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Introduction

Gen Tool-Kit

Researching by Surname

Ancestral Gen-Sites

Researching by Location

Website Resources

Image Gallery

Contact Information

     Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina.  Its county seat is Greensboro.  It is located in the north central section of the State and is bounded by Alamance, Randolph, Davidson, Forsyth and Rockingham counties.

     The county was formed in 1771 from parts of Rowan County and Orange County.  It was named for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guildford, father of Frederick North, Lord North, British Prime Minister from 1770 to 1782. The Quaker church played a major role in the European settlement of the county, and numerous Quakers still live in the county.

The first court was ordered held at the home of Robert Lindsay and provided for the commissioners to buy the land of John Campbell for the courthouse site. In 1785 Martinsville was laid out as the courthouse. It was named in honor of Alexander Martin, governor of North Carolina, 1782-1785 and 1789-1792. The courthouse had been called Guilford Court House until the passage of this act. Commissioners were named by the act of 1807 to select a place at the center of the county for the erection of a new courthouse, as the old one was badly in need of repair and not conveniently located. Commissioners were also named to purchase 30 acres of land and have the new courthouse erected. They were to sell the old courthouse. In 1808 the new county seat was named Greensborough in honor of Nathaniel Greene. The County Courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1781 and in 1872.

     In 1781 the Battle of Guilford Court House was fought in present-day Greensboro between Generals Charles Cornwallis and Nathanael Greene during the American Revolution.  This battle marked a key turning point in the Revolutionary War in the South.    In 1779 the southern third of Guilford County became Randolph County.  In 1785 the northern half of its remaining territory became Rockingham County.     

Guilford County is bordered by Rockingham County ( north), Alamance County (east), Randolph County (west), Davidson County (southwest), and Forsyth County (west) .

gen tool-kit

     Our “Gen-Tool Kit” has been primarily designed for those researchers who may be traveling to this location to perform on-site studies of their family history, or to just visit some of the interesting historical sites located in the area.  It can be very satisfying to mix research with sightseeing at historical and scenic spots.  Such activity not only gives you an understanding of the land but a needed break from intense research sessions.  When visiting an ancestral county for genealogical research we’ve found that the three most important places to visit are the county courthouse; the county library; and the county historical and/or genealogical societies.  It is also good to plan ahead by contacting any site you intend visiting in order to ascertain where it is and when it will be open.  This is especially true with regard to historical and genealogical societies.  We hope that the following information will provide you with a better idea of what resources are available, within this county, to the family historian.

·          Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court has Court Records from 1774 and Probate Records from 1771 and is located at Courthouse, PO Box 3008, Greensboro, NC 27402-3008; (336) 574-4302, Fax (336) 334-5020.

·         Guilford County Register of Deeds has Land Records from 1771 and Marriage Records from 1770 and is located at PO Box 3427, 201 S. Eugene Street, Greensboro NC 27402; 336-373-3239, Fax: 336-373-4570, [EMAIL].

Archives & Special Collections  F. D. Bluford Library, North Carolina A&T State University
Blandwood  A National Historic Landmark
Brock Historical Museum  of Greensboro College
The David Caldwell Historic Park  Greensboro, North Carolina
Family History Library Holdings      (Source: Family History Library)
Friends Historical Collection  Guilford College
Genealogy at the Greensboro Public Library 
Greensboro Historical Museum 
Guilford County  North Carolina County Collection, UNC University Libraries
Guilford County Libraries      (Source: Public Libraries Library Directory)
High Point Museum 
Mattye Reed African Heritage Center 
Mendenhall Plantation  A Quaker Homesite
North Carolina A & T State University Galleries 
North Carolina Collection  High Point Public Library
The Old Mill of Guilford 
PERiodical Source Index Search  Guilford County, North Carolina     (Source: PERiodical Source Index)
Smith Library  High Point University Archive
Special Collections & Rare Books  The University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Tannenbaum Historic Park 
University Archives & Manuscripts  Walter Clinton Jackson Library, UNC Greensboro
USGenWeb Archives      (Source: USGenWeb)

·         Guilford County Genealogical Society 

·         Preservation Greensboro Incorporated 

·         Rachel Caldwell Chapter  Greensboro   (Source: National Society D.A.R.)

·         Summerfield Historical Committee 

Your LINK to the Historical Places and Districts in GUILFORD County

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

National Park Service

National Historic Landmarks

National Battlefields

National Historic Sites

National Historical Parks

National Memorials

National Monuments

surnames

The following are names of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding Link.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

Albright;   Bennett;   Christman;   Coble;   Euliss;   Greason;    Foster;   Hart;   Huffines;   Hunter;   Kerr;   Kraemer;   Lineberger;   Lineberry;   Lockabill;   McNairy;   Sutts;   Tickle;   Wagoner

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

Additional information regarding these and other surnames may also be found at:

Surname Locator Resources

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches  using tips or "tricks"

that will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about  this  or  any  other  Surname. 

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of any surname.  You can

get greater detail for any of the maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

ancestral gen-sites

Map of the County

Family History Notes

Gen-Site Profiles

Map of the county

The in the map designates the location of the seat of government for this county.   designate the seat of government in adjacent counties.   A shows the location of identified ancestral Gen-Site(s).

from the keyboard you can increase or decrease the zoom value in 10% increments.

To zoom , press  and the   button. To zoom , press  and the   button.  To restore the zoom to 100%, press  and the  button.

Family history notes

The Bennett Family

Our 5^th great-grandfather Elisha Bennett migrated to Guilford County around 1786.  Here he settled on land located just east of the confluence of the Little and Big Almance Creeks.  Between 1786 and 1803 he and our 5^th great-grandmother Elizabeth Coble produced at least eight children at this location.  One of theseoff-spring was our 4^th great-grandfather John Bennett born around 1786.    In 1791 Elisha Bennett and Thomas Law were appointed overseers of the "Old Trading Road" from the Orange County line to the Randolph County Line.  Also during that year Elisha added to his property by purchasing 88 acres of land from George May.  Elisha and Elizabeth Bennett lived the remainder of their lives in Guilford County. He passed away c. 1835, and she circa 1831.

The aforementioned son John Bennett married Roseanna Lineberry, daughter of Jacob Lineberry, also of Guilford County.  Nine known children of this union were born in Guilford County between circa 1810 and circa 1823.  During the 1830’s this family left Guilford County and moved west into Tennessee.

The Christman Family

Around 1763 the Jacob Christman family had joined the significant movement of Scots-Irish and German immigrants on the "Great Wagon Road" south from Pennsylvania into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and beyond.       Upon Jacob’s arrival in North Carolina he settled in Orange County and stayed for a short period of time near Hillsborough.  By 1764 he had purchased land on the western edge of Orange County that would become a part of Guilford County in 1771.  This property was located just south of the Reedy Fork on the north branch of Travis Creek, and about 3miles north of present day Gibsonville, North Carolina.    Here Jacob eventually obtained grants for 400 acres of land.

Between 1764 and 1778 eight more children were born to Jacob and his wife Barbara Kraemer.  One of these children, a daughter named Rebecca born in1766 is our 5^th great grandmother.  Jacob was 58 years old when his last child was born and as such many of his off spring were underage when he died in 1785.  Jacob Christman is buried in the Freiden's Lutheran Church Cemetery, located about a mile distance from his home.

About 1786 Rebecca Christman married Jacob Lineberry of Guilford County.  Five known children resulted of this union.  All were probably born in Guilford County between 1787 and 1800.

See instructions above for enlarging this map

The Lineberry Family

Jacob Lineberry, Sr. (Linebarger, Leyenberger), born 1724 in France, is believed to be the immigrant ancestor of the Lineberry family of Orange, Guilford, Randolph and Chatham counties in North Carolina (and subsequently in many states).

Jacob, Sr. arrived in Orange County, North Carolina in 1763. Orange County was formed from Bladen, Johnston, and Granville Counties in 1752, Chatham and Guilford were formed from Orange in 1771, and Randolph formed in 1779.  On June 9, 1763 he received a grant of 242 acres from Henry Eustace McCulloh.  This land on the North Prong of the Stinking Quarter Creek near the “Old Trading Road” (now route 62) in the southeastern corner of present day Guilford County. It is believed that this is the location of Jacob’s original home.

     In 1773, Jacob, son of Jacob Sr. and his wife Catherine Lineberry deeded Francis and George Linebarger 121 acres each. This was part of the McCulloh land, and is probably the land noted on the map at the left as belonging to Nicholas and George Linebarger.

     In 1780 Jacob Lineberry, Sr. received a state grant for 240 acres, in Chatham Co., S. Fork of Rocky River, part of which (24 acres) they deeded to Jacob Linberger, Jr. on Feb. 14, 1780. This land adjoined Jacob Lineberry's land and James Youngblood,

Another tract of 100 acres in Chatham county, a state grant of March 3, 1779, adjoined David Fox, Matthew Jones, and vacant land."

Gen-site profiles

The following gen-sites have been identified as places located within this county where our direct ancestors are known to have been, born, married, died or resided.

Friedens Church;   Elisha Bennett Homesite; 

Jacob Christman Homesite;   Jacob Lineberry Homesite

Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: North Carolina;   County: Guilford;  

Place: Friedens Church; Coordinates/Map: 36.130N   79.566W;

DIRECTIONS TO IDENTIFIED SITE(s): (MapQuest): From Gibsonville take NC route 61.  See driving map at Guilford County Image Gallery.

Entrance to Friedens Cemetery

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Friedens Church

Site Map

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Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church

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DESCRIPTION:   Friedens Church is located about four miles from the confluence of the Reedy Fork stream with Haw River, two miles west of the present town of Gibsonville. Its original name was Friedens-kirche, which means Church of Peace. The word "Friedens" is the genitive of "der Friede", which means peace. (The word is frequent in compounds, such as "Friedensfurst" which means Prince of Peace.) The second part of Friedens-kirche -- "kirche" which means church. This was eventually dropped, and the name took an its English (and present) form "Friedens Church".

     This entire region for miles around was settled by the Lutherans, and the church was in the center of a large early Lutheran community. While the earliest records are lost, it is believed that the first crude building was erected as early as 1744, but the date is not clear. Because a re-organization took place in 1771 and a second house was built at that time, the later 1771 date has often been used as the first date for Friedens; however, if any Lutheran churches in the state are to be dated from 1745, then Friedens should be given the earlier date.

     The second house stood until 1869 when the present handsome brick building was erected to which an annex of eight rooms was added in 1928. Both the first and the second buildings stood in what is now the older part of the cemetery (marked by a monument made of the original church steps). The second house of 1771 was two stories, 45 x 60 feet, with galleries on three sides, and an old-fashioned high pulpit with sounding board behind the speaker. It was a fine structure for its day. In 1790 an outdoor pavilion was 'built for holding camp-meetings". The present church was built on additional land purchased in 1854 for this purpose, and the original church location was included in the cemetery grounds.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:  Jacob and his son Joseph Christman are buried here, as well as several other later Christman family members.

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):  Friedens Lutheran Church Family History and Genealogy Research;   Friedens Lutheran Church, Gibsonville, NC; 

Elisha Bennett Homesite

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: North Carolina;   County: Guilford;  

Place: Rock Creek Township ; Coordinates/Map: 36° 4′ 47″ N, 79° 34′ 0″ W

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DESCRIPTION:  In 1786 Elisha Bennett settled on land located just east of the confluence of the Little and Big Alamance Creeks, both are tributaries of the Great Alamance Creek.  Located in Rock Creek Township about 2 miles south-southeast of the town of Whitsett.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   Elisha Bennett; John Bennett

INTERNET WEB LINK(s): Guilford County Land Owners prior to 1800 located near Friedens

Jacob Christman Homesite

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: North Carolina;   County: Guilford;   Place: Washington Township; Coordinates/Map: 36.1879127, -79.576137

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DESCRIPTION:        This property was located just south of the Reedy Fork on the north branch of Travis Creek, and about 3 miles north of present day Gibsonville, North Carolina.    Here Jacob eventually obtained grants for 400 acres of land.  This place is in Washington Township which is situated in the northeastern corner of Guilford County.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   Jacob Christman

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):  Friedens Lutheran Church Family History and Genealogy Research;     Guilford County Land Owners prior to 1800 located near Friedens

Jacob Lineberry Homesite

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: North Carolina;   County: Guilford;  

Place: Greene Township; Coordinates/Map: 35.9643028, Longitude -79.595302

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DESCRIPTION:  In 1763 Jacob Lineberry received a grant of 242 acres from Henry Eustace McCulloh.  This land on the North Prong of the Stinking Quarter Creek near the “Old Trading Road” (now route 62) in the southeastern corner of present day Guilford County. It is believed that this is the location of Jacob’s original home. This place is in Greene Township which is situated in the southeastern corner of Guilford County.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   Jacob Lineberry, Sr., Jacob Lineberry, Jr, George Lineberry, and Francis (Nicholas) Lineberry.

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):  Guilford County Land Owners prior to 1800 located near Friedens

populated places

Gazetteer of Places in This County

Changes in County Boundaries

 Link to State-Wide Resources

Where in the World are My Ancestors?

gazetteer

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestor’s birth, marriage, death dates and the place(s) within this locality at which these events may have occurred.

Map of Guilford County North Carolina

Guilford County Physical, Cultural & Historic Features

Guilford County ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Guilford County Land - Property, Farms & Ranches

Profiles for 142 cities, towns and other populated places in Guilford County North Carolina

Guilford County - Gazetteer

Links To Populated Places Within This County

Cities and Towns:

Greensboro;   High Point;   Jamestown;   Oak Ridge;   Pleasant Garden;   Sedalia;   Stokesdale;   Summerfield;   Whitsett;   Colfax;   Browns Summit; Gibsonville;   Part of Archdale is in Guilford County

Census-designated places: Forest Oaks;   McLeansville

Townships

The county is divided into eighteen townships: Bruce, Center Grove, Clay, Deep River, Fentress, Friendship, Gilmer, Greene, High Point, Jamestown, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Morehead, Oak Ridge, Rock Creek, Sumner, and Washington.

Find Physical Features* Within This County

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales,

Military Installations;  Populated Places, Post Offices, Schools, Streams, and Trails

Changes in county boundaries

     Conducting genealogical research in the United States requires an understanding of county boundaries.  As the population grew more counties were created to meet the public’s need for localized governments.  This phenomena was common in all states during the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th centuries.  As such you must be sure that you are not looking for records in the wrong county or state. 

     The web-site for the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project provides interactive maps for all states. This Atlas is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like Land Records, Probate Records, Court Records, Tax Records, and Vital Records that document birth, death, and marriage.   Listed below are the boundary changes for this county, the dates they occurred, as well as the government statute that decreed the change.  To see actual changes in a mapping format follow this LINK to the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project .

GUILFORD COUNTY: Map(s) and descriptions of Historical Boundary Changes

Click on thumbnail buttons for Map images

26 Jan 1771

GUILFORD created from ORANGE and ROWAN. (N.C. Recs., ch. 24, secs. 1-2/23:823-826)

12 Feb 1779

GUILFORD lost to creation of RANDOLPH. (N.C. Recs., ch. 22, secs. 1-2/24:234-236)

29 Dec 1785

GUILFORD lost to creation of ROCKINGHAM. (N.C. Recs., ch. 23, secs. 1-2/24:745-746)

State-Wide Resources

For more information about the U.S. State in which this county is located  click  on  these  LINKS:

Where in the world

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK

to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and other helpful  resources  that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations. 

resources

This search engine may

provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

• Website & Webpages We Like
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Free Genealogy Search Help For Google
• Linkpendium > Genealogy > USA
• The USGenWeb Project
• GenealogyLinks.net
• United States Research Wiki – Family Search

·         Our Genealogy Reference Library (USA Locations)

·         Genealogy Forum: U.S. States

·         Family Search, IGI Batches, Localities

·         Genealogy.com: Resources by county

·         Rootsweb.com – U.S. Message Boards

·         Cyndi's List - General U.S. Sites

·         Access Genealogy

·         Genealogy Links – Guilford County

·         USGenWeb – Guilford County

·         Research Wiki - Guilford County

·         Kindred Trails.com – Guilford County

·         RootsWeb Resources - Guilford County

·         Genealogy Trails History Group – Guilford Co.

·         n2genealogy.com - Guilford County

·         Genealogy Forum - Guilford County

·         Rootsweb Message Board – Guilford County

·         Cyndi's List – Guilford County

·         USGenWeb Archives – Guilford County

·         Ancestry.com Collections  - Guilford County $

·         Linkpendium – Guilford County

·       Histopolis.com - Guilford County

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you may find books about the history and records of this county and other places such as towns and churches.  The collection also contains research works about military units and personnel during America’s wars, in addition too resource texts about the ethnic and religious groups who may have settled in this locality.

Research Library – Table of Contents

Gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a variety of localities.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

Statue of General Nathanael Greene at the

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Use the following LINK to ascertain whether we have any images that pertain to this location.

ANCESTRAL LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS and IMAGES

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images Search  page.   Enter  the

topic you are searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well  as the  website to  which it is linked.

Contact information

CONTACT INFORMATION

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-- This webpage was last updated on --

01 July 2012