New Hanover County, North Carolina Genealogy


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

County Facts
County seat: Wilmington
Organized: 1729
Parent County(s): Craven[1]
Neighboring Counties
BrunswickPender
Courthouse
NorthCarolinaNewHanoverCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Nc-new-hanover.png

County Information

Description

New Hanover County is located in the southeastern portion of North Carolina and was named in honor of England's King George I of the House of Hanover.[2]

County Courthouse

New Hanover County Courthouse
3rd Princess Street, Rm 103
Wilmington, NC 28401-4090
Phone: 910-341-7125
New Hanover County Website

Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records.[3]

New Hanover County, North Carolina Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1879 1741 1879 1738 1729 1732 1784
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1913. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

1789, 1819, 1840 Courthouse fires in 1789, 1819, and 1840 resulted in some record loss.
1810 1810 Census is missing.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes

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:[6]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships
  • Cape Fear
  • Federal Point
  • Harnett
  • Masonboro
  • Wilmington

History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of New Hanover County, North Carolina online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See North Carolina Cemeteries for more information


Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 6,837
1800 7,060 3.3%
1810 11,465 62.4%
1820 10,866 −5.2%
1830 10,959 0.9%
1840 13,312 21.5%
1850 17,668 32.7%
1860 21,715 22.9%
1870 27,978 28.8%
1880 21,376 −23.6%
1890 24,026 12.4%
1900 25,785 7.3%
1910 32,037 24.2%
1920 40,620 26.8%
1930 43,010 5.9%
1940 47,935 11.5%
1950 63,272 32.0%
1960 71,742 13.4%
1970 82,996 15.7%
1980 103,471 24.7%
1990 120,284 16.2%
2000 160,307 33.3%
2010 202,667 26.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

The following censuses are missing for New Hanover County:

  • 1810 U.S. Census - missing[7]

Church Records

Baptist

  • Black River. Established by 1758.[8]

Church of England

  • St. James's Parish, Wilmington, N.C. Established 1729.[9] Official website. Church records from 1737 to 1892 have been published.[10] Baptisms 1754-1880 (Batch C712001 ) and Marriages 1811-1892 (Batch M712001 ) are included in the International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
  • St. Philip's Parish. Established by 1741.[11]

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

  • Wilmington

Methodist

  • St. Stephen A.M.E. Church, Wilmington, N.C. Formed 1865. Served the African American community.[12]


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Wilmington has been a port since colonial times.[13]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African-American

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Pender CountyBrunswick CountyNC NEW HANOVER.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Early migration routes to and from New Hanover County for European settlers included:[14]

Military Records

Revolutionary War

Civil War


Regiments. Men in New Hanover County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in New Hanover County:

- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 7th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company D
- 13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company E
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Artillery 10th Regiment Volunteers-1st Artillery. Company E
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Artillery 10th Regiment Volunteers-1st Artillery. Company I
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company E
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company A
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company B
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company C
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company D
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company E
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company H
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 1st Company A
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, 2nd Company H
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company D
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company F
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company D
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company F
- 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company K
- 41st Regiment Volunteers - 3rd Cavalry, Company A
- 4th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (59th North Carolina State Troops), Company C
- 7th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company B
- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company C
- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Benjamin J Jacob's Company
- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Neill McNeill's Company
- 10th Battalion, North Carolina Heavy Artillery, Company D

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in New Hanover County:[15]

  • December 7-27, 1864 - Fort Fisher I.
  • January 13-15, 1865 - Fort Fisher II.
  • February 12-22, 1865 - Wilmington, also known as Fort Anderson, Town Creek, Forks Road, or Sugar Loaf Hill.
  • Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Voter Registration

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in New Hanover County. For state-wide archival repositories, see North Carolina Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in New Hanover County. For state-wide library facilities, see North Carolina Archives and Libraries.

Carolina Beach Branch Library
300 Cape Fear Blvd
Carolina Beach, NC 28428
Phone: 910-798-6380
Facebook

Myrtle Grove Branch Library
5155 S College Rd
Wilmington, NC 28412
Phone: 910-452-6414
Facebook

New Hanover County Public Libraries
Main Library and Law Library
201 Chestnut St
Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone:901-798-6301
Facebook
Website

New Hanover County Public Libraries
Northeast Branch
1241 Military Cutoff Rd
Wilmington, NC 28405
Phone: 910-798-6300
Website

Museums

African American Heritage Museum of Wilmington
PO Box 968
Wilmington, NC 28402-0968
Email: info@aahfwilmington.org

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
814 Market St
Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone: 910-798-4370
Email: info@capefearmuseum.com
Facebook
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in New Hanover County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see North Carolina Societies.

Lower Cape Fear Historical Society Inc.
126 S Third St
Wilmington, NC 28401
Phone: 910-762-0492
Email: lcfhs@latimerhouse.org
Facebook
Website

Websites

  • USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
  • North Carolina Pioneers $
  • FamilySearch Catalog – 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.

Research Guides

References

  1. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/new-hanover
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), New Hanover County, North Carolina. Page 512 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), New Hanover County, North Carolina. Page 506-514 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 505-509.
  5. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. Wikipedia contributors, "New Hanover County, North Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hanover_County,_North_Carolina, accessed 22 February 2020.
  7. North Carolina Censuses Existing and Lost Wiki article with sources given
  8. Perhaps located in Sampson County, or another name for Bull Tail, see: George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:304-305. FS Library Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
  9. Lawrence Foushee London and Sarah McCulloh Lemmon, The Episcopal Church in North Carolina, 1701-1959 (Raleigh, N.C.: The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, 1987), 21. FS Library Book 975.6 K2e; Robert J. Cain, ed., The Church of England in North Carolina: Documents, 1699-1741 (Raleigh, N.C.: Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1999), xxxiii. FS Library Book 975.6 K2cr; "St. James Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com/, accessed 22 October 2012.
  10. Ida B. Kellam and Elizabeth F. McKoy, eds., St. James Church, Wilmington, North Carolina: Historical Records, 1737-1892 (1965).
  11. Robert J. Cain, ed., The Church of England in North Carolina: Documents, 1699-1741 (Raleigh, N.C.: Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1999), xxx, 414. FS Library Book 975.6 K2cr.
  12. "St. Stephen A.M.E. Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012.
  13. Lawrence Foushee London and Sarah McCulloh Lemmon, The Episcopal Church in North Carolina, 1701-1959 (Raleigh, N.C.: The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, 1987), 21. FS Library Book 975.6 K2e.
  14. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  15. National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.