Gaston County was formed in December 1846 from Lincoln County. (See our guide Finding Lincoln County Ancestors for research sources prior to 1847).
Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/finding/lincoln-county-ancestors
Did your family come from Gaston 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.
Gaston County Register of Deeds, Vital Records - Birth, Death & Marriage
Request certified copies of Gaston County birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates from Gaston County Register of Deeds.
Go to: https://www.gastongov.com/730/Register-of-Deeds
Birth
Bastardy Bonds (Illegitimate children)
Marriage
Online
Divorce
Death
The State Archives has County Record Box Lists including Gaston County Estates (Includes Wills) 1839-1967, Guardians, and Miscellaneous Records. These are lists of names that are known to have an estate record, not links to digital copies.
The Gastonia Gazette (later The Gaston Gazette starting January 2, 1989).
The Main Library has the Gastonia Gazette on microfilm beginning with the February 21, 1880 issue. However, there are many missing issues in the early years.
The Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection has digitized online content from some of the issues of the Gastonia Gazette. (More issues are available on microfilm at the Gastonia Main Library) Log in to NC Live with your library card number for online access.
The Gastonia Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) has issues from the years: 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908, and 1909 that are only available online at DigitalNC North Carolina Newspapers Collection.
At this time, there is only limited indexing to the Gazette newspaper and/or the obituaries.
1880 - 1889 | 929.5 GAS NCC. The Gastonia Gazette Obituary and Marriage Index: “Gaston in the Eighties” (1880s). From 1915 to 1919 the Gazette occasionally reprinted notices from its earlier issues in the 1880s. These are useful because in some cases the original issue no longer exists. |
1880 - 1899 | 929.5 GAS NCC. The Gastonia Gazette Obituary and Death Notices Index, 1880 - 1899. |
1900 - 1969 | No indexing. |
1970 | Ask at the Reference Desk at Gastonia Main Library. |
1971 - 1979 | No indexing. |
1980 - Present | Ask at the Reference Desk at Gastonia Main Library. |
1998 - 2017 | The Gaston Gazette Microfilm INDEX covers The Gaston Gazette microfilms from 1998 - 2017. |
We also have a microfilm copy of another short-lived newspaper, the Gaston Citizen, October 25, 1951 - March 21, 1956. There is no index.
We will be happy to check the microfilm for an obituary if you have a specific date or a close approximation; if you do not, we can try to locate the required information using the publications mentioned above. However, we do not have the staff to do extensive research on your behalf.
Miscellaneous Gaston County newspapers are available online. Please check our Historical Newspapers guide.
Go to: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/serials/historical-newpapers
Visit Census LibGuide for more information about United States and North Carolina Census records.
Author: | Gaston County (North Carolina). Superior Court Clerk |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County); North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County)Adoption records, 1961-1963, Gaston County, North Carolina
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Author: | Gaston County (North Carolina). Superior Court Clerk |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Author: | North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County); North Carolina. Superior Court (Gaston County) |
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Access the Gaston County Board of Commissioners Minutes Archive for a complete Repository of Board of Commissioners’ Adopted Regular Meeting Minutes from 1879 through 2020.
Go to: https://www.gastongov.com/952/Agendas-Minutes-Videos
Some of the records you will find in the Gaston County Board of Commissioners Minutes:
To locate an online county property record, visit the Gaston County Interactive GIS website. Review the brief Deed history for the property, then consult the Gaston County Register of Deeds website for earlier Deed records.
Go to: https://gis.gastongov.com/
Find Gaston County land records by using the "Deed Search" at the Gaston County Register of Deeds website. This is much easier once you have the information provided in the online county property record from the GIS website.
Go to: https://deeds.gastongov.com/external/LandRecords/protected/v4/SrchName.aspx
Original Deeds found in the Gaston County Register of Deed's Office include Records from 1845 to present (Prior deed records recorded in Lincoln County).
Go to: https://www.gastongov.com/730/Register-of-Deeds
North Carolina State Archives has INDEX of 169 Land Grant Records for Gaston County 1846-1937. Arrangement is numerical by file number.
Search the NC Land Grant Images and Data website for images of these 169 Gaston County, North Carolina land grant documents. Perform a "QUERY" search. Then search by name and/or county location. (TIP: If full name search does not result in match, try last name only. Search only by county of Gaston to see all 169 results)
Go to: http://www.nclandgrants.com/
Digital images of many Gaston County land records can be found at FamilySearch.org in the following collections:
Microfilm copies of the following Gaston County Register of Deeds records are available at the Gaston County Public Library:
Gaston County: Tax List, 1847-1859, 1860, 1863-1868. Microfilm. Raleigh, N.C.: NC Dept. of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History. (CR.040.701)
Voting Registration
Election Records
FamilySearch.org has the Gaston County Election records, 1880-1882 and North Carolina, Gaston County, voting records, 1890-1932 (Record of Elections, Gaston County, 1890-1932, C.040.99001, 1890-1932)
Browse images for names of candidates and vote totals received by candidates.
NOTE: Both collections include 1880-1882; 1897-1916; and 1924-1932. Check both for any differences in content.
Go To: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/251447
Go To: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2657088
1910 U.S., N.C., Gaston County, South Point Township. Enumeration District No. 63, Sheet No. 10A. 1910 U.S. Census enumerates the pupils at Sacred Heart College. Census note: "These pupils are orphans kept at the convent."
1930 U.S., N.C., Gaston County, Dallas Township. Enumeration District No. 36-12, Sheet No. 20 B. 1930 U.S. Census enumerates the inmates for the "Children's Home of Gaston County" on April 30, 1930.
Gaston County Children's Home, 1929-1935. (Box HCCD 22) Location: Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Access to portions of the records of The Duke Endowment may be restricted.
Grant Colored Asylum and the Colored Orphanage Asylum of North Carolina Enrollment Ledger. circa 1885-1919. "Today it is known as the Central Children's Home of North Carolina." Granville County, North Carolina [Includes children from Gaston County] DigitalNC
Family Search
Ancestry Library Edition
Microfilm
Orders and decrees, 1869-1954, and special proceedings docket, 1883-1953, Gaston County, North Carolina Includes full text of petitions for letters of adoption in the Orders and Decrees.
Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/251484
See also LibGuide - Government & Law - Adoption - Birth Family Research & Reunions guide.
Go to: https://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/government-law/adoption
Family Search
Ancestry
Microfilm
State Archives of North Carolina
The State Archives of North Carolina hold the following records:
Inebriates, Lunacy, and Judicial Hospitalizations Records, 1899-1941 (Gaston County, North Carolina)
Record ID: CR.040.919
Date Expression: 1899-1941
From Date: 1899
Thru Date: 1941
Online Oral History Interviews conducted with individuals connected to Gaston County, North Carolina. Includes recollections about family, business, and community history by people born and raised in Gaston County.
https://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/digital-gaston-county/oral-history
Digital images of many Gaston County records can be found at FamilySearch.org in the following collections:
Town of Dallas, Board of Aldermen Minutes, 1928 - 1964. Contact Gastonia Main Library.
Online Church Records: Visit https://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/digital-gaston-county/religion
Search Library Catalog for more Church records.
We have the records of Olney Presbyterian Church (Gastonia), 1839 - 1994, on 8 reels of microfilm. Gastonia Main Library.
Incorporation records, 1883-1945 (Gaston County, North Carolina, Superior Court Clerk) include Certificates of Incorporation, Dissolution, and Amendment to the Charter. Also includes Suspension and Reinstatement of Charters.
Go to: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/251462
Use the "Last/Firm Name" search box at the Gaston County Register of Deeds website to search by Company name for Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Dissolution, and Certificate of Completed Liquidation.
Go to: https://www.gastongov.com/730/Register-of-Deeds
In addition to more general genealogy magazines, we have files of four titles specifically for this area:
See our Research Guides for detailed information on our holdings of original and transcribed census records:
The Gaston County Public Library staff welcomes requests for specific information from those who are unable to use the collection in person.
Please email:
Email: localhistory@gastonlibrary.org
Local History & Genealogy Librarian©Copyright 2021, Gaston County Public Library. All Rights Reserved.