Brunswick County Genealogy
- Formed 1764
- Parent county / earlier New Hanover, Bladen
- County seat Bolivia
- Neighbors New Hanover, Columbus, Bladen
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Deepened hub: Cape Fear / coastal tourism overlay on older plantation and fishing paper.
- Formation 1764 from New Hanover and Bladen — for pre-formation events, use the parent jurisdiction’s paper (not later Anson-only catalogs).
- Seat: Bolivia · Neighbors: New Hanover, Columbus, Bladen.
- Long-form topics: research path, parents/formation, neighbors, places, record stack.
- Tools: checklist · this week in Brunswick history.
Brunswick County was formed in 1764 from New Hanover, Bladen. The county seat is Bolivia. Neighboring counties include New Hanover, Columbus, Bladen.
This hub combines a modern research floor—record matrix, towns, repositories, news—with local history narrative. For events before the county’s formation year, open the parent jurisdiction that owned that year—not a later statewide vital series or Anson-only catalog.
The county was formed in 1764 from parts of Bladen County and New Hanover County. It was named for the (now abandoned) colonial port of Brunswick Town, which was itself named for Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg; at the time held by the British kings of the House of Hanover. NCpedia / formation references (verify with Corbitt)
The County seat of Brunswick County is Bolivia. This county is on the Atlantic Coast and is bordered by the Cape Fear River and the state of South Carolina. Bolivia has been the county seat since 1977. Through the history of Brunswick county the county seat has been at Brunswick Town, then the plantation of John Bell near the Lockwood's Folly Bridge, then Walkersburg (near Deep Water Point). Then it was moved to Smithville (which was renamed to Southport) and Southport served as the seat until 1977.
Among the notable sites in Brunswick county are Fort Fisher and Fort Anderson/Brunswick Town. Also the lighthouses at Bald Head Lighthouse - (Bald Head Island info), Oak Island Lighthouse and Price's Creek Lighthouse are all in Brunswick County.
For local news, Brunswick County is served by the Brunswick Beacon which publishes a weekly edition.
In-depth topics
Towns & communities
History notes
Brunswick County (formed 1764 from New Hanover and Bladen; seat Bolivia) is a research problem defined by Cape Fear / coastal tourism overlay on older plantation and fishing paper. The modern label helps late sources and misleads when the event year sat in a parent courthouse.
Jurisdiction first. Write person + event + year + place as written in a source, then open the jurisdiction that owned that year. Before 1764, expect parent paper—not a Brunswick-only catalog search.
Place density differs. Bolivia and market towns generate directories, newspapers, and church clusters that rural neighborhoods do not. Treat Bolivia, Southport, Shallotte, Leland, Oak Island as separate paper systems sharing a courthouse label.
FAN clubs spill. Neighbor research regularly includes New Hanover, Columbus, Bladen. Abstract adjoining owners, witnesses, bondsmen, and three neighboring census households before you declare a negative search.
Special Brunswick trap: New Hanover/Bladen parents; port and resort directories; barrier-island vs mainland systems. Keep a one-page formation log (event year → jurisdiction tried → repository → result → next action).
Session order: (1) fix jurisdiction; (2) rebuild every federal census decade; (3) land + probate with full witness abstracting; (4) church/cemetery/newspaper; (5) military and institutional series; (6) paid databases last. Methods: Start here · Master guide · Counties & formation.
Record availability matrix
| Record type | Coverage | Years (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal census | good | 1790–1950 | Federal schedules after formation with coastal/SC border awareness. Parent notes only pre-formation. |
| Birth records | sparse | 1913– | Late civil; church substitutes earlier. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1764– | County series after formation; earlier parent/church. |
| Death records | partial | 1913– | Certificates denser after statewide registration; coastal churchyards earlier. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1764– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1764 from New Hanover/Bladen contexts: coastal SC border, seat moves, and wartime disruption. Early research is multi-jurisdiction. Coastal deeds with parent New Hanover/Bladen awareness; SC border FAN clubs common. Confirm event-year seat and repository. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1764– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1764 from New Hanover/Bladen contexts: coastal SC border, seat moves, and wartime disruption. Early research is multi-jurisdiction. Estates after formation; earlier parents. Pair with newspaper legal notices. |
| Church & parish | partial | varies | Church coverage varies by denomination and survival. Baptisms, membership, and burial registers often beat early civil vitals; check local societies and denominational archives. |
| Newspapers | varies | varies | Coastal weeklies plus Wilmington regional papers—confirm DigitalNC runs. |
| Military | good | 1775– | Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, militia notes, and wartime claims. Pair unit research with Brunswick place context and neighboring counties when companies recruited across lines. |
| Cemeteries | partial | varies | Published surveys, Find a Grave, churchyards, and family plots. Unmarked burials are common—use obituaries, church books, and land descriptions. |
| Court records | partial | 1764– | Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation (1764); equity may sit with or near probate. Pre-1764 under New Hanover, Bladen. Known disruption: 1865 Civil War loss; 1957 clerk’s office fire. |
| Tax lists | sparse | varies | Tax lists can substitute for missing census years and thin deed decades. Coverage is uneven by locality and year—check State Archives of North Carolina and published abstracts. |
Newspapers
Cemeteries & burial research
- Southport / Bolivia-area historic cemeteries
- Brunswick County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Brunswick County families you will rely on marriage bonds, church registers, Bible records, newspapers, delayed births, and probate—not only a modern certificate.
Research starting points
Courthouse & contacts
The county seat is Bolivia. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: Brunswick County Library
Record-loss / series note: Formed 1764 from New Hanover/Bladen contexts: coastal SC border, seat moves, and wartime disruption. Early research is multi-jurisdiction.
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1764
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction New Hanover, Bladen — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).
Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):
What to do next
Local history & events
- See the Brunswick house added to National Register of Historic Places - Wilmington Star-News
- “Africa to Carolina” public art project to debut at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site - WWAYTV3
- Revolutionary War Patriot marker unveiled at Brunswick County Courthouse - Goldsboro News-Argus
- Revolutionary War veterans remain part of Madison County’s history - The Edwardsville Intelligencer
- Tides of Time: Student archaeologists unearth new clues to North Carolina's colonial past at Brunswick Town - WWAYTV3
- See a video taken in historic St. James Cemetery in Wilmington, NC - Wilmington Star-News
Sources & further reading
- NCpedia — Brunswick County
- David Leroy Corbitt, The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663–1943
- William S. Powell, The North Carolina Gazetteer
- State Archives of North Carolina
- DigitalNC — Brunswick County
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
- FamilySearch Wiki · NCGenWeb