroners' Inquest, 1914-1968, 1981 - from the NC State Archives.
 * 1898 - 1994 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1908 - 2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1931 - 1994 at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

 * 1958 - 2004North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Societies and Libraries
Old New Hanover Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2536 Wilmington, NC 28402-2536 Website Website

Web Sites

 * Columbus County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * NCGenWeb Columbus County
 * NCGenWeb Columbus County