A path to your enslaved ancestors
Research before 1865 requires a different approach. Begin with the state where your ancestors were held (from the first arrivals of the 1600s to Emancipation), then work backward from the 1870 census — the first to name formerly enslaved people.
North Carolina
Statehood 1789 · Upper South
North Carolina had a comparatively dispersed enslaved population with many smaller holdings. Strong county record survival makes wills, deeds, and apprentice bonds especially valuable.
Slavery Research Institutions
Where to Search North Carolina Records
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Key Records
- County will books & estate records (Clerk of Superior Court)
- Deeds of sale and gift recorded at the Register of Deeds
- Apprentice bonds for free children of color and post-1865 minors
- Cohabitation records of 1866 (formerly enslaved couples registering marriages)
- State Archives of North Carolina (Raleigh) & Freedmen's Bureau field office records
Research Tips
- The 1866 Cohabitation Records are a bridge document — they often name prior enslavers and family groups.
- Smaller holdings mean enslaved people frequently appear by name in wills dividing estates.
- Trace land transfers; enslaved people were often moved with inherited land.
National Resources, 1600s to Emancipation
Databases that cover every state, from the Atlantic crossings to the search for family after freedom.