Durham County, North Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Durham County, North Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
 * This article is about a county in North Carolina. For other uses, see Durham (disambiguation)

Description
Durham County is located in central North Carolina and was named for Dr. Bartlett Durham who sold 4 acres of land to create the Town of Durham, County seat of Durham, North Carolina.

County Courthouse
Durham County Courthouse 200 East Main Street Durham, NC 27707 Phone: 919-560-0480 Durham County Website County Health Department has birth, death and burial records. Register of Deeds has marriage and land records. Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1881.

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:

Bible Records

 * Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Archives - index and images

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images Also at: Ancestry ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1700-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * ZSR Library North Carolina Baptist Church records
 * Tutorial on finding North Carolina Baptist Church records
 * History of St. Philip's Episcopal Church (NCGenWeb)
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1883-1907 (*); Superior and Justice's Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1884-1902 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Directories

 * Durham County Directories (NCGenWeb)
 * 1923 Hill Directory Co.'s Durham, North Carolina, City Directory, 1923 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1960 Durham, North Carolina, City Directory, 1960 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

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
 * Carolina Times. 400+ issues available online from 1937-1950 of this African-American newspaper (DigitalNC)

Land and Property Records

 * Durham County Deeds, 1881-1984 online search, includes images.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Durham County Maps (North Carolina's NC Maps collection)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War 
 * 1778-1833 Delamar Transcripts of Revolutionary War Petitions at North Carolina Genealogical Society - index ($)
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War 
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1885-1953  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885 and 1901 1885 and 1901 Confederate Pension Applications at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images

World War I 
 * 1914-1918 World War I Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II 
 * 1939-1945 World Ward II Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC
 * 1799-1893 Durham 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.
 * Durham County deaths. List of county area deaths reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.
 * Carolina Times. 400+ issues available online from 1937-1950 of this African-American newspaper (DigitalNC)
 * Index to the Durham Herald:
 * 1981 (index Jan -May)
 * 1981 (subject index, May - Dec / name index, May - Dec)
 * 1982 (name index | subject index)
 * 1983 (name index | subject index)
 * 1984 (name index)
 * 1985 (name index | subject index)
 * Durham County newspapers. Listing of newspapers published in the county &amp; libraries that hold them. (Library of Congress)

Obituaries

 * Misc. Durham County Obituaries (USGenWeb Archives)

Other Records
County Records
 * 1881-1944 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; random records; index and images. (incomplete); Also at: Ancestry ($)

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 ($)
 * 1663-1789 Secretary of State Wills at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1720-1960  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1875-1926 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1881-1907  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1881-1944 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1881-1944 (*); Justice of the Peace at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1881-1968 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1881-1968 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1882-1913 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * North Carolina Probate Records tips

School Records
Yearbooks 
 * Durham County students at North Carolina colleges. Yearbook Index. (NCGenWeb)
 * Duke University: 1912-1995
 * NC Central University: 1929-2009

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.

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.

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 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 - How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1881-1951 Durham County Marriage Books 1-6 Index 1881-1951 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.

Death

 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;index and images  Also at:  MyHeritage ($)
 * 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Divorce

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

Family History Centers

 * Durham North Carolina Family History Center

Libraries
Duke Special Collections Library 411 Chapel Drive Durham, NC 27708 Telephone 919-660-5822 Website

Societies
Durham–Orange Genealogical Society PO Box 4703 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4703 Email: [mailto:info@dogsnc.org info@dogsnc.org] Website

Websites

 * NCGenWeb: Durham County genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
 * – 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.