Research and Lookup Volunteers Page

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Research Information and Lookup Volunteers Page

To request a lookup from any of the references, click on the name of the Owner or Researcher for the specific Resource you want. Please limit requests to two at a time and be specific about what you need, so as to not to overwhelm the volunteers; NEVER ask anyone to give you all of the information they have, remember these are volunteers and cannot devote all of their time to your research. As you can see, volunteers are needed. Please note that we cannot do your research for you, our lookups are limited to the referenced materials listed below and there are lists of places below which can give you professional genealogy services if you need it. If you own or have easy access to any kind of reference materials pertaining to Wilkes County genealogy or history, and you would be willing to do lookups or help researchers on a voluntary basis, please contact us and we will gladly add your name and resource. Your efforts will certainly be appreciated.

RESOURCE	AUTHOR OR SERVICE	OWNER
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness	Various Research help	RAOGK

Also note that Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness is active on Facebook for inquiries.

Visit them at: RAOGK

See our Queries Page for help on where & how posting messages help in researching

Also visit our Links Page for a number of Resources that can help you in your Research

Following is a Message Board with archived Obituaries of all kinds

Obituaries Message Board

NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP?

Any inquiries about service, arrangements for such service, or any negotiations must be made directly with the listings below; we offer no endorsement of any services, we simply provide the names as a guide to assist researchers.

Association of Professional Genealogists

Genealogy Freelancers

List of Genealogy Researchers on Cyndi's List

RESEARCHING INFORMATION

Are you new to Researching and don't know how to get started? Check with our
Basic Steps for Starting Genealology Research

Do you need help in getting started in your African American Research?

Basic Guide to Start Researching Enslaved People

DNA Researchers can get help and guidance from the DNA BOARDS on Ancestry.com

As well as a terrific blog to help in easily understanding DNA in very simple terms: DNA Explained

Post what you know to a Message Board; See our Queries Page for Details

When doing your research, familiarize yourself with Copyright Laws

The State Library of North Carolina has easy to follow instructions to get you started as well as suggestions of what kinds of and where to find the records you will need in your research:

NC State Library Getting Started In Genealogy

Includes RootsMOOC: An Introduction to Genealogy and Family History Research

Obtaining Copies of Historical Documents

Many North Carolina documents of all kinds are now included in online databases at FamilySearch (free), Ancestry.com, and Fold3(subscriptions). I suggest that you check those websites first to see if the records you are looking for are available. A list of NC specific databases on FamilySearch can be found here.

Note: All of the following addresses & websites are posted on our Links page

The Wilkes County Register of Deeds has Land Records starting from 1741, and birth, marriage and death records are also available from their local office. Contact the office to locate the records you are looking for at 336-651-7351.

The Wilkes County Clerk of the Superior Court has copies of court, wills, estate and administration records from the beginnings of the County. As judge of probate, the Clerk has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting, and removing them from office if necessary. The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions, incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk receives and disburses money collected each year from court fees and fines.

It is usually cheaper to order documents through the local County level, however, there are occasions where copies may be available only through the State Archives.

The North Carolina State Archives has copies of Wilkes County records, most of them have been microfilmed, while others are housed in their many records collections and may only be accessed in their Search Room. A listing of what is available for Wilkes County can be found in their online "Guide to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives". If you've never ordered records from the Archives before, I suggest you read our Contacting the State Archives page for guidance of what to expect.

Family History Centers are located throughout the United States to help researchers where a number of genealogical resources including records on microfilm & microfiche, CDs, published reference sources for the area of interest, genealogies, histories, gazetteers, atlases & maps, etc. are available for using in the facility. The Centers are free to visitors and some of the smaller centers require that you make an appointment since they have limited staff who are all volunteers. Find a Family History Center near you by clicking here.