Cabarrus County Genealogy
- Formed 1792
- Parent county / earlier Mecklenburg
- County seat Concord
- Neighbors Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union, Iredell
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Deepened hub: Gold-rush and textile Piedmont county born from Mecklenburg—pre-1792 is parent work.
- Formation 1792 from Mecklenburg — for pre-formation events, use the parent jurisdiction’s paper (not later Anson-only catalogs).
- Seat: Concord · Neighbors: Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union, Iredell.
- Long-form topics: research path, parents/formation, neighbors, places, record stack.
- Tools: checklist · this week in Cabarrus history.
Cabarrus County was formed in 1792 from Mecklenburg. The county seat is Concord. Neighboring counties include Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union, Iredell.
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 1792 from Mecklenburg County. It was named after Stephen Cabarrus of Chowan County, speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons.
Gold was first discovered here by Conrad Reed in an unincorporated part of southeast Cabarrus county. Conrad Reed was the son of a Hessian Soldier brought over by British troops to fight in the Revolution. His father deserted and found a farm which later became the gold mine known as Reed's Gold Mine.
Cabarrus County includes the following townships: 1 (Central Cabarrus), 2 (Harrisburg), 3 (Concord), 4 (Poplar Tent) 5 (Odell), 6 (Kannapolis), 7 (New Gilead), 8 (Rimertown), 9 (Gold Hill), 10 (Mount Pleasant), 11 (Georgeville), and 12 (Midland)
The county is home to Lowe's Motor Speedway, which hosts three NASCAR events a year (the NASCAR All-Star Challenge, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Bank of America 500). The county is also home to several race shops, including Hendrick Motorsports (home to drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr) and Roush Fenway Racing (home to Matt Kenseth). Ken Schrader and Darrell Waltrip also have a racing shops in Cabarrus County.
The state's largest tourist attraction, Concord Mills Mall, is located in Cabarrus County.
The county is home to Reed Gold Mine, site of the first gold discovery in the United States in 1799.
NCpedia / formation references (verify with Corbitt)
The County seat of Cabarrus County is Concord. The county name has been mis-spelled Cabarras county by some.
Historic Cabarrus, Inc.
PO Box 966
Concord, North Carolina 28026
Cabarrus Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2981
Concord, NC 28025-2981
Cabarrus County Courthouse
PO Box 707
Governmental Center
Concord, NC 28026
Military Records
In-depth topics
Towns & communities
History notes
Cabarrus County (formed 1792 from Mecklenburg; seat Concord) is a research problem defined by Gold-rush and textile Piedmont county born from Mecklenburg—pre-1792 is parent work. Modern labels help late sources and mislead 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 1792, expect parent paper—not a Cabarrus-only catalog search.
Place density differs. Concord and market towns generate directories, newspapers, and church clusters that rural neighborhoods do not. Treat Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Mount Pleasant, Midland as separate paper systems sharing a courthouse label.
FAN clubs spill. Neighbor research regularly includes Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union, Iredell. Abstract adjoining owners, witnesses, bondsmen, and three neighboring census households before you declare a negative search.
Special Cabarrus trap: Mecklenburg parent; gold/textile industries; Charlotte metro overflow. 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 | 1792–1950 | Federal schedules after 1790s formation; pre-formation people are Mecklenburg (or earlier). Not a “search parent” note on every post-formation census row. |
| Birth records | sparse | 1913– | Late civil; church substitutes earlier. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1792– | Improve in 19th–20th centuries; earlier church/bond and parent Mecklenburg. |
| Death records | partial | 1913– | Certificates denser after statewide registration; obituaries and cemeteries earlier. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1792– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1792 from Mecklenburg: gold-mine and Concord-era growth leave strong later series; early research often needs Mecklenburg parent context. Post-1792 deeds; pre-formation Mecklenburg. Reed Gold Mine-era land and equity can leave unusual trails—abstract fully. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1792– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1792 from Mecklenburg: gold-mine and Concord-era growth leave strong later series; early research often needs Mecklenburg parent context. Estates after formation; earlier Mecklenburg. Pair thin years 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 | Concord and local titles plus Charlotte regional papers—confirm DigitalNC/Chronicling America runs. |
| Military | good | 1775– | Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, militia notes, and wartime claims. Pair unit research with Cabarrus 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 | 1792– | Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation (1792); equity may sit with or near probate. Pre-1792 under Mecklenburg. Known disruption: 1876 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
- Oakwood Cemetery
- Cabarrus County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Cabarrus 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 Concord. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: Cabarrus County Public Library
Record-loss / series note: Formed 1792 from Mecklenburg: gold-mine and Concord-era growth leave strong later series; early research often needs Mecklenburg parent context.
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1792
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Mecklenburg — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).
Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):
Local history & events
Sources & further reading
- NCpedia — Cabarrus 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 — Cabarrus County
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
- FamilySearch Wiki · NCGenWeb