Winston-Salem Genealogy Records

Winston-Salem is the county seat of Forsyth County and has a population of approximately 250,000. The city was formed by the merging of Winston and Salem, and its history is deeply tied to the Moravian settlers who founded Salem in 1766. Forsyth County was created in 1849 from Stokes County. Genealogy records for Winston-Salem families are held at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds and the county courthouse. The city does not maintain its own vital or land records. Moravian church records, which predate the county, are among the most detailed genealogical documents in all of North Carolina.

Winston-Salem Records at Forsyth Register of Deeds

The Forsyth County Register of Deeds maintains all vital records, property documents, and marriage licenses for Winston-Salem residents. Birth and death records begin in 1913. Marriage records extend back to 1771, predating the county itself because they include records transferred from Stokes County, the parent county. Deed records begin in 1849, the year Forsyth County was formed.

Deeds from 1849 to 1965 are available online through the Register of Deeds website. This digital access covers more than a century of property records for the Winston-Salem area. Will books from 1842 to 1969 are housed at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. Some of these will records predate the county because they were inherited from Stokes County.

Note: For ancestors who lived in the Winston-Salem area before 1849, check the records of Stokes County, which was the parent county of Forsyth.

Winston-Salem Moravian Church Records

The Moravian settlement at Salem, established in 1766, produced some of the most thorough church records in the American South. Moravian congregations kept detailed registers of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials. They also wrote biographical sketches called memoirs for each deceased member. These memoirs summarize the person's life, family connections, spiritual journey, and date of death. They are extraordinarily rich genealogical documents.

The Moravian Archives in Winston-Salem holds these records and is open to researchers. The collection includes church diaries, congregational minutes, financial records, and personal correspondence. The diaries record daily events in the community and mention individuals by name. For families with Moravian roots in Winston-Salem, these records can trace ancestry back to the mid-1700s with a level of detail that civil records rarely match.

Published translations of many Moravian records are available. The Records of the Moravians in North Carolina is a multi-volume series that covers the period from 1752 to 1879. These volumes are available at major research libraries and some have been digitized. The Forsyth County Public Library holds copies as well. For researchers unable to visit the Moravian Archives in person, these published translations offer a practical alternative.

Winston-Salem Marriage Records

Marriage records for the Winston-Salem area begin in 1771 at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds. Early records include marriage bonds that name the groom and a bondsman. The bondsman was typically a relative or close associate of the bride. After 1868, marriage licenses replaced bonds and contain more detail, including ages, residences, and parents' names.

Moravian marriage records are separate from the civil records and provide additional information. Moravian marriages were planned and approved by the congregation, and the church records document this process. The marriage register lists the couple, the date, and often the names of their parents. For Winston-Salem families who were members of a Moravian congregation, both the civil and church records should be consulted.

The NC Vital Records office provides marriage verification for more recent records. FamilySearch.org has indexed some Forsyth County marriage records and made them searchable for free.

Winston-Salem Land Records

Land records at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds begin in 1849. Deeds, mortgages, and plat maps document property ownership in the Winston-Salem area. The Moravian settlement at Salem had its own system of land ownership. The congregation owned the land, and individual members held lots under a lease system. This changed over time, and by the mid-1800s, private ownership was standard. The transition from communal to private ownership created a unique set of records.

The online deed collection covering 1849 to 1965 is a valuable research tool. Researchers can view digital images of the original deed pages and search the indexes by name. For properties in the Winston-Salem area, tracing the chain of ownership can reveal family connections spanning multiple generations. When a property passes from parent to child or between siblings, the deed provides evidence of kinship.

For land records before 1849, check Stokes County. The area that became Forsyth County was part of Stokes from 1789 to 1849. Early land grants in the region were issued by the colonial and state governments and are held at the NC State Archives.

Forsyth County Library Genealogy Collection

The Forsyth County Public Library in Winston-Salem maintains a genealogy collection that serves researchers working on family histories in the area. The collection includes local newspapers from the 19th century, published family histories, census records, and compiled indexes. Newspapers are one of the best sources for the period before 1913, when vital registration began.

The library provides free access to Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest. Ancestry Library Edition must be used inside the library building. HeritageQuest may be available remotely with a library card. Both databases offer searchable census records, vital record indexes, military records, and immigration documents. These tools allow Winston-Salem researchers to connect local findings with records from other states and countries.

• Local newspapers from the 1800s on microfilm
• Published family and county histories
• Census microfilm and indexes
• Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest
• City directories for Winston-Salem

Forsyth County Genealogical Society

The Forsyth County Genealogical Society supports family history research in the Winston-Salem area. The society holds meetings, publishes research aids, and assists researchers with questions about Forsyth County records. Their publications include cemetery transcriptions, church record abstracts, and compiled indexes that are not available elsewhere.

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in Forsyth County genealogy. The society is a good point of contact for researchers who are new to Winston-Salem genealogy and need guidance on where to begin. Experienced members can often direct newcomers to the most productive sources for a given family or time period.

Winston-Salem Birth and Death Records

Birth and death certificates for Winston-Salem are available from 1913 forward at the Forsyth County Register of Deeds. Prior to statewide registration, Moravian church records are the best alternative for vital events in the Salem community. Other churches in the Winston area also kept registers, though they tend to be less detailed than the Moravian records.

Death certificates from 1913 onward typically list the decedent's name, age, birthplace, parents' names, occupation, and cause of death. For genealogists, the parents' names on a death certificate can connect two generations. The informant, usually a spouse or child, provided this information, so accuracy depends on what they knew. Cemetery records can confirm dates and sometimes add details not found on the certificate.

The NC Vital Records office in Raleigh also issues certified copies of birth and death certificates. North Carolina restricts access to birth records less than 100 years old and death records less than 25 years old.

Note: Moravian death memoirs at the Moravian Archives often contain far more biographical detail than a standard death certificate.

Forsyth County Genealogy Records

Winston-Salem is the county seat of Forsyth County. All genealogy records for Winston-Salem families are maintained at the county level through the Forsyth County Register of Deeds and the county courthouse. For the complete guide to Forsyth County records, Moravian resources, and additional research tools, visit the county page.

View Forsyth County Genealogy Records