birth records for North Carolina prior to 1850

Question

Where to search for family records of Chaney family in North Carolina prior to 1850?

Rebecca Collier · Answer

Dear Ms. Turner, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; Birth records were not recorded in North Carolina at the county or state level prior to 1913 [with the exception of the cities or Raleigh (birth records begin 1890) and Wilmington (birth records begin 1904)].&#160; There are cases where delayed birth records were issued by counties going back as far as 1800. Any delayed birth records issued are indexed by the North Carolina State Archives and the originals are kept by each county&#8217;s Register of Deeds.&#160; &#160; Because of this, you may need to search records different from a traditional birth certificate in order to locate specific birth details.&#160; These records can include: death, cemetery, newspaper, church/family bible, census, and military. This listing from Family Search summarizes some of the vital records available for North Carolina. There is a section at the bottom relevant to substitute records. &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research! &#160; [Information provided by Elizabeth Burnes, Subject Matter Expert] &#160;

Karen Baker · Answer

Ms. Turner, If you know the county the birth took place in, I would contact that counties local library. I work for a NC County Library and we have a local history room that has records that date back into the 1700's. Although I know birth records do not go back that far, there are other records of interest that may be helpful in your research. In our collection we do have some church and family bible records that may contain the records of the births. If you look in the right spot you can find what your looking for if it is there. Good luck in your search for these records. -Karen