Skip to Main Content

North Carolina: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide

Compiled by reference specialists at the Library of Congress, this guide identifies key print and online resources for pursuing family history, as well as state, county and municipal historical research, for the state of North Carolina.

Introduction

One of the original 13 colonies, the first settlement occurred in 1665 in what is today's area of Wilmington. In 1722, the Assembly selected Edenton as the capital. In 1766, New Bern acted as the capital of the North Carolina colony for 28 years until 1794-1795 when the General Assembly met in Raleigh for the first time, making it the permanent state capital. North Carolina was considered a slave state but contributed to both the Confederate and Union war effort.

North Carolina. 1814. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division.

About Local History & Genealogy Reference Services

The Library of Congress has one of the world's premier collections of U.S. and foreign genealogical and local historical publications, numbering more than 50,000 compiled family histories and over 100,000 U.S. local histories. The Library's genealogy collection began as early as 1815 with the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's library.