North Carolina Vital Records

Birth and Death Records
Birth records usually give the name and sex of the child; the names, birthplaces, and ages of the parents (with the mother’s maiden name); the occupation of the father; and the number of children born to the mother. Birth records of adopted children may give the birth parents but have frequently been amended to show only the adoptive parents. A year-by-year search of birth records may reveal other children born to a couple.

Death records usually give information about the deceased, such as name, age, birth date, state or country of birth (sometimes the city or town), names of the parents (frequently including the maiden name of the mother), and the informant (who may be a close relative). The date and place of death are given. Sometimes burial information, the cause of death, and the names of the physician and mortician are provided. The length of residence in the state or county may also be given.

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1913 and was generally complied with by 1920. In some cities record keeping began earlier. For example, Raleigh began recording births in 1890 and deaths in 1885. Counties where the births and deaths occurred kept a duplicate copy of the information they sent to the state office. Most of the county indexes to births and deaths through the 1960s have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library™.

For up-to-date information about vital records, see:

Orsay, Elizabeth T. North Carolina Vital Records Information. In United States Vital Records Information [database on-line]. N.p., 1999? [cited 4 August 1999]. Available at:

http://www.vitalrec.com/nc.html

This page has links to the state vital records office’s Internet site. It also shows their current address, telephone, fax, fees, and years for which records are available. It includes addresses of county vital records offices, and many county genealogical societies and links to related information such as local record searching volunteers.

To obtain a copy of the original records of births and deaths from 1913 to the present, you can write to the Register of Deeds in the county.

Copies of birth records from 1913 to the present and death records from 1930 to the present are also available at the state office:

Dept. of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources Vital Records Section 225 North McDowell Street P. O. Box 29537 Raleigh, NC 27626-0537 Telephone: 919-733-3526

Birth indexes provide the person’s name, name of father (or in some cases, the mother’s name), and the place and date of birth.

Pre-1913 Birth Records Kept by Cities. The city of Raleigh kept birth records beginning with 1890 and the city of Wilmington from 1904. Raleigh death records begin in 1885 and Wilmington’s begin in 1903.

Delayed Birth Certificates. Due to Social Security requirements and other federal acts, many people needed proof of birth. If no birth record was available, they could go to the county where they were born and file a delayed registration of birth. These may be found in county offices of the Register of Deeds. These records may list births from the 1870s to the 1960s. They usually give the exact date of birth, town or city of birth, and often the full names of both parents, as well as the volume and page. The library has microfilm copies of some of these important documents.

Death indexes give the name of the person, the name of the father (or mother), and the place and date of death. Death records for 1913–1955 and indexes for 1913–1967 are available from:

North Carolina State Archives 109 East Jones Street Raleigh, NC 27601-2807 Telephone: 919-733-3952 Fax: 919-733-1354 Internet: http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/archives/

Death indexes for 1906–1967 and death certificates for 1906–1994, are on microfilm at the Family History Library:

North Carolina. Department of Public Health. ''Vital Records Section. Death Certificates, 1906–1994; Still Births, 1914–1953; Fetal Deaths, 1960–1974; Index, 1906–1967''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993–95. (On 1022 FHL films beginning with 1909181.) The certificates are arranged by file number or volume number.

For the time period 1968–1994 there is an alphabetical death index on 56 microfiche:

North Carolina. Department of Public Health. ''Vital Records Section. Index to Death Certificates, 1968–1994''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996. (FHL fiche 6118477.)

Bastardy Bonds
A book with birth information about children born out of wedlock is:

Camin, Betty J. North Carolina Bastardy Bonds. Mt. Airy, North Carolina: B.J. and E.A. Camin, 1990. Seneca, South Carolina: The Kopy Shop Printers. (FHL book 975.6 P2c.) Records for 30 counties are included in this book. These bonds are from the time the county was created until about 1880. The original records are at the North Carolina State Archives. The bondsman listed may be the father of the child, the mother or her father, or another party. About 22,000 names are listed.

Marriage Records, Early to 1868
From 1669 to 1742, marriages were performed by clergy or civil authorities and were recorded in county records. Few of these records have survived, except for those of Pasquotank and Perquimans counties.

From 1741 to 1868, either a publication of banns or the posting of a bond was required before a marriage could take place. These practices are described below:

Banns. The publication of banns was a religious procedure. For three consecutive Sundays, the couple posted in church their written intention to marry. If no objection was voiced, permission to marry was granted by the church. Before 1851 marriages performed by banns were not recorded in public records, so they must be located in church or Bible records. Beginning in 1851 ministers were required to file marriage returns with a clerk in the county.

Bonds. Couples could also obtain a license to marry if the groom posted a bond of 50 pounds in the county where the bride resided. Marriages performed by bonds were recorded in county records. Some of these pre-1868 bonds have survived for about half the counties. Marriage by bonds was discontinued in 1868.

About 170,000 marriage bonds for 1741–1868 have been abstracted and indexed in:

North Carolina. Division of Archives and History. An Index to Marriage Bonds Filed in the North Carolina State Archives. Raleigh, North Carolina: Department of Cultural Resources, 1977? (On 88 FHL fiche 6330241–328.) The index refers you to the county of marriage. It contains a brides index and a grooms index. It includes the entire state, except Granville County. Most of these pre-1868 marriage bonds are also listed in the International Genealogical Index available at the Family History Library and at each Family History Center. Many county marriage records are on microfilm or have been published.

For a small fee, the North Carolina State Archives will search the index for you and send you a copy. Instructions are found in:

North Carolina. Department of Cultural Resources. Archives and Records Section. Archives Information Circular 15 September 1977. (FHL book 975.6 B4a; film 1421815 item 19; fiche 6330329.) Only the microfiche is circulated to Family History Centers.

Marriage Records after 1868
Marriage records from 1868 to 1962 are kept by the register of deeds in each county. Statewide registration of marriages began in 1962. You can write to the Division of Health Services (see address above) to obtain copies of records since January 1962. For records from 1868 to the 1950s and sometimes later, write to the North Carolina State Archives listed in the "Archives and Library" section.

County Marriage Records at the Family History Library
The Family History Library has microfilm copies of county marriage records for most counties through the 1950s. From Guilford County, for example, the library has six films of marriage abstracts (1770–1868) and 65 films of marriage licenses (1873–1961). Numerous published sources are also available, such as:

Clemens, William M. North and South Carolina Marriage Records: From the Earliest Colonial Days to the Civil War. 1927. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1981. (FHL book 975 V28c 1981.)

Marriage Records, Early–1850. Vol.1, Southern States. Orem, Utah: Automated Archives, 1992. (FHL compact disc no. 9, pt. 229). This does not circulate to Family History Centers. This resource indexes Family History Library microfilms of selected marriage records from Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Almost all North Carolina counties are represented. This index shows each spouse’s name, Soundex code, and marriage date. The state and county and marriage years covered are in the upper left of the screen. The names in this index also appear in the FamilyFinder™ Index and Viewer cited fully in the "Census" section.

''Marriage Records. Part 4, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina''. Orem, Utah: Automated Archives, 1994. (FHL compact disc no. 9 pt. 4.) This does not circulate to Family History Centers. This resource, once titled Hunting for Bears, indexes original marriage records to about 1868 from 102 North Carolina counties. Family History Library microfilm copies were not used to compile this index. This index lists each spouse’s name and marriage date. The state and county of the marriage are displayed on the upper left of the screen. The names in this index also appear in the FamilyFinder Index and Viewer cited fully in the "Census" section.

North Carolina birth, marriage, and death records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA- VITAL RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- VITAL RECORDS

Divorce Records
Divorce records may provide information about the date and place of marriage, names and ages of children, the cause of the divorce, and terms of settlement. After the American Revolution and through 1827, divorces could be granted by the general assembly, and these records are among the legislative papers at the state archives. The superior court for each county also had jurisdiction over divorce cases beginning in 1814. The Family History Library has very few of these documents. You can write to the superior court clerk at the county courthouse for copies or information. The North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources has divorce records from 1 January 1958 to the present.

Divorce records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY] - DIVORCE RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY] - COURT RECORDS

Online Resources

 * North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: Vital Records (subscription site) - http://vitalrecords.dhhs.state.nc.us/vr/index.html
 * North Carolina Obituary Links - www.obitlinkspage.com/obit/nc.htm