GUILFORD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
~ DEATHS OF EARLY CITIZENS, 1771-1841 ~

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The goal for this set of pages is to help people use existing records to determine or verify dates of death.  There are many missing burials for Guilford's early deaths, and church records are often missing or have major gaps.  Newspaper records for the first decades are non-existent or sparse.  Determining a date of death can be a major challenge.

For now, I am covering the first 70 years of Guilford's history.  I am not sure how many sources I will use eventually for this list.  At present, it is based primarily on wills.  As I find information on estates, I will add that information.  This list will be organized by the date of death, date of probate or estate administration bond if known, or date the will was written.  Use your browser's "find" feature to find a name.  If you have information to add, please contact the county coordinator (see site index page).

Where to find the original records:  Originals of the wills are at the North Carolina State Archives.  The county courthouse has the will books, and the Archives has microfilm of early will books.  If you want a copy of the original will itself, contact the NC State Archives.  Estate records from this time period are also located at the Archives.

You need to make a search request first, unless you pay a visit to the Search Room at the NC State Archives.  If you are a resident of NC, you can make a search request online without paying a search fee.  If you are not a NC resident, you will need to mail a search fee with your search request.  All requests are answered with a mailed notification of what the Archives staff found, and the fee for mailing copies to you (the minimum $2 in most cases).  See this page for further information on these services and the link to the online request form for NC residents.  Don't forget to check the MARS online catalog system for a list of available records.

You can also contact the nearest location of the Family History library system to order microfilm of records for viewing close to home.

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