Record Atlas
6 eras · 1663–2026 · 210 places

The Carolinas - North and South Carolina

Charleston, Raleigh, Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington, Columbia, Greensboro. Which empire held this ground in which years — and, the part that matters, which archive that means.

Whose archive this ground was

YearsWho held itWhose archive that means
1663–1712 Province of Carolina - the Lords Proprietors FamilySearch

Granted by charter of 24 March 1663 to eight Lords Proprietors and revised in 1665; the Albemarle settlement in the north dates from 1653 and Charles Town was founded about 1670.
1712–1729 North Carolina and South Carolina - proprietary provinces FamilySearch

The division into North and South Carolina is dated 1712, though the partition was completed in 1710 and separation was not complete until 1729. The Yamasee War ravaged the South Carolina back-country in 1715-1717, and a rebellion against the proprietors in 1719 brought a Crown-appointed governor.
1729–1776 Royal colonies of North Carolina and South Carolina FamilySearch

Both became royal colonies in 1729 when the proprietors sold to the Crown; North Carolina's royal status is dated 25 July 1729. North Carolina's capitals were Bath, Edenton, Brunswick and then New Bern.
1776–1860 States of North Carolina and South Carolina FamilySearch · National Archives Catalog (NARA)

The colonies became states in 1776; North Carolina ratified the Constitution on 21 November 1789.
1860–1865 South Carolina and North Carolina - Confederate States FamilySearch · National Archives Catalog (NARA)

South Carolina seceded on 20 December 1860 and North Carolina on 20 May 1861. Greensboro was the seat of the Confederate government until 5 May 1865.
1865–2026 States of North Carolina and South Carolina FamilySearch · National Archives Catalog (NARA) · Chronicling America

North Carolina was restored to the Union on 4 July 1868. North Carolina's statewide birth and death registration dates from an act of 10 March 1913 (the state vital records office holds births from October 1913); South Carolina's dates from 1915. Charleston city recorded deaths from 1821 and births from 1877.

The rings are approximate — deliberately. They exist to shade which filing system a place fell under, not to adjudicate a border. A place near a ring's edge should be checked against both neighbours.

See the whole span, 1663–2026, on the map →

The map takes a range, and a range that crosses one of the rows above is where records get lost: the family never moved, and the archive on the far side of the handover will tell you it holds nothing.

210 places on this ground

The 200 carrying the most collections are listed; 10 more stand on this ground. Every place has them all.

1742 FamilySearch collections reach this ground

Ranked with the regional ones first — a collection for a province is usually a better lead than a national index, though the national index is often where a name is actually written down. A free account opens the images.

…and 1682 more.

All record regions · The map