Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the Watauga River, whose name is said to be a Native American word, the translations that range from among them, beautiful water, whispering waters, village of many springs, and river of islands. It is located in the northwestern corner of the state.

County Courthouse
Watauga County Courthouse 842 W. King Street Boone, NC 28607-3531 Phone: 828-265-8052 Watauga County Website Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1914, marriage records from 1872 and land records. Clerk of Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1872.

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
The area that became Watauga and Ashe counties was part of Anson County during the early period; part of Rowan County in 1753, Surry County in 1771, Wilkes County in 1777 and was briefly part of the State of Franklin from 1784-89. After Franklin it was claimed as part of Washington (TN) County (part of the Southwest Territory, and later Tennessee) until it was annexed back by North Carolina into Wilkes County again in 1792. Ashe was incorporated as a separate entity by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1799. North Carolina erected Watauga County primarily from Ashe County in 1849.

Bible Records

 * Watauga County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives: Bibles (USGenWeb Archives)

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Watauga County Cultural Features: Cemeteries, locations and maps (NC HomeTownLocator)

Church Records

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

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Howard's Chapel
 * FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * 1862-1870   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1863-1872   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only

Local Histories

 * A History of Watauga County, North Carolina with Sketches of Prominent Families. 1915. By John Preston Arthur. Available online at Internet Archive
 * Watauga County Genealogy Study from the William Allan Papers (manuscript collection), Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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


 * Great Indian Warpath pre-historic
 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Great Valley Road about 1744 (overlapped the Great Indian Warpath)

Military Records
Revolutionary War 
 * 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
 * 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


 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company D
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company G

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

 * Watauga Democrat
 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC

Obituaries

 * Watauga County, North Carolina Obituaries

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

Voter Registration
 * 1868-1898 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate 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)
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
 * 1873-1968   at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives: Wills &amp; Estates (USGenWeb Archives)

School Records
Yearbooks 
 * Appalachian State University: 1923-2006
 * Watauga County students at NC colleges, Yearbook index. (NCGenWeb)

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

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
 * 1873-1954 Watauga County Marriage Index 1873-1954. Batch  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
 * 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

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Boone North Carolina Family History Center

Societies

 * Genealogical Society of Watauga County PO Box 126 Boone, NC 28607
 * Watauga County Historical Society E. Mast, 253 Wm. Hardy Mast Road Sugar Grove, NC 28679-9707 Website

Websites

 * NCGenWeb: Watauga County
 * Watauga County Genealogy (North Carolina Genealogy)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina (New River Notes)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina (RootsWeb)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina (Wikipedia)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina Cemetery Inscriptions (Access Genealogy)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy Links (Genealogy Links)
 * Watauga County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * – 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.