Moore County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Moore County Courthouse 102 Monroe St Carthage, NC 28327 Mailing Address: PO Box 936 Carthage, NC 28327 Phone: (910) 947-2396

Courthouse burned in 1889 registrar of deeds has birth and death records from 1913 land records from 1889 &amp; land grants from 1784 Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and Court Records  Register of Deeds PO Box 1210 Carthage, NC 28327 Telephone: 910-947-6370 Fax: 910-947-6396 Website  Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 936 Carthage, NC 28327 Telephone: (910) 722-5000

History
Moore County was formed in 1784 from Cumberland County. It was named in the honor of Captain Alfred Moore of Brunswick, a soldier of the Revolution and afterwards a judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. Moore County is in the south central section of the State and bounded by Harnett, Hoke, Scotland, Richmond, Montgomery, Randolph, Chatham, and Lee counties. The act establishing the county provided for the erection of the public buildings. In 1795 an act was passed which stated that the location of the courthouse was inconvenient; it named commissioners to purchase land near the center of the county and erect a new courthouse. In 1796 an act was passed establishing Carthage on land where the courthouse was to stand. In 1803 an act was passed naming commissioners to lay out a town and build a courthouse as directed in the act of 1796. In 1806, Carthage was changed to Feaginsville. In 1818, "Feaginsville" was changed back to Carthage, and is now the county seat.

Parent County
1784--Moore County was created from Cumberland County. County seat: Carthage

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
1889--Courthouse fire destroyed most of the land records and many court records.

Neighboring Counties

 * Chatham
 * Cumberland
 * Harnett
 * Hoke
 * Lee
 * Montgomery
 * Randolph
 * Richmond
 * Scotland

Cemeteries

 * Moore County Cemeteries
 * Partial list of Bensalem Church Cemetery
 * Smyrna Methodist Church Cemetery
 * Long Street Church Cemetery
 * Dover Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Acorn Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery
 * Brown's Chapel Christian Cemetery
 * Cross Hill Cemetery
 * Lamm's Grove Primitive Baptist Church
 * Pine Rest Cemetery
 * Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery
 * Tabernacle United Methodist Church Cemetery
 * Tabernacle United Methodist Church Cemetery [photos]
 * Flint Hall Baptist Church Cemetery [photos]
 * Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery [photos]

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Cameron

Court
Moore County Clerk of Superior Court The Clerk of Superior Court is elected for four years and must be a resident of the county in which he or she is elected. Unlike clerks of court in other states, the Clerk of Superior Court in North Carolina has numerous judicial functions.

As judge of probate, the Clerk has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting, and removing them from office if necessary. The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions, incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk receives and disburses money collected each year from court fees and fines.

Clerk of Superior Court's Office 910-947-2396 910-947-1444 (FAX)

A number of Court Records have been transcribed and are available at the following sites:


 * Mary Arnold v Henry Arnold 1845
 * Solomon Arnold, deceased 1846
 * John Baker v John Cole 1857
 * Edward Borroughs v Joseph Dunlap 1856
 * James Caddell, deceased 1804
 * Edward Chambers v William Farar, 1855
 * Amos &amp; Susannah Cheek, Inheritance 1811
 * Joseph Cook v David Cook, 1845
 * Cornelius David v Richard Oldham, et al 1808
 * Delinquent Tax Seizures 1857
 * Delinquent Taxpayers 1854
 * Delinquent Taxpayers 1854, pt.2
 * Direct Tax of 1815 &amp; 1816
 * W.W. Dye v. Archibald McFarland, 1854
 * Court Records from NCGenWeb Archives

Genealogy
The Tidwell family of Moore County, North Carolina is discussed in:


 * [Tidwell] Johnson, Charles Owen. "The Tidwell Family," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1973):3-7; Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1973):114-121; Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1973):181-186; Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1973):295-299; Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1974):35-40; Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1974):129-135; Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1974):175-182; Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):257-264; Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1975):39-45. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..

Land
Moore County Register of Deeds 100 Dowd Street Carthage, NC 28327

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1210 Carthage, NC 28327 910-947-6300

Has Land Records starting from 1787; their website includes a searchable database for their records.

A number of websites have transcribed deed and land records as follows:


 * Index to Moore County Grants, Vol. II
 * Moore County Original Landowners
 * Benjamin Caddle Land Grant 1799
 * William Cole to W. W. Sears 1856
 * Robert Green Land Grant 1853
 * Over 500 original Moore County Land Grants

Maps
Over 1000 upper Moore County Land Grants mapped out and plotted on present day map

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1835 Moore County Revolutionary War Pension list (partial)
 * The Memorial of James Campbell, 1800

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1885 - 1953 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Campbell Men in the War

Prisoner of War Records
 * Confederate Prisoners Information

Veteran and Burial Records
 * Veterans Roll of Honor
 * Moore County Confederate Veterans Roll of Honor
 * Civil War Soldiers Buried at Bethesda Cemetery


 * - 1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company E
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company E
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company I
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company H
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company I
 * - Jarrett B. Graham, 30th Infantry Company H

Civil War Battles

 * The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads

World War II

 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1660 - 1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1663 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1665 - 1998 - North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1735 - 1970 - at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1760 - 1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images

Moore County Clerk of Superior Court 910-947-2396 Has wills, estate records, and all transactions having to do with the settlement of estates starting from 1783. Contact their office to verify their records and fees.


 * Pre - 1790  - Pre-1790  Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.


 * 1783 - 1818 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

The following websites have transcribed copies of Wills or Estate Records for Moore County:


 * Archibald Black Estate
 * Robert Boals, 1798
 * Benjamin Britt, 1810
 * Joab Cheek, 1820
 * Richard Cheek, 1836
 * Allin Martin, 1816
 * Henry Jackson Dennis, 1890
 * Lockhart Frye, 1852
 * Duncan Murchison, 1836
 * Duncan Murchison, 1853
 * Kenneth Murchison Sr. 1834
 * Druary Richardson, 1811
 * William Richardson, 1805
 * Peter Shamburger, 1838
 * John Sheffield, 1794
 * Margaret Short, 1862
 * John Sinclair Sr. 1828
 * Jacob Stutts, 1796

Taxation
Original Tax Records including 1755, 1767, 1777-1780, 1783 for Cumberland County and 1793, 1795, 1797, 1807-1808, 1815, 1818-1823, 1844-1849 for Moore County

Vital Records
The Moore County Register of Deeds has an online searchable database for their Vital Records, including Birth, Death, and Marriage records.

Search Moore County Vital Records

Birth Records

 * 1800 - 2000 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1866 - 1964 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Death Records

 * 1898 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1906 - 1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1908 - 2004 - North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1909 - 1975 - North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1931 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce Records

 * 1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriages

 * 1858 - 1865 - Moore County Marriages 1858-1865 at USGenWeb - free.
 * 1857 - 1867 - Moore County Marriages 1858-1867
 * Moore County Marriages
 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1759 - 1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1762 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1763 - 1868 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Moore County Genealogical Society PO Box 1183 Pinehurst 28374-118 Website


 * Moore County Historical Association
 * Moore County Libraries

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Pinehurst North Carolina Family History Center

Web Sites

 * Moore County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Moore County NCGenWeb Project
 * Moore County USGenWeb Archives
 * Moore County Wallaces [over 35,000 individuals, 1,500 documents, 1,700 tombstone photographs and 500 individual and family photographs]
 * Moore County Wallaces [over 35,000 individuals, 1,500 documents, 1,700 tombstone photographs and 500 individual and family photographs]