Columbus County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States North Carolina  Columbus County

Guide to Columbus County North Carolina 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

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
For a list of record loss in North Carolina counties see: North Carolina Counties with Burned Courthouses

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
Civil War Confederate units - Brief history, counties where recruited, etc.

Probate

 * 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

Marriages

 * North Carolina Marriages, 1762-1979 - search this database of marriages from across the state - images included; via FamilySearch
 * 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.
 * Columbus County Marriages 1850s-1900 at USGenWeb - free.
 * 1851-1967 - Columbus County Marriage Index 1851-1967 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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. Available as Word or PDF documents.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

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