Watauga County History and Information

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Watauga County North Carolina Map
VEIW FULL SIZED D.O.T. COUNTY MAP

Watauga was formed in 1849 from Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes and Yancey Counties. It was named for the Watauga River, which name came from an Indian word meaning "beautiful water." The present land area is 312.51 square miles and the 2000 population was 42,693. The first court was ordered to be held at the home of George Council, at which time justices of the peace were to decide upon a place for the future courts until the courthouse was erected. Commissioners were named to select a site for a county seat "which site shall be between Reuben Bartley's and a point one-half mile west of Willie McGee's east and west direction, and between John Pennell's and Howard's Knob north and south direction." They were to acquire the land and lay out a town and erect the public buildings. In 1851 a superior court was established for Watauga, and it directed that court was to be held in the courthouse at Boone. Boone, named in honor of Daniel Boone, is the county seat. The County Courthouse was destroyed in 1873 by fire, some early records were destroyed and fragmented .

County is bordered by Ashe County (northeast), Wilkes County (east), Caldwell County (south), Avery County (southwest), Johnson County, TN (northwest) . The county is divided into fifteen townships: Bald Mountain, Beaverdam, Blowing Rock, Blue Ridge, Boone, Brushy Fork, Cove Creek, Elk, Laurel Creek, Meat Camp, New River, North Fork, Shawneehaw, Stony Fork, and Watauga. Cities, Towns and Communities include Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Boone, Seven Devils, Deep Gap, Sugar Grove, Valle Crucis, Zionville . See Extended History for More information. The Official County Website is located at http://www.wataugacounty.org/.

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Watauga County Court Records

See Also North Carolina Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Search North Carolina Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

What follows is an outline of beginning dates of extant records of each county. The beginning dates do not imply that all records are extant since some of North Carolina's county records have been lost due to fire and other causes. Find out about the Watauga Courthouse Hours and Location

Watauga County Clerk of Superior Court has Court Records from 1873 and Probate Records from 1858 and is located at Courthouse, 842 W. King Street, PO Box 13, Boone, NC 28607-3560; (828) 265-5364, fax (828) 262-5753.

The Clerk of the Superior Court holds probate records and court records if they have not been transferred to the state archives in Raleigh. Probate records include not only wills, but also loose estates records, most of which have not been microfilmed. Court records may include apprentice bonds, bastardy bonds, and officials' or constables' bonds in addition to dockets, fee and account books, and court minutes and orders. They also have Divorce Records.

Watauga County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1830 and Marriage Records from 1873 and is located at 842 West King St., Suite 9, Room 119 Boone NC 28607; 828-265-8052, Fax: 828-265-7632.

The register of deeds at the county seat holds land and vital records if they have not been transferred to the state archives in Raleigh. Land records may include deeds, grants, plats, and other miscellaneous items. Vital records include Birth and Marriage records.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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Watauga County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in North Carolina

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Do not contact North Carolina Vital Records or the North Carolina State Archives, as there are no birth records prior to 1913 in a state public office. For death certificates prior to 1930, contact the North Carolina State Archives. A few delayed death records may exist back to 1909. Prior to this, there are no death records of any sort other than wills and estate settlements in the North Carolina State Archives.

COUNTY: Birth and Marriage Recordes and avalible from the Watauga County Register of Deeds Office. Divorce Records are available from the Watauga County Clerk of Superior Court Office. Click Here To see a list of North Carolina County Health Departments

STATE: North Carolina Vital Records is located at 1903 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1903; (919) 733-3526 (This office does not accept FAX or e-mail orders). All Fees are listed below under "Cost". They have the following records:

  • Birth Certificates: Birth records are available from 1913 to the present. For birth records prior to the dates listed above, contact the local Register of Deeds office in the county where the birth occurred. In order to process a request, Vital Records needs to know: Full Name on Certificate, Date of Birth, Mother's Full Maiden Name, Father's Full Name, Place (City or County) of Birth. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates.
  • Death Certificates: Certified copies of death records are available from 1930 to the present. For death certificates prior to 1930, contact the North Carolina State Archives. A few delayed death records may exist back to 1909. Prior to this, there are no death records of any sort other than wills and estate settlements in the North Carolina State Archives. Vital Records needs to know: Full Name of Deceased, Date of Death, Place (City or County) of Death, Date of Birth. Fees are listed below. You can download an application online for Death Certificates. You can also Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon
  • Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of Marriage records are available from 1962 to the present. Vital Records needs to know: Full Name of Groom, Full Name of Bride, Date of Marriage, Place (City or County) Where License Was Issued. You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates. Marriages prior to 1962 should be available from the County Register of Deeds office where the marriage was performed. Fees vary.
  • Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of Divorce records are available from 1958 to the present. Vital Records needs to know: Full Name of Husband, Full Name of Wife, Date of Divorce, Place (City or County) of Divorce. You can download an application online for Divorce Certificates. If the records are not available at the North Carolina Vital Records office, they should be available from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

Cost: A fee of $15 is charged for each name searched in a five-year period, regardless of the search results as per G.S. 130A-93.1. If the record is located, one certified or uncertified copy of the record will be provided at no additional cost. Additional copies of the same record, when requested at the same time, are $5 each.
These fees are for a search, regardless of the results. Search fees are not refundable. Any additional request to search in 5-year increments for records outside of the original 5-year period will cost an additional $15 fee

How to Order: Make certified checks and money orders should be made payable to "North Carolina Vital Records". Credit Cards may be uses by using VitalChek services Please do not send cash or checks. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: North Carolina Vital Records, 1903 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1903. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering HERE.

In - Person Requests: Individuals may visit the office on the first floor of the Cooper Memorial Health Building at 225 N. McDowell Street, Raleigh, N.C. between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday, except on state government holidays. Parking is available on the north (Lane Street) side of the Cooper Building. Customers should bring a valid photo ID and non-refundable $15 search fee for each request. Copies of the same certificate are $5 if requested at the same time. You will be asked to fill out an application upon arrival or you may bring a completed one with you (see above for required forms). Walk-in requests for same day service are subject to an additional $15 expedited services fee and will usually be fulfilled in about one hour. Customers are encouraged to leave completed requests forms with us for a mailed response to avoid the extra fee for same day services.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Watauga County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for North Carolina

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Watauga County, North Carolina are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Watauga County, North Carolina are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Watauga County, North Carolina Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
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Watauga County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

North Carolina Antique Maps & Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for North Carolina and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for North Carolina showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for North Carolina showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here

Official NCDOT County Maintenance Maps are being generated into TIF and PDF. In each county, sheet number "1" always shows the entire county. Each supplemental sheet shows area insets, usually congested areas. A sheet key is shown for any county that requires more than 2 sheets.

Watauga County D.O.T. Maps
TIFs [1] - [2]
PDFs [1] - [2]

Excellent maps, atlases, and gazetteers for North Carolina are readily available. The best gazetteer available for North Carolina is William Stevens Powell, The North Carolina Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Tar Heel Places (Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1968). The Gazetteer includes historical definitions, derivations of place-names, and exact locations. It is cross-indexed well and gives references for the first use of place-names. An important historical publication is Richard Edwards, ed., Statistical gazetteer of the states of Virginia and North Carolina (Richmond, Va.: Published for the Proprietor, 1856). There are several excellent atlases and map guides available for North Carolina.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Maps. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Watauga County Military Records

See Also Military Records in North Carolina

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

There are a few online military record databases which include: North Carolina Volunteers, Spanish American War, North Carolina Revolutionary War Soldiers.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Watauga County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

That all governments require money to operate was well known to those who established North Carolina's civil administration. They decided to follow existing methods of taxation by placing levies on people. Prior to 1777, people who were taxed were usually called taxables, tithables, or polls; in essence they were paying a head tax. A 1715 law enacted by the general assembly defined taxables as all free males sixteen years of age and over and all slaves, male and female, aged twelve and over. The law was revised in 1749 and included all white males aged sixteen and over, as well as negroes, mulattoes, mustees or octoroons (offspring of a white and a quadroon), and all persons of mixed blood to the fourth generation, both male and female, who were twelve years of age and older.

Tax rules remained fairly constant from 1749 until 1777 when the state began applying different criteria, such as restricting the poll tax to freemen who did not own a minimum amount of property, exempting soldiers, changing the minimum age to twenty-one, or taxing only unmarried men. By 1784 the legislature settled on taxing freemen and male servants twenty-one and over and all slaves (male and female) between twelve and fifty. In 1801 all free males over fifty were exempted from the poll tax, and then in 1817 the exemption age was lowered to forty-five. A constitutional amendment in 1835 set age limits at twenty-one to forty-five for free males and twelve to fifty for slaves. The constitution of 1868 included all males between the ages of twenty-one and fifty. Poll taxes were abolished in North Carolina in 1970. Property taxes were levied in North Carolina from 1715 through 1722 and then abolished. They were reinstated in 1777 and remain in effect today. 

North Carolina tax lists have survived better than those for many states. The lists date from the first decade of the eighteenth century to the present. Microfilmed copies are available at the North Carolina State Archives and FHL, the Many transcriptions are found in the pages of North Carolina's periodicals.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Watauga County, North Carolina Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Watauga County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other North Carolina Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Genealogical Society of Watauga County, P.O. Box 126, Boone, NC 28607
  • Watauga County Historical Society, E. Mast, 253 Wm. Hardy Mast Road, Sugar Grove, NC 28679-9707
  • North Carolina Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 22, Greenville, NC 27835.
  • North Carolina State Archives, Office of Archives and History—State Library Building
     Public Services Branch, Mail Service Center 4614, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4614
    Phone: (919) 807-7310, Fax: (919) 733-1354, [EMAIL]
  • State Library of North Carolina, 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2807; (919) 733-7222, (919) 733-3270
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • North Carolina Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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Watauga County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in North Carolina

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Watauga County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Watauga County Tombstone Transcription Project. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.

Early denominations present in North Carolina in fewer numbers include Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Congregationalists. While their respective repositories house historical records, the North Carolina State Archives has a good collection of church records on microfilm. Consult the holdings of other major genealogical libraries with southern collections for additional sources, including the FHL.

Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Watauga County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Watauga County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Watauga County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

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