Genealogy – Durham County Library

Online Databases

Ancestry Library Edition (subscription database accessible from all Durham County Library locations)
Offers over a billion names in over several thousand unique databases, including the Social Security Death Index. Available both at the Main Library and all Durham County regional libraries.
FamilySearch (accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, account registration required; access to additional materials available at all Durham County Library locations)
Genealogy resource with over six billion searchable names and two billion images of historical genealogical records including birth, marriage, death, census, land and court records from more than 130 countries. Many of these materials are available for free, from anywhere, with a registered account. Additional materials are available at FamilySearch affiliate libraries, including all Durham County Library locations.
HeritageQuest (subscription database accessible from all Durham County Library locations or from anywhere with an internet connection via your library card & NC LIVE)
HeritageQuest includes data sets such as the U.S. Federal Census, family history and local history books, city directories, military records, wills and probate records, Freedman’s Bank, among others.

Subject Guides

General Genealogy How-To
African American Genealogy

Durham Genealogy Basics

Coming soon! Topics to cover: county formation, record locations.

Genealogy Books in the North Carolina Collection

Books for Getting Started

Genealogy for the First Time: Research Your Family History.
Best, Laura. 2003.
929.1 BEST

Unpuzzling Your Past: The Best-selling Basic Guide to Genealogy.
Croom, Emily Anne. 2001.
929.107 CROOM

North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History.
Leary, Helen F.M., editor. 1996.
929.107 NORT

The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy
Greenwood, Val D.
929.1 GREENWOOD

County Heritage Books

More information coming soon! Here is a link.

Subject Headings in the Library’s Catalog

When searching for genealogical materials in the library catalog, use the “subject keyword” selection and these subject headings to find many of the genealogical materials the library owns.

Genealogy.
North Carolina—Genealogy.
North Carolina–Census.
North Carolina. Division of Archives and History.
North Carolina–Gazetteers.
United States–Genealogy.
United States–Census.
Obituaries.
African-Americans–Genealogy.
African-Americans–North Carolina–Genealogy.
Smith family. (Use the family name plus the word “family” if you are looking for a specific family)

Periodicals in the North Carolina Collection

Trading Path
From the Durham-Orange Genealogical Society. A name index covering 1990 to 1998 is available in the North Carolina Collection. A list of article titles by issue can be found here.
NCGS Journal
From the North Carolina Genealogical Society. Features educational articles about North Carolina genealogy and transcribed original records. Search the index here.
North Carolina Historical Review
From the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. A quarterly journal with articles that explore the history of North Carolina. A list of articles from 1924-2023 and digitized back issues from 1924-1967 can be found here.

Local Indexes and Guides

Death, birth, marriage, and divorce announcement indexes
Downloadable indexes of publication dates for announcements of deaths, births, marriages and marriage licenses, and divorces in Durham. All items listed can be found on microfilm in the North Carolina Collection.
Names in family history books in the North Carolina Collection (PDF)
Guide to family genealogies in the North Carolina Collection’s Subject Files
List of articles in Trading Path (PDF)
Freedom Bound: Apprenticeship, Racism & Liberation in Orange County, North Carolina, 1777 to 1868 (PDF)
Natural Child: Legitimacy, Sexuality and Shame in the Court Records of Orange County, North Carolina, 1777 to 1868 (PDF)

Resources from the State Library of North Carolina

Genealogy and Family History
A hub for relevant resources provided by the State Library of North Carolina.
North Carolina Family Records Online
A digital collection of family history related materials held by the State Archives of North Carolina and the State Library of North Carolina. Record types include: Bible records, marriage and death notices, family history books, cemetery records, and other genealogical files.
North Carolina County Formation
Government & Heritage Library Card
Residents of North Carolina are eligible for a library card for the Government and Heritage Library. You can apply online or in-person; find more information here. The card provides access to a number of online resources from anywhere, including a number of genealogy resources and newspaper databases.

Webinars

Other North Carolina Resources

Cemetery Census: Cemeteries of North Carolina Counties
Cemetery Census is a volunteer effort to record the burials in local family, religious, and municipal cemeteries.
North Carolina Land Grants
Searchable data for more than 217,000 land grants.

Genealogical Organizations

Durham-Orange Genealogical Society (D-OGS)
D-OGS is a nonprofit membership organization established in 1989 and dedicated to the research and preservation of family history of Durham and Orange counties, North Carolina. D-OGS publishes a monthly newsletter and a quarterly journal, The Trading Path.
North Carolina Genealogical Society
NCGS is the primary statewide genealogical society in North Carolina. The society preserves and promotes genealogical studies in the state, publishes the quarterly North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal , and provides members and interested researchers with a variety of genealogical resources. Click on “local societies” in the left-hand column of the site’s home page for a list of societies by county.
National Genealogical Society
NGS is the primary national organization for genealogists in America. Their main goals are to lead and educate the genealogical community in America. Their 2009 annual conference will be held May 13-16 in Raleigh, NC.
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc.
The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. (AAHGS) strives to preserve African-ancestored family history, genealogy, and cultural diversity by teaching research techniques and disseminating information throughout the community.

Genealogy Resources Around the Web

AfriGeneas
AfriGeneas provides resources, leadership, promotion, and advocacy for the mutual development and use of a system of genealogy resources for researching African related ancestry. This site has a good tutorial on the basics of African-American genealogy.
Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
This is the most comprehensive directory of genealogy sites on the web. Cyndi’s List will lead you to thousands and thousands of genealogy websites.
Family Search
Gives you access to extensive genealogical resources gathered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family Search is free to use, but it does require that you create an account.
Find A Grave
As the name suggests, you can find names, birth dates, death dates, biographies, and the location of graves, and in some cases photographs.
Genealogy.com
Focuses on genealogy software and Internet products including Family Tree Maker, the top-selling genealogy software program.
Periodical Source Index (PERSI)
A subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals maintained by the staff at the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Libray.
RootsWeb
The internet’s oldest and largest free genealogical community.
US GenWeb Project
The USGenWeb Project consists of a group of volunteers working together to provide Internet websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.
WorldCat
The world’s largest network of library content and services. WorldCat is an online catalog containing millions of records from hundreds of libraries and is the best source for finding published genealogies. You can also see whether the book is available for interlibrary loan.