Franklin County, North Carolina Genealogy
Guide to Franklin County, North Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Social Security Records
- 2.27 Tax Records
- 2.28 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Franklin County is located in the north-central portion of North Carolina and was named for Benjamin Franklin.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Franklin County Courthouse
102 South Main Street
Louisburg, NC 27549
Phone: 919-497-4200
Franklin County Website
Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913, marriage records from 1869, land records from 1779.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records.
Marriage bonds from 1779 are located at the NC Archives.[3]
The first county courthouse was a log building erected circa 1781 either on or very near the current county courthouse location on Main Street between Court and Nash Streets. The log courthouse was replaced with a structure of brick and stone in 1849. The 1849 courthouse was completely remodeled in 1936 and again in 1968 when it was also enlarged.
The first jail was built close to the original courthouse and during the same time frame, but it was destroyed by fire in 1872. It was replaced with a stone building which still stands, though now abandoned, on the south side of Nash Street about one-and-a-half blocks east of Main Street. The new Franklin County Jail & Sheriff's Department Complex was built in 1994 and is located west of downtown Louisburg on T. Kemp Road.
Franklin County, North Carolina Record Dates[edit | edit source]
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.
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1913 | 1869 | 1913 | 1774 | 1779 | 1776 | 1784 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
The 1820 Census for Franklin County is lost; reason is unknown. On 6 December 2013, Franklin County destroyed many historical records dating back to the 1840s through incineration. The records, dating back to the 1840s, included bound volumes of deeds, liens, and chattel mortgages, Large quantities of unbound records were also destroyed. None of these materials appear to have been microfilmed or scanned prior to their being burned. For the status of records for all North Carolina Counties see:Status of Courthouse Records in North Carolina
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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. |
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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]
Towns | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
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Census-designated places | ||
Townships | ||
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Franklin county was formed in 1779 from the southern half of Bute County in the midst of the American Revolution and was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin who had recently negotiated an alliance and secured loan agreements with France that would eventually help to win America's independence. The abolishment of Bute County came at the urging of area resident and strong political activist, Benjamin Seawell, who introduced a bill to separate from the county which had been named after the Earl of Bute. Seawell had also been among those selected to represent the county at the Halifax Congress of April 1776. Fellow representatives of Bute at that meeting included Green Hill, William Alston, Thomas Sherrod, Thomas Eaton, Benjamin Person, Benjamin Word, and Philemon Hawkins. The act establishing the county authorized that the first court be held at the home of Benjamin Seawell and it was left to the justices to determine where subsequent courts were to be held until a courthouse could be erected - a goal that was finally met in 1781 with the construction of a log courthouse.
Louisburg, the county seat, was also chartered in 1779 and is believed to have been named for King Louis XVI of France who was a strong American ally. There is disagreement among historians as to when the town was first named, with estimates ranging from as early as 1758, though historians generally agree that the name of the town was originally spelled "Lewisburg". Once the charter had been established, 100 acres of land were purchased from Patewells & Jacobina Milner for the platting of the new county seat. The initial survey for the town was performed by William Christmas who was also responsible for the layout of Raleigh, North Carolina. Louisburg remained the only town in the county until after the Revolutionary War.
Situated in the northeastern section of the State, Franklin County is bounded by Nash, Wake, Granville, Vance, and Warren counties. The present land area is 492.02 square miles and the population has grown from roughly 7,500 at the dawn of the 19th century to 47,260 in the year 2000. The soil is fertile and, in some areas, chock-full of granite. Originally a community focused primarily on agriculture and livestock and boasting 3,367 farms covering 267,530 acres in the year 1900, today Franklin County is home to 574 farms encompassing 128,412 total acres. The county is now focused on broadening her economic base through encouragement of real estate development and much attention is now given to enticing large corporations to bring their operations to the county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- North Carolina, Historical Records Survey, Cemetery Inscription Card Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Census Records[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
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Census | Pop. | %± |
1790 | 7,502 | — |
1800 | 8,529 | 13.7% |
1810 | 10,166 | 19.2% |
1820 | 9,741 | −4.2% |
1830 | 10,665 | 9.5% |
1840 | 10,980 | 3.0% |
1850 | 11,713 | 6.7% |
1860 | 14,107 | 20.4% |
1870 | 14,134 | 0.2% |
1880 | 20,829 | 47.4% |
1890 | 21,090 | 1.3% |
1900 | 25,116 | 19.1% |
1910 | 24,692 | −1.7% |
1920 | 26,667 | 8.0% |
1930 | 29,456 | 10.5% |
1940 | 30,382 | 3.1% |
1950 | 31,341 | 3.2% |
1960 | 28,755 | −8.3% |
1970 | 26,820 | −6.7% |
1980 | 30,055 | 12.1% |
1990 | 36,414 | 21.2% |
2000 | 47,260 | 29.8% |
2010 | 60,619 | 28.3% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
Church Records[edit | edit source]
- 1700-1970 - North Carolina, Church Records, 1700-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Baptist
- Jaile's Creek Constituted 1771.[7]
- Maple Spring Constituted 1793.[7]
- Sandy Creek Constituted 1770.[7] Minute book (1770-1859) online.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- The Franklin County Register of Deeds and the Franklin County Court Clerk have a number of records; contact for more information. Note that most of the originals of the older records have been transferred to the State Archives and that the records contained at the County level are usually hand copied into the County Books. Generally, it is much more cost effective to get documents on the County level rather than through the Archives.
Transcriptions: (NCGenWeb)
- Holland Murphy Petition-1822
- Extract of Minutes: 1786-1787
- Extract of Minutes: 1788-1790
- Extract of Minutes: 1791-1800
- Extract of Minutes: 1801-1805
- Extract of Minutes: 1806-1807
- Extract of Minutes: 1808-1810
- Extract of Minutes: 1811-1813
- Extract of Minutes: 1814-1815
- Extract of Minutes: 1816-1817
- Extract of Minutes: 1818-1820
- Extract of Minutes: 1821
- Extract of Minutes: 1822
- Extract of Minutes: 1823
- Extract of Minutes: 1824 & 1828
- Extract of Minutes:1829
- Extract of Minutes: 1831-1833
- Extract of Minutes: 1834-1837
- Extract of Minutes: 1838-1839
- Extract of Minutes: 1840
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African-American
- 1862-1870 North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1863-1872 North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
- Franklin County Freedmen's Marriages. Cohabitation Marriages of former slaves.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Franklin County Map Collections
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War
- 1779-1782 North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers 1779-1782 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- North Carolina Loyalist Units
Civil War
- 1861-1865 North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1861-1865 North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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 North Carolina, Confederate Soldiers and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1953 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- North Carolina Civil War Rosters
- Civil War- North Carolina History
- Franklin County U.S. Colored Troops
Regiments. Men in Franklin 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 Franklin County:
- - 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company K
- - 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company L
- - 13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company B
- - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company E
- - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company G
- - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company L
- - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company K
- - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company E
- - 3rd Battalion, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company A
World War I
- 1917-1919 North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
World War II
- 1940-1948 North Carolina, Discharge and Statement of Service Records, 1940-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Vietnam War
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
County Records
- 1833-1970 North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images. (incomplete)
Voter Registration
- 1868-1898 - North Carolina, Voter Registration Records, 1868-1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
North Carolina has a number of resources for collections of wills at both the State and County levels. Older wills were sent to the North Carolina State Archives where most are indexed and stored by county. The records in the Archives are also filed under a cross-index to wills, cross-referenced by devisor and devisee. The Franklin County Courthouse has copies of all county wills. Originals have been transferred to the NC State Archives.
Online Probate Records
- 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
- 1663-1979 North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry $
- 1735-1970 North Carolina Probate Records 1735-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
- 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
- 1785-1964 Will Books A to Y (1785-1964) at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
- 1787-1838 Images of Wills and Estates, Vols. 1 & 2. North Carolina Pioneers $
- Pre-1790 Pre-1790 Franklin County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
- Franklin County Wills Index
- Franklin County Index to Wills-Devisors List
- Franklin County USGenWeb Archives-Wills Index
- Franklin County Probate Records. Browsable images from FamilySearch.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Yearbooks
- Louisburg College: 1923-1997
- Franklin County students at North Carolina colleges. Yearbook Index. (NCGenWeb)
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
- 1766 Tax Lists, Bute County, 1766 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
- 1771 Tax Lists, Bute County, 1771 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
- 1771 Tax Lists, Bute County, 1771 (images) at FamilySearch
- 1771 Tax Lists, Franklin County, 1771 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
- 1798 List of Taxables, 1798 (images) at FamilySearch
- 1815 Tax Lists, Franklin County, 1815 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
- 1800-2000 - North Carolina, Department of Archives and History, Index to Vital Records, 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1800-2000 North Carolina Birth Index 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1866-1964 North Carolina Births and Christenings 1866-1964 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1913-1922 North Carolina, Center for Health Statistics, Vital Records Unit, County Birth Records, 1913-1922 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
- 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
- 1759-1979 North Carolina Marriages 1759-1979 at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1762-1979 North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1763-1868 North Carolina, Civil Marriages, 1763-1868 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1779-1868 Franklin County Marriages 1779-1868 (NCGenWeb)
- 1869-1964 Franklin County Marriage Index 1869-1964 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[8]
- Franklin County Marriages
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1898-1994 North Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1898-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1906-1930 North Carolina Deaths 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 North Carolina Deaths 1931-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1926-1975 North Carolina, County Divorce Records, 1926-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Franklin County. For state-wide archival repositories, see North Carolina Archives and Libraries.
The North Carolina State Archives has copies of Franklin County records starting from its establishment in 1779. Guide to Research Materials.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History 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 family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Franklin County. For state-wide library facilities, see North Carolina Archives and Libraries.
- Braswell Memorial Library
727 N. Grace Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Phone: 252-442-1951
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Franklin County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see North Carolina Societies.
- Tar River Connections Genealogical Society
PO Box 8764
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Franklin County NCGenWeb
- USGenWeb Project
- Franklin County USGenWeb Archives
- 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/Franklin
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Franklin County, North Carolina. Page 506-514 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Franklin County, North Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County,_North_Carolina, accessed 14 February 2020.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:491; 2:564. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/4/4d/Iginorthcarolinaa.pdf.