Alamance - formed 1849 from Orange County
Albemarle - formed ca. 1664, northeastern part of North Carolina. It included four Precincts: Currituck,
Pasquotank, Perquimans and Chowan. It was discontinued when the 4 Precincts were renamed as counties in 1739.
Alexander - Formed 1847 from Iredell, Caldwell and Wilkes Counties
Alleghany - Formed 1859 from Ashe County
Anson - Formed 1750 from Bladen County
Ashe - formed 1799 from Wilkes County
Avery - formed 1911 from mitchell, Watauga and Caldwell Counties
Bath - formed in 1696 from territory south of Albemarle Sound. It consisted of Archdale (Craven), Pamptecough (Beaufort) and Wickham (Hyde) Precincts. Discontinued in 1739 when the Precincts were renamed counties.
Beaufort - Created about 1705 as pamptecough Precinct of Bath County; name changed to Beaufort about 1712.
Bertie - Formed 1722 from Chowan County
Bladen - Formed 1734 from New Hanover County
Brunswick - Formed 1764 from Nw Hanover and Bladen Counties
Buncombe - Formed 1791 from Burke and Rutherford Counties
Burke - Formed 1777 from Rowan County 
Bute - Formed 1764 from Granville County; abolished 1779 when it was divided betw Franklin andWarren Co.
Cabarrus - Formed 1792 from Mecklenburg County
Caldwell - Formed 1841 from Burke and Wilkes Counties
Camden - Formed 1777 from Pasquotank County
Carteret - Formed 1722 from Craven County
Caswell - Formed 1777 from Orange County
Catawba - Formed 1842 from Lincoln County
Chatham - Formed 1771 from Orange County
Cherokee - Formed 1839 from Macon County
Chowan - Originally formed as a precinct of Albemarle County - renamed as a county in 1739
Clay - Formed 1861 from Cherokee County
Cleveland - Formed 1841 from Rutherford and Lincoln Counties
Columbus - Formed 1808 from Brunswick and Bladen Counties
Craven - Formed 1705 as Archdale Precinct of Bath County; name changed to Craven about 1712.
Cumberland - Formed 1754 from Bladen County
Currituck - Originally formed as a precinct of Albemarle County. Renamed about 1739
Dare - Formed 1870 from Currituck, Tyrrell and Hyde Counties
Davidson - Formed 1822 from Rowan County
Davie - Formed 1836 from Rowan County
Dobbs - Formed 1758 from the eastern portion of Johnston County; abolished in 1791 when Glasgow (Greene)
and Lenoir counties were formed.
Duplin - Formed 1750 from New Hanover County
Durham - Formed 1881 from Orange and Wake Counties
Edgecombe - Formed 1741 from Bertie County
Forsyth - Formed 1849 from Stokes County
Franklin - Formed 1779 from Bute County
Gaston - Formed 1846 from Lincoln County
Gates - Formed 1779 from Chowan, Hertford and Perquimans Counties
Glasgow - Formed 1791 from Dobbs County; name changed to Greene County in 1799.
Graham - Formed 1872 from Cherokee County
Granville - Formed 1746 from Edgecombe County
Greene - Originally formed as Glasgow County from Dobbs County in 1791; Name changed to Greene in 1799
Guilford - Formed 1771 from Rowan and Orange Counties
Halifax - Formed 1758 from Edgecombe County
Harnett - Formed 1855 from Cumberland County
Haywood - Formed 1808 from Buncombe County
Henderson - Formed 1838 from Buncombe County
Hertford - Formed 1759 from Chowan, Bertie and Northampton Counties
Hoke - Formed 1911 from Cumberland and Robeson Counties
Hyde - Formed about 1705 as Wickham Precinct of Bath County; name changed to Hyde about 1712.
Iredell - Formed 1788 from Rowan County
Jackson - Formed 1851 from Haywood and Macon Counties
Johnston - Formed 1746 from Craven County.
Jones - Formed 1779 from Craven County
Lee - Formed 1907 from Moore and Chatham Counties
Lenoir - Formed 1791 from Dobbs County
Lincoln - Formed 1779 from Tryon County.
Macon - Formed 1828 from Haywood County
Madison - Formed 1851 from Buncombe and Yancey Counties
Martin - Formed 1774 from Halifax and Tyrrell Counties
McDowell - Formed 1842 from Burke and Rutherford Counties
Mecklenburg - Formed 1762 from Anson County
Mitchell - Formed 1861 from Yancey, Watauga, Caldwell, Burke and McDowell Counties
Montgomery - Formed 1779 from Anson County
Moore - Formed 1785 from Cumberland County
Nash - Formed 1777 from Edgecombe County
New Hanover - Formed 1729 from Craven County
Northampton - Formed 1741 from Bertie County
Onslow - Formed 1734 from New Hanover County
Orange - Formed 1752 from Johnston, Bladen and Granville Counties
Pamlico - Formed 1872 from Craven and Beaufort Counties
Pasquotank - Originally formed as a precinct of Albemarle County. It was renamed about 1739
Pender - Formed 1875 from New Hanover County
Perquimans - Originaly formed as a precinct of Albemarle County. Renamed about 1739
Person - Formed 1792 from Caswell County
Pitt - Formed 1760 from Beaufort County
Polk - Formed 1855 from Rutherford and Henderson Counties
Randolph - Formed 1779 from Guilford County
Richmond - Formed 1779 from Anson County
Robeson - Formed 1787 from Bladen County
Rockingham - Formed 1785 from Guilford County
Rowan - Formed 1753 from Anson County
Rutherford - Formed 1779 from Tryon County
Sampson - Formed 1784 from Duplin County
Scotland - Formed 1899 from Richmond County
Stanley - Formed 1841 from Montgomery County
Stokes - Formed 1789 from Surry County
Swain - Formed 1871 from Jackson and Macon Counties
Surry - Formed 1771 from Rowan County
Transylvania - Formed 1861 from Henderson and Jackson Counties
Tryon - Formed 1767 from Mecklenburg County
Tyrrell - Formed 1729 from Chowan, Bertie, Currituck and Pasquotank Counties
Union - Formed 1842 from Anson and Mecklenburg Counties
Vance - Formed 1881 from Granville, Warren and Franklin Counties
Wake - Formed 1771 from Johnston, Cumberland and Orange Counties
Warren - Formed 1779 from Bute County
Washington - Formed 1799 from Tyrrell County
Watauga - Formed 1849 from Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes and Yancey Counties
Wayne - Formed 1779 from Dobbs County
Wilkes - Formed 1777 from Rowan County and the District of Washington
Wilson - Formed 1855 from Edgecombe, Nash, Johnston and Wayne Counties
Yadkin - Formed 1850 from Surry County
Yancey - Formed 1833 from Burke and Buncombe Counties

SOME NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES WHICH HAVE SUFFERED LOSS OF RECORDS 
Many records were lost or not recorded during the Civil War

Alexander - Some records destroyed by Union Troups in April, 1865
Alleghany - Few records have survived prior to 1871
Anson - April, 1868, Courthouse fire - some records survived
Bladen - Two fires, the most recent in January, 1893 destroyed many court records
Buncombe - Courthouse Fires in 1830, 1848 and 1865
Burke - Some records destroyed by Union Troups in April, 1865
Cabarrus - Courthouse fire, 1875 destroyed some records
Camden - Some records destroyed during the Civil War
Cherokee - Most records destroyed by Union Troups in 1865
Clay - Courthouse fire, May 1870 - destroyed all court records
Davie - Water damage to some records
Dobbs - Lenoir County received Dobbs County records and were destroyed by a Courthouse fire in 1878 and 1880.
Gaston - Courthouse fire, December 1874 - some records destroyed
Glasgow - Name changed to Greene in 1799. No surviving Glasgow County records.
Greene - Courthouse fire, 1876 - Many records destroyed
Guilford - Records destroyed by British Army in 1781
Harnett - Courthouse fires in 1892 and 1894
Hertford - Courhouse fires,March 1830,most records destroyed.Again in Feb 1862,by Union Troups
Iredell - Fire - 1854 - some records survived
Jackson - Many records lost, possibly by fire prior to 1913
Johnston - Records were left in Dobbs County and many were destroyed in the Lenoir fires of 1878 and 1880.
Jones - Courthouse burned in 1862 during a batlle between Union and Confederate troups.
Lenoir - Courhouse fires in 1878 and 1880; most records destroyed
Martin - Courthouse fire in 1885 - some records survived
Montgomery - Courthouse fire in 1843, destroying most records
Moore - Courthouse fire in September 1889, many records destroyed
New Hanover - Courthouse fires in 1798, 1819 and 1840. Some records damaged by fire and water.
Onslow - Hurricane in 1752. Most records destroyed. In 1786, a tornado destroyed the courthouse and many records were lost.
Orange - In 1781, when the British Army approached, county records were buried;some were destroyed in the process.
Person - Many records "missing"
Pitt - Courthouse fire, January 1858 - most records destroyed
Polk - Some loss of records prior to 1855
Randolph - Some records water damaged
Rutherford - Courthouse fire in 1907
Washington - Courthouse fires in 1862, 1869 and 1873
Watauga - Courthouse destroyed in 1865 by Union troups and burned 1873. All records destroyed.
Wayne - 1781, Records destroyed by British Army.