Belknap County, New Hampshire Genealogy

Guide to Belknap County, New Hampshire ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.



Description
Belknap County was created on 1 Jan 1841 and named for Jeremy Belknap, a renowned preacher, historian, and author of The History of New Hampshire. Its county seat is Laconia. It is located in the central region of the state.

County Courthouse
Belknap County Courthouse 64 Court Street Laconia, NH 03246-3679 Phone: 603-524-3570 Belknap County Website

Town or City Clerks have birth, marriage and death records. Clerk of the Superior Court has divorce and court records. Probate Judge has probate records from 1841. Register of Deeds has land records from 1841.

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:

Towns Organized before 1800: Alton 1796 Barnstead 1727 Centre Harbor 1797 Gilmanton 1727 Meredith 1768 New Hampton 1777 Sanbornton 1770

Biographies

 * Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Belknap and Strafford Counties, New Hampshire, Biographical Review Publishing Company, (Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969). Online at: Internet Archive; (FamilySearch Catalog-images only)

Cemeteries

 * Conway Public Library

Church Records

 * Belknap County, Church Records - Includes:
 * Smith Meeting House, Gilmaton, NH (Deaths 1788-1818)
 * Membership Records of the Smith Meeting House of Gilmanton, NH
 * Marriages Performed by Rev'd Isaac Smith, Smith Meeting House, Gilmanton, NH
 * Records from the SMITH MEETING HOUSE at Gilmanton, NH


 * Lakeport First Baptist Church - Contains a list of ministers and names of all who are or have been members of this church since its foundation in 1806 until the present time.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * at FamilySearch Catalog(*)
 * Court judgements, 1841-1917
 * indexes to judgements, 1841-1921
 * Court of Common Pleas, 1841-1859
 * Supreme Judicial Court, 1855-1874
 * Circuit Court, 1874-1876
 * Supreme Court, 1876-1900
 * Superior Court, 1901-1917. There are plaintiff and defendant indexes.

Directories

 * Laconia (New Hampshire) city directories, (Woodbridge, Connecticut Research Publications, [199-?]). Available at the FamilySearch Library,
 * The town register Meredith, Tilton, Gilmanton, Sanbornton, Gilford, Belmont, New Hampton, 1908, (Salt Lake City, Utah Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2008). Available online at Internet Archive.Also available at the FamilySearch Library,
 * Ancestry.com has city directories available online for many New Hampshire cities.
 * The Family HIstory Library has a large collection of city directories available on microfilm and microfiche. See the Library Catalog, New Hampshire, [name of town or city] - Directories.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1765-1843 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1841-1901 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1841-1915 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * New Hampshire County Registries of Deeds - search the deed buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor) indexes from 1841 to the present for Belknap County

Local Histories

 * New Hampshire State Library, Concord - has a vast collection of books about New Hampshire towns and counties.
 * New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord - has large collection of local history books and other publications.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Belknap County, New Hampshire Town Entries from Merrill's 1817 Gazetteer of the State of NH, (accessed 20 August 2011). Source: The Gazetteer of the State of New Hampshire (in three parts), compiled from the best authorities, by Eliphalet Merrill and the Late Phinehas Merrill, Esq., Printed by C. Norris and Co., Exeter, NH, ©1817, pg 79. For additional gazetteers see the New Hampshire wiki article- Gazetteers.
 * Colored town outline map of Belknap County, (accessed 20 August 2011).
 * 1895 Map of Belknap County NH, (accessed 20 August 2011).
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * 1675-1835 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

The most complete listing of New Hampshire Revolutionary War soldiers is found in volumes 14-17 of the New Hampshire State Papers. You can go to the New Hampshire state government site. There you will find an every-name index to volumes 14-17. Then you can go, at that same site, to the needed volume and page for information on the soldier. Often the place of residence is given. For a military history of New Hampshire, see: Potter, Chandler Eastman. The Military History of the State of New Hampshire. Concord, N.H.: McFarland and Jenks, 1866. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). This history comprises events from the first settlements in New Hampshire to the rebellion in 1861. It includes biographical notices of many of the officers and explanatory notes.

War of 1812 See Potter's book above for information on the War of 1812. See also the New Hampshire Online Records box at the beginning of this wiki article.

Civil War
 * 1861-1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images;  Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1861-1866 You can go to ancestry.com and search for names in The Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, by Augustus D. Ayling. This book gives the age, residence, and service information about approximately 32,000 New Hampshire Civil War veterans.
 * The Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866 at Ancestry - by Augustus D. Ayling; Gives the age, residence, and service information about approximately 32,000 New Hampshire Civil War veterans.

Regiments. Civil War service men from Belknap County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Belknap County:
 * - 1st Regiment, New Hampshire Cavalry, Troops B, C, E, F, G, and H.
 * - 1st Regiment, New Hampshire Heavy Artillery, Company G.
 * - 4th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company D.
 * - 5th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company E.
 * - 6th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company I.
 * - 8th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Companies D, F and G.
 * - 12th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, and I.
 * - 15th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Companies A, G, and H.
 * - 18th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company C.

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)

World War II
 * Belknap County, New Hampshire World War II Casualties Army and Air Force, hosted by Access Genealogy, (accessed 20 August 2011).
 * 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry ($)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1993 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Newspapers
At www.genealogybank.com they are making available digital images of some New Hampshire newspapers. You can search their site for the name of your ancestor. For example they have some newspapers for Concord, Dover, Exeter, and Portsmouth as of August 2012. Check this site for the town or city of interest. Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. You can search it free at FamilySearch Centers. It is listed under Premium Websites at the FamilySearch Center Portal. Their database has Portsmouth,NH newspapers from the early 1900's covering local news that included residents from Belknap County communities.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1635-1753 New Hampshire Probate Records 1635-1753 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1643-1982 New Hampshire Wills and Probate Records 1643-1982 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1841-1925 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1841-1973 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records

Town Records
Town records are an important source of family history information from the 1600s to about the 1940s. The early New Hampshire town records to about 1850 have an every-name index. The index and film numbers are listed just above in the Taxation section. On the cards M.R. indicates there is a marriage record, and F.R. indicates that the family members are listed. Many town records are still in the town offices.

To see the types of family history information you might find in town records please go to the heading Town Records in our New Hampshire wiki article.


 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Vital Records
Certified copies of of birth, death, and marriage records are available from the State Division of Vital Records Administration or from the local city and town clerk where the event took place. Original records are kept by the city or town clerk and copies are sent to the state. In 1905, when the state created the Bureau of Vital Records and Health, printed cards were distributed to the local clerks and earlier vital records were transcribed onto the cards and submitted to the state.

Birth

 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1656-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1887-1996 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1600s-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1901-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Marriage

 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1637-1964 New Hampshire, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index ($) — index $
 * 1637-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1656-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1887-1996 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1948-1959 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Death

 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1654-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1656-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1887-1996 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Lebanon New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
 * Wolfeboro New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
 * Meredith Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Springvale Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thornton Public Library - New Hampshire - an affiliate library

Libraries
Belknap County Public Libraries, (accessed 20 August 2011).Website
 * Historical Records Survey (New Hampshire), Inventory of the County Archives of New Hampshire, no. 1, Belknap County, (Manchester, New Hampshire The Survey, 1938).Available at the FamilySearch Library, or FS Library US/CAN Film 1750733 Item 35.
 * Historical Records Survey (New Hampshire),Inventory of the County Archives of New Hampshire, [No. 5, Grafton County] (Manchester, New Hampshire The Survey, 1940).Database available online at ancestry.com($). This inventory is for Grafton County. It will give you an idea of the many types of records that can be found in a New Hampshire courthouse like the one for Belknap.

Societies
Belknap County Historical Societies as listed by CountyOffice.org Website

Websites

 * The Belknap County NHGenWeb Project, an member of The NHGenWeb Project.
 * Belknap County New Hampshire Family History & Genealogy Linkpendium
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Belmont, NH, Heritage Through the Years: Online resources for Belmont. Includes local histories, vital records, cemeteries, schools, war rosters and diaries. These are PDF images and require Adobe Acrobat.
 * Belknap County, New Hampshire Genealogy and History


 * – 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.