Introduction to North Carolina Vital Records
Vital records are official government records created about birth, marriage, and death. Vital records are crucial to research because they contain rich details about individuals and families. Some essential details may include names of parents, the mother’s maiden name, other family relationships, places of residence, location where the event in question occured, and exact dates.
The purpose of this guide is to help you know:
- Where to look for vital records based on when and where the birth, marriage, or death occurred
- How to locate and request a copy of a vital record if it is not available online
What you need to know before you begin researching
Vital records have not existed for all of North Carolina’s existence. Reporting of marriages began in 1868. Reporting of births and deaths began 1913. By 1920, 90% of births and deaths were being registered.
North Carolina is a unique state in that its birth, marriage, and death records are essentially public records as soon as created. North Carolina does not restrict access to genealogical copies with 25 year or greater embargo periods that limit public access. This means you won’t have to battle to access vital records.
Since vital records may not have existed in the time and place of your search, you may need to seek a vital record substitute.*
A vital record substitute guide will be released later this year.
This guide includes the following sections:
- North Carolina Birth Records
- North Carolina Death Records
- North Carolina Marriage Records
North Carolina Birth Certificates
Statewide registration of births began in 1913 in North Carolina with general compliance by 1920. Before 1913, no births were recorded by the county or state. However, the cities of Raleigh and Wilmington began keeping birth records in 1890 and 1904.
Government programs and the creation of Social Security created a need for official records of birth that took place prior to 1913. County Registers of Deeds recorded these Delayed Birth Certificates. They are filed separately from birth certificates.
“Certificates were normally filed in the county in which the event took place, but in some periods they were filed instead in the county where the subject legally resided.” (1)
A significant amount of genealogically important information may be included in birth certificates including the date and place of birth, full name of child, sex, name of mother, name of father, mother’s maiden name, color or race of both parents, the informant’s name, parents’ marital status, and parents’ birthplaces and birthdates.
It is common to find birth certificates where the child has no first name listed. This is usually because the parents had not decided on a name before the certificate was registered. Amended certificates including omitted or incorrect information could be filed at a later date.
Here are a couple of examples of North Carolina birth certificates:
Online Birth Record Collections
There are many online North Carolina Birth Record Collections. Below you will find a list of collections available on FamilySearch and Ancestry.
FamilySearch.org
North Carolina Birth Index, 1800-2000 Free. Index. FamilySearch.
North Carolina Births and Christenings, 1866-1964 Free. Index. FamilySearch. Name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of North Carolina. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
North Carolina birth certificates, 1913-1922 Free. Images Available. No Index. FamilySearch. Includes Birth Certificates from all North Carolina Counties
North Carolina still births,1914-1953; fetal death indexes,1950-1967 Free. Images Available. No Index. FamilySearch.
Ancestry.com
North Carolina Birth Index, 1800-2000 $. Index. This database is an index to almost 7 million births and deaths occurring in North Carolina between 1913 and 2000. Delayed births are included as well and extended as early as 1800. For a list of the counties and years covered in this database, please visit the link and see the bottom of the page. Information contained in this index includes child’s full name, gender, race or color, birth date, birthplace, occasionally one or both of the parents’ names, source information (usually includes a book or volume number and page number. Sometimes a certificate number will also be listed.)
Other
Many counties have free indexes available online through the Register of Deeds website. Check your specific county’s website for online index availability.
How do I obtain a birth certificate?
There are two great options for ordering a North Carolina birth certificate.
Option 1:
Order from the Register of Deeds Office in the county where the birth occurred. The Register of Deeds Office may offer genealogical or non-certified certificate copies that are less expensive and easier to request than an official copy. You will need to research what ordering options are available. Some counties offer online ordering and others do not. Many systems are used within North Carolina’s 100 counties, so be sure to check the specific county in question.
If you are requesting a birth certificate for genealogical or informational purposes, you will want to a get genealogical or non-certified copies of birth certificates direct from the county. The county must offer this at cost – which typically ranges from $.25 + SASE to maybe $1. You will receive these certificates is significatly faster than certified copies. For more information about genealogical certificate copies, call or email the county Register of Deeds Office.
Option 2:
Order from The NC Department of Health and Human Services at https://vitalrecords.nc.gov/ or in person at their Raleigh location (North Carolina Vital Records (Cooper Memorial Health Building), 225 N. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC 27603-1382).
The North Carolina Vital Records office requires specific information before beginning a search and charges $24 for each three-year period searched, regardless of whether or not they find a record. They recommend ordering a certificate through the County Register of Deeds (option 1) or checking with the State Archives of NC or the Genealogy Section of the State Library of NC.
If you use the online portal, the processing time may take multiple weeks. For faster options, visit https://vitalrecords.nc.gov/.
When ordering from the state, you will need to provide the name on the certificate, both parents’ full names, date of birth, place of birth (city or county).
Note About Birth Certificates for an Adopted Child
Generally, the county (and state) only retain one copy of a birth certificate. In most cases, the one that is available to acquire is the “final” amended one. This is why birth certificates for an adopted child will only have the name after adoption and no information regarding pre-adoption.
North Carolina Death Certificates
Satewide registration of deaths began in 1913 in North Carolina with general compliance by 1920. Before 1913, no deaths were recorded by the county or state. The cities of Raleigh and Wilmington began keeping their own death records earlier. Raleigh kept death records in 1885. Wilmington starting keeping death records in 1903.
Similar to birth certificates, death certificates contain a variety of important genealogical information. While researching with death certificates, you may see: the name of the deceased, the date and place of death, the cause of death, the names of both parents, the mother’s maiden name, the birthplaces of both parents, the deceased’ place of residence, occupation, attending physician, marital status, name of spouse, occupation, and name of cemetery or burial place.
It is helpful to determine the identity of the informant. It is likely that the informant is a family member. The information given by the informant may contain errors due to lack of knowledge or not having clarity of thought due to grief. For example, if John Smith’s daughter-in-law was the informant she may have no knowledge of his parents’ names or birthplaces. She may decide to guess or leave it off completely.
Here are a couple of examples of North Carolina death certificates:
Online Death Record Collections
There are many online North Carolina Death Record Collections. Below you will find a list of collections available on FamilySearch and Ancestry.
FamilySearch
North Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1898-1994. Free. Index. FamilySearch. Name index to death and burial records from the state of North Carolina. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 109,511 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930. Free. Index and images. FamilySearch. Name index and images of death certificates recorded in North Carolina from 1906-1930.
North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994. Free. Index. Name index to deaths recorded in North Carolina from 1931-1994.
North Carolina, Wake County, Death Records, 1900-1909. Free. Index and Images. FamilySearch. This collection includes death records from Wake County, North Carolina, 1900-1909.
Ancestry
North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976. $. Index and Images. This database contains North Carolina death certificates from 1909-1976. It includes stillborn and fetal deaths. Information contained in this database includes name of deceased, certificate number, death place, death date, residence, gender, race, birth date, birthplace, age at time of death, father’s name, mother’s name, spouse’s name. Additional information such as social security number, birthplaces of parents, occupation, burial information (name and address of cemetery, and date buried), and cause of death may also be listed on the certificate and can be obtained by viewing the image.
North Carolina, Death Indexes, 1908-2004. $. Index and some images. This database is an index to deaths that occurred in North Carolina between 1908 and 2004. Images are available for some counties during some time periods. For more information about the collection and a complete list of counties and year ranges with images available, please visit the collection’s webpage.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Death Index, 1992-2012. $. Index. Also available for free at the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds website.
Other
Many counties have free indexes available online through the Register of Deeds website. Check your specific county’s website for online index availability.
How do I obtain a death certificate?
Option 1:
Order from the Register of Deeds Office in the county where the death occurred. The Register of Deeds Office may offer genealogical or non-certified certificate copies that are less expensive and easier to request than an official copy. You will need to research what ordering options are available. Some counties offer online ordering and others do not. Many systems are used within North Carolina’s 100 counties, so be sure to check the specific county in question.
If you are requesting a death certificate for genealogical or informational purposes, you will want to a get genealogical or non-certified copies of birth certificates direct from the county. The county must offer this at cost – which typically ranges from $.25 + SASE to maybe $1. You will receive these certificates is significatly faster than certified copies. For more information about genealogical certificate copies, call or email the county Register of Deeds Office.
Option 2:
Order from The NC Department of Health and Human Services at https://vitalrecords.nc.gov/ or in person at their Raleigh location (North Carolina Vital Records (Cooper Memorial Health Building), 225 N. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC 27603-1382). You can order death certificates from 1930-present.
The North Carolina Vital Records office requires specific information before beginning a search and charges $24 for each three-year period searched, regardless of whether or not they find a record. They recommend ordering a certificate through the County Register of Deeds (option 1) or checking with the State Archives of NC or the Genealogy Section of the State Library of NC.
If you use the online portal, the processing time may take multiple weeks. For faster options, visit https://vitalrecords.nc.gov/.
When ordering from the state, you will need to provide the name on the certificate, date of death, place of death (city or county in North Carolina).
Marriage Records
Public record of marriages have been recorded in North Carolina since 1742, but it wasn’t until 1868 that an act “transferred the power to issue marriage licenses to the register of deeds and made the license the only public record of marriages.” Marriage licenses and certificates are typically found together. When researching, take note of which you are looking at as the dates may vary. The license gave permission for a couple to marry and the certificate proved the marriage took place. (2)
Here are a few examples of North Carolina marriage licenses and certificates:
Online Marriage Record Collections
There are many online North Carolina Marriage Record Collections. Below you will find a list of collections available on FamilySearch and Ancestry.
FamilySearch
North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979. Free. Index and Images. Marriage records from North Carolina county courthouses. These records include licenses, marriage applications, marriage bonds, marriage certificates, marriage packets and cohabitation registers.
North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979. Free. Index. Name index to marriage records from the state of North Carolina. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
North Carolina, Civil Marriages, 1763-1868. Free. Index. Index to selected county marriage bonds and certificates. Due to privacy restrictions we are not able to publish the images associated with these indexes at this time.
Ancestry
North Carolina, Marriage Records, 1741-2011. $. Index and Images. This North Carolina collection includes marriage bonds, licenses, certificates, and registers, as well as indexes and abstracts to the various records from 87 North Carolina counties. (See the browse for included counties and record types.) Of special interest to African American researchers are records of cohabitation, which were required to be recorded in 1866 in order for the marriages of recently emancipated slaves to be legally recognized.
Details included on the records will vary depending on the record type, location, and time period, but you may find information such as the groom’s name, the bride’s name, bride and groom’s current ages, or age at next birthday, marriage application date, marriage date, marriage county, places of residence, occupation, places of birth for the bride and groom, color and nationality, parents’ names for the bride and groom (including mother’s maiden name), location of the marriage, name of the officiant, names of witnesses.
North Carolina, Marriage Index, 1741-2004. $. Index and Images. Not all entries have an available image. This database is an index to individuals who were married in various North Carolina counties between 1741 and 2004. The database is a compilation of several indexes obtained from multiple agencies, namely the North Carolina State Archives, North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, and Liahona Research. A list of counties and the years for which there are records covered in this index is available at the bottom of this page.
Other
Many counties have free indexes available online through the Register of Deeds website. Check your specific county’s website for online index availability.
How do I obtain a marriage certificate?
Many North Carolina marriage records images are available online in the collections listed above. If you are unable to locate the marriage in an online collection or the marriage is recent and protected by privacy laws, we recommend the following two options.
Option 1:
Order from the Register of Deeds Office in the county where the marriage occurred. The Register of Deeds Office may offer genealogical or non-certified certificate copies that are less expensive and easier to request than an official copy. You will need to research what ordering options are available. Some counties offer online ordering and others do not. Many systems are used within North Carolina’s 100 counties, so be sure to check the specific county in question.
If you are requesting a marriage certificate for genealogical or informational purposes, you will want to a get genealogical or non-certified copies of birth certificates direct from the county. The county must offer this at cost – which typically ranges from $.25 + SASE to maybe $1. You will receive these certificates is significatly faster than certified copies. For more information about genealogical certificate copies, call or email the county Register of Deeds Office.
Option 2:
Marriage certificates from 1962-present are available from the NC Department of Health and Human Services at https://vitalrecords.nc.gov/ or in person at their Raleigh location (North Carolina Vital Records (Cooper Memorial Health Building), 225 N. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC 27603-1382).
The North Carolina Vital Records office requires specific information before beginning a search and charges $24 for each three-year period searched, regardless of whether or not they find a record. They recommend ordering a certificate through the County Register of Deeds (option 1) or checking with the State Archives of NC or the Genealogy Section of the State Library of NC.
If you use the online portal, the processing time may take multiple weeks. For faster options, visit https://vitalrecords.nc.gov/.
When ordering from the state, you will need to provide the name of applicants, date of marriage, place where license was issued (city or county in North Carolina).
References:
1. 10. Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., “Marriage, Divorce, and Vital Records,” in North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History, ed. Helen F.M. Leary, (United States: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1996), 166
2. Ibid.
Updated 24 February 2020