Gaston County Genealogy
- Formed 1846
- Parent county / earlier Lincoln
- County seat Gastonia
- Neighbors lincoln, cleveland, mecklenburg, catawba
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Charleston-class research hub: history essay, record matrix, towns, repositories, and local history news.
- Formation 1846 from Lincoln — search parents for earlier events.
- Seat: Gastonia · Library: Gaston County Public Library.
- Method guides: Start here · Formation · Census.
In-depth topics
Towns & communities
Gaston County was formed in 1846 from Lincoln. The county seat is Gastonia. Neighboring counties include lincoln, cleveland, mecklenburg, catawba.
This hub combines a modern research floor—record matrix, towns, repositories, news—with local history narrative. Always search parent jurisdictions for pre-formation events.
Originally part of colonial Bladen County, the area today called Gaston County was part of Anson County in 1750, and subsequently ceded to the newly formed Mecklenburg County in 1762. Six years later, the area was again redistricted, to the short-lived Tryon County until 1779, at which time it was incorporated into Lincoln County. Lincoln County was divided in 1846, and its southern half was renamed Gaston for William Gaston, a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817, and a judge of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1833 to 1844.
Tensions between the earliest European settlers and the Native Americans were eased considerably when the dispute over the boundary between North Carolina and South Carolina was settled in 1772, after which most of the local Native Americans settled on a reservation in South Carolina. Most early farms were small, cultivated primarily by white yeoman farmers. North Carolina's colonial policy of restricted the size of land grants, and in Gaston County they tended to be about 400 acres each. One of the earliest grants in the area was given to Captain Samuel Cobrin, commander of a local militia company, on September 29, 1750.
German Influence
Beginning in the late 17th century, thousands of Rhinelanders began immigrating to the American colonies to escape the war and religious strife. The earliest group to come to North Carolina settled in New Bern in 1710. Within a few decades significant numbers had arrived in Philadelphia and moved out into the mid-Atlantic zone and southward. In most of the Atlantic colonies, English and Scotch-Irish settlers had already staked out much of the good land, so German pioneers soon concentrated on the sparsely settled central and western piedmont areas. A few German pioneers arrived in piedmont North Carolina in the 1730s and 1740s, but German immigration increased dramatically in the mid-1750s and continued throughout the century. The largest settlement was the Wachovia tract, which was granted to Moravians who had come from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and later founded (Old) Salem. During this same period, German pioneers began settling Gaston County and establishing homesteads after setting their sights southward from the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, via the Great Wagon Road. German settlers established themselves in clusters of independent farmsteads linked by extended family connections and by participation in Lutheran, Reformed, or, less numerous, German Baptist (Dunker) congregations.
By 1790 it is estimated 10 to 30 percent of the greater Piedmont population was of German origin. Outnumbered by English and Scotch-Irish neighbors, the Germans were perceived as a distinct group, and many of them strove to maintain German culture and ways. The use of the German language continued well into the 19th century, with a period of transition from German to bilingual, with predominant English usage established between 1825 and 1850. In the late 18th century, German dominated in many churches and families; by the 1835, sermons in Reformed and Lutheran congregations were often preached in both languages. By the late 19th century, use of German had all but disappeared.
Similar patterns appeared in architecture. Traditional German construction methods-- often the work of artisans trained in the fatherland-- usually prevailed from the 1750s through the 1780s. From the 1780s or 1790s into the 1820s, German Carolinians were often "bilingual" in architecture as in language, blending Germanic traditions and mainstream stylistic developments. Finally, in the period from the 1820s to the Civil War, as popular national ideals gained away throughout much of the countryside, German-descended families accommodated to these trends. Source Wikipedia
Gaston/Lincoln Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 584
Mt. Holly, NC 28120
Gaston County Historical Society
P.O. Box 429
Dallas, NC 28034
Broad River Genealogical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 2261
Shelby, NC 28151-2261
(covers Cleveland, Gaston, Henderson, Lincoln, and Rutherford Counties in NC and a few SC counties)
The Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County
P.O. Box 938
Forest City, NC 28043
(covers Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, and Rutherford Counties in NC and a few SC counties)
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Gaston County Courthouse
PO Box 1578
County Courthouse
Gastonia, NC 28053
Census
1850 Federal Census Index - by last name only
Cemeteries
Query Forums
Cities and Towns of Gaston County:
- Alexis
- Belmont
- Bessemer City
- Boogertown
- Catawba Heights
- Cherryville
- Cramerton
- Crowders
- Dallas
- Flay
- Gastonia (County Seat)
- Groves
- High Shoals
- Lowell
- Lowesville
- Mount Holly
- Pinkney
- Ragan Village
- Ranlo
- Ridge
- Smyre
- South Gastonia
- Spencer Mountain
- Stanley
- Victory
News related to Gaston County, NC
History notes
Gaston County (formed 1846 from Lincoln; seat Gastonia) is textile Piedmont territory. Mill villages and churches dominate 20th-century sources; parent Lincoln holds earlier events. SC border movement is common.
Local history & events
- Longtime Schiele Museum director announces retirement - Gaston Gazette
- Air quality in Gaston County - IQAir
- Gaston County buys 560 acres near Lake Wylie to preserve land, build future park - WBTV
- Monica Kendrick - Gaston Gazette
- Tuberculosis case confirmed at Gaston County high school - WSOC TV
- Roseboro Lomick Jr. Obituary (2026) - Bessemer City, NC - Costner Funeral Home - Gastonia - Legacy obituary
Research tools
Record availability matrix
| Record type | Coverage | Years (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal census | good | 1790–1950 | Federal schedules available for NC with known quirks/losses in some years. Place the household in the correct county for each decade. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Birth records | sparse | 1915– | Statewide birth registration is comparatively late in NC. Use delayed births, church registers, Bibles, and census for earlier generations. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1846– | County marriage records improve in the 19th–20th centuries; earlier events often appear in church books, bonds, or newspapers. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Death records | partial | 1915– | Death certificates denser after statewide registration; earlier deaths via obituaries, church burial, probate, and cemeteries. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1846– | Deeds/ROD series typically begin near county formation; colonial grants/plats may predate the county and live at State Archives of North Carolina. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1846– | Wills, administrations, and equity files are core sources. Courthouse losses push research to neighbors, microfilm, and State Archives of North Carolina. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Church & parish | partial | varies | Church coverage varies by denomination and survival; check local societies and denominational archives. |
| Newspapers | varies | varies | Title survival varies widely. Search local weeklies plus larger regional papers; use Chronicling America and the State Library of North Carolina and DigitalNC. |
| Military | good | 1775– | Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, and local militia notes. Pair with county context for battles and units. |
| Cemeteries | partial | varies | Published surveys, Find a Grave, churchyards, and family plots. Unmarked burials are common—use obituaries and church books. |
| Court records | partial | 1846– | Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation; equity may be with or near probate. Before 1846, search parent jurisdiction: Lincoln. |
| Tax lists | sparse | varies | Tax lists can substitute for missing census years. Coverage is uneven by locality and year; check State Archives of North Carolina and published abstracts. |
Cemeteries & burial research
- Gaston County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Research starting points
Census
Federal census schedules are foundational for Gaston County household reconstruction. Collect every decade, note neighbors (FAN club), and track the county name as it existed that year—especially across formation and split boundaries.
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Gaston County families you will rely on marriage bonds, church registers, Bible records, newspapers, delayed births, and probate—not only a modern certificate.
Cemeteries (legacy notes)
Cemetery surveys for Gaston County appear in published books, Find a Grave, USGenWeb archives, churchyards, and family plots. Absence of a stone is not absence of burial—pair markers with obituaries and church books.
Courthouse & contacts
The county seat is Gastonia. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: Gaston County Public Library
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1846
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Lincoln — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).
Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):