Genealogical Research
We hold approximately 2,500 books, 800 reels of microfilm, 300 maps and atlases, 100,000 photographic images, 600 private collections of books and papers, and vertical files on genealogy, biography, and local history.
The focus for genealogical records primarily includes the eastern half of North Carolina and the Virginia Tidewater region.
In addition, genealogy researchers may "roam the world" with us via the Internet! We have a subscription to ancestry.com that visitors to our Third Floor Reading Room may use at one of several public terminals.
From your own computer, you may do online searches of our catalogued items through the following links from our Website (click on title for immediate access):
Public Library's Online Catalog - including Heritage Center's collection of reference books on local history and genealogy (select Johnston County Heritage Center as Library to search)
Some of the materials available for genealogical research at the Heritage Center:
Searchable Databases Online (click on title for immediate access):
- 1850 Johnston County Census Records
- 1860 Johnston County Census Records
- 1870 Johnston County Census Records
- 1880 Johnston County Census Records
- 1900 Johnston County Census Records
- 1910 Johnston County Census Records
- 1920 Johnston County Census Records
- 1930 Johnston County Census Records
- 1940 Johnston County Census Records
- Newspaper Obituaries, 1801-Present
- Smithfield Herald Headlines, 1885-2007
- Johnston County Slave Name Index
- Johnston County Cohabitation and Slave Marriage Index
- Johnston County Marriage Bonds, 1779-1867
- 1902 Johnston County Voter Registration Records
- Johnston County Civil War Records
- Johnston County Register of Deeds Record Search
- Historical Aerial Photographs
- Cemetery records for sale and other material provided by the Johnston County Genealogical and Historical Society
Printed Materials:
- U.S. Census, 1784-1787
- North Carolina Census Indexes, 1790-1870
- Johnston County Census Records, 1850-1920
- Marriages, 1764-1920
- Wills, 1746-1870
- Court minutes, 1759-1850
- Cemetery directories
- Bible records
- Family histories, including various materials on file as well as published genealogies
- Military service records
- Civil War Collection, including history books and files on various subjects
- School yearbooks, 1920s to the present, available online at www.digitalnc.org
- Historic Architecture Survey files
Microfilm Collections:
- North Carolina Census Records, 1790-1930
- Johnston County Deeds, 1759-1947
- Marriage Register, 1760-1979
- Wills, 1761-1968
- Other Courthouse records, starting 1712
- Church records
- Civil War prison and service records
- Newspapers, 19th Century to the present - with obituaries index
Requesting information by mail
The Heritage Center staff, for a fee starting at $40 per hour, will do limited research of records available within our collections and then mail the results to you.
Send us your research request in writing and include the following information: individual name to be researched; dates of birth, death, marriage, etc., if known; and location(town or township) and dates of residence in Johnston County, if known. Please include your e-mail address so our staff can contact you promptly if necessary.
A minimum fee of $40 is required for each search request, payable in advance. Actual charges are calculated at $40 per hour required by our staff to fulfill a particular request. (NOTE: A minimum fee of $80 is charged for lineage society research performed by our staff searching for the proofs needed for membership.) E-mail us at heritagecenter@johnstonnc.com to determine how fees may be handled for your particular research needs.
Once you're clear about your charge, make a personal check or money order payable to the Johnston County Heritage Center and mail with your written request for information to:
Johnston County Heritage Center
PO Box 2709
Smithfield, NC 27577
Page last updated: November 9, 2023
