Gaston County Public Library

Finding Lincoln County Ancestors

• Lincoln County History
• Vital Records
• County Records & Other Resources
• Beyond Our Library
• Research Requests

Lincoln County History

Lincoln County was formed in 1779 from Tryon County (see our guide Finding Tryon County Ancestors). Since then all or parts of Catawba, Cleveland, and Gaston Counties have been cut out of this area.
Go to: http://gastonlibrary.org/index.cfm/research/genealogy-local-history/finding-tryon-county-ancestors/

Did your family come from Lincoln County? Here's a list of some basic resources in our collection to get you started. For help finding more, stop by the Reference Desk at the Gastonia Main Library.

For more titles not in this guide, search our library Catalog by Subject for: Lincoln County or by the name of a place, such as Lincolnton.

• 975.6 SHE NCC. Annals of Lincoln County, North Carolina...1749 to 1937 (pub. 1937) by William L. Sherrill. Partially indexed.
  • Read the full text online in HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition
    Go to: http://www.nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?rsrc=218
  • Every Name Index to Annals of Lincoln County North Carolina
    Go to: http://www.everynameindex.com/LincolnCoNC.html
• 720.9756 BRO NCC. Our Enduring Past: a Survey of 235 Years of Life and Architecture in Lincoln County, North Carolina (pub. 1986). Index only of properties listed.
• 929.1 YOU NCC. Our Own Story: an African-American History of Lincoln County, North Carolina.  2 vols. Pub.1991 and 2001.. Not indexed.
• 975.6 HAR NCC. Lincoln County, North Carolina (pub. 2000).  Images of American series.  Has index of family names.
• 975.6 HAR NCC. Lincoln County Revisited (pub. 2003).  Images of America series.
• 975.6 HAR NCC  Lincolnton: Photographs from the Clyde R. Cornwell Collection.  Images of American series.
• 975.678 IN NCC. In Our Own Words: The Story of Lincoln County (pub. 2006).
• 975.678 LIN NCC. Lincoln County, North Carolina, 1779 - 1979: Past, Present, Future (pub. 1979).
• 975.678 LIN NCC. Lincoln Times-News: 1966 Historical. Not indexed.
• 975.678 N NCC. History of Lincoln County by Alfred Nixon. Various editions/reprints of an article in North Carolina Booklet, vol. IX, no. 3, Jan. 1910.
  • Online at Archive.org and http://www.ncgenweb.us/lincoln/ncl_nixon.htm
• 975.6782 HER NCC. Heritage of Lincoln County (pub. 1997) by the Lincoln County Heritage Book Committee. Surname index only.
• 975.67 HUN NCC. Sketches of Western North Carolina: Historical and Biographical, Illustrating Principally the Revolutionary Period of Mecklenburg, Rowan, Lincoln, and Adjoining Counties... (pub. 1877) by C. L. Hunter. Not indexed. Full text available for free online; simply do an internet search for the title. Circulating copy available.

Vital Records

Print Sources

• 929.1 NOR NCC. "Marriage and Death Notices from Extant Lincolnton Newspapers, 1836 - 1853". Two part article in North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal. Marriages are in vol. 2 no. 2 (April 1976), p. 62 - 84 and deaths in vol. 2 no. 3 (July 1976), p. 136 - 146.
• 929.3 BYN NCC. Marriage Bonds of Tryon and Lincoln Counties, North Carolina.
• 929.3 DEL NCC. Lincoln County, N. C.: Index to Vital Statistics – Deaths (4 vols in 2). 1913 - 1992.
• 929.3 ING NCC. Lincoln County, North Carolina Marriage Records, 1783 - 1866.
• 929.3 LIN NCC. Lincoln County, North Carolina Marriage Records (3 vols). 1868 - 1936. Vol. 1, 1868-1886--Vol. 2, 1887-1800--Vol. 3, 1901-1936.
• Microfilm. Lincoln County: Record of Freedmen's Marriages, 1866.  1 roll microfilm.
• Microfilm Marriage register, 1851-1971. 2 rolls microfilm.

Online Sources

• Ancestry Library Edition (for in-library use only) includes indexes and some actual certificates for North Carolina marriages, births, and deaths. Keep in mind that the statewide birth and death registration started in 1913 in North Carolina.

• FamilySearch.org, a free web site, has multiple databases of births, deaths, and marriages.

• North Carolina, Birth Index, 1800-2000.  Name index.
• North Carolina, Births and Christenings, 1866-1964.  Name index.
• North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979.  With record images.
• North Carolina, Marriages, 1759-1979.  Name index.
• North Carolina, Deaths and Burials, 1898-1994.  Name index.
• North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930.  With record images.
• North Carolina, Deaths, 1931-1994.  Name index.

County Records & Other Resources

Online Sources

Digital images of many Lincoln County records can be found at FamilySearch.org.
Tip: FamilySearch collections are images of the actual records as microfilmed. This means that they may include internal indexes that you can access by browsing to locate specific names even before the collection is indexed.

• North Carolina, Civil Action Court Papers, 1712-1970 (Not indexed, but you can browse images by county)
  Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1930242
• North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970 (Not indexed, but you can browse images)
  Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1916185
• North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979 (Indexed and searchable)
  Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1911121
• North Carolina, Probate Records, 1735-1970 (Not indexed, but you can browse images)
  Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1867501
• United States Internal Revenue Assessment Lists, 1862-1874 (Browse by State or Territory)                         Go to: https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2075263

Print Sources

• 929.3 LIN NCC Lincoln County, North Carolina : Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. - Anne Williams McAllister & Kathy Gunter Sullivan. Publication Date: 1987. 5 vols. 1779-1812.
• 929.3 DUN NCC Lincoln County Road Records (1781-1822), Bridge Records (1813-1868) - Stewart E. Dunaway. Publication Date: 2012. Copies of original images.
• 929.3756 PRU NCC Lincoln County, NC Tax List 1837 - Albert Bruce Pruitt. Publication Date: 1988.
• 929.2 GRA NCC "Grandfather Clause" Voter Registration : Lincoln County, North Carolina, 1902-1908 - Paul H. Dellinger. Publication Date: [1985.
• 929.3 ING NCC Lincoln County, North Carolina Abstracts of Wills - Frances Terry Ingmire. Publication Date: 2004. v.1. 1824-1838.
• 929.3 PHI NCC Lincoln County, North Carolina Will Abstracts 1779-1910 - Miles S. Philbeck. Publication Date: 1986.

You can search our Catalog by Keyword for: Lincoln County microform or simply ask the Reference Desk at the Gastonia Main Library for help finding records.

Land Records

• 929.3756 PRU NCC. Abstracts of Deeds. - Albert Bruce Pruitt.  13 vols.
• 929.3756 PRU NCC Abstracts of Land Entries. - Albert Bruce Pruitt. 4 vols. (1778 – 1953)
• 929.3756 PRU NCC Abstracts of Lincoln Co., NC: Land Entries 1780 & 1795-1797; Land Processions 1789-1834, & Lincolnton, NC Deeds 1785-1868. - Albert Bruce Pruitt. 1 vol.
• Lincoln County Land Records are on the Register of Deeds web page. This site is easier to use if you start with the print indexes above. Go to: http://www.lincolncounty.org/index.aspx?NID=214

Newspapers

Two Lincolnton newspapers can be read online at DigitalNC. They are the Lincoln Republican (Jan. 23, 1840-May 25, 1842) and the Lincoln Courier (July 30, 1845-Sep. 20, 1895).
For more newspapers, contact the Jonas Library, Lincolnton (see below).

More in Our Guides

• Gaston & Lincoln Biography Index. Find biographical information “buried” in our book and journal collection.
• The United States Census for Genealogists: 1790 – 1940. Detailed information on our holdings of original and transcribed census records.
• The United States Census for Genealogists: 1940
• Lincoln County Cemeteries.
• Lincolnton City Directories

Journals

• 929.1 FOO NCC. Footprints in Time. Vol. 1 (1987) – to date.
  • Published by the Gaston-Lincoln Genealogical Society
    Go to: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncglgs/Index.htm
• 929.1 ESW NCC. Eswau Huppeday. Vol. 1 (1981) – to date.
  • The journal of the Broad River Genealogical Society in Cleveland County includes material from surrounding counties with much from Lincoln County.
    Go to: http://www.broadrivergenealogicalsociety.com/
• 929.1 BUL NCC. Bulletin of the Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County. Vol. 1 (1974) – to date.
  • Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County
    Go to: http://rutherfordcountync.gov/genealogicalsociety
  • Note: Lincoln County was part of the old Tryon County.

Beyond Our Library

Lincoln County Library

The Charles R. Jonas Library in Lincolnton has a North Carolina Collection with an extensive collection of surname files, Lincoln County newspapers on microfilm, directories, and other resources.
Go to: http://mylincolnlibrary.org

Lincoln County Historical Association & Museum

The Lincoln County Historical Association collects and preserves historical information and materials relating to Lincoln County History. You can view these items at the Lincoln County Museum of History, located in the Lincoln Cultural Center.

Please call for hours.

Online

• HeritageQuest provides an index of genealogy and local history articles called PERSI (PERiodical Source Index).
  Go to: http://www.nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?rsrc=218 (Login with library card barcode number)
  • Search by Places for North Carolina “Lincoln”.
• NC GenWeb page for Lincoln County
  Go to: http://www.ncgenweb.us/lincoln/index.htm
• Lincoln County NC Genweb Archives
  Go to: http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/lincoln.htm
• Ancestry Message Board; you don't need an Ancestry membership to use the boards.
  Go to: http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states.northcarolina.counties.lincoln/mb.ashx

Research Requests

The Gaston County Public Library staff welcomes requests for specific information from those who are unable to use the collection in person.

Please contact:

Local researchers

The Gaston County Public Library cannot conduct extensive research on behalf of patrons. A list of researchers who will pursue larger projects for a fee is available. Please contact us for a copy of this list.

The Library cannot recommend or take responsibility for any particular researcher.

Author: Gaston County Public Library
Title: Finding Lincoln County Ancestors
URL: http://gastonlibrary.org/index.cfm/research/genealogy-local-history/finding-lincoln-county-ancestors/
Revised: 12 July 2016