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North Carolina Genealogy Genealogy, history, and research resources for the Tar Heel State

Gates County Genealogy

Edited by Avery J. Parker · North Carolina Genealogy · Last reviewed July 13, 2026 · Continuously operated research hub (1997-origin site)

  • Formed 1779
  • Parent county / earlier Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford
  • County seat Gatesville
  • Neighbors Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford, Camden, Pasquotank

Photos & maps

Freely licensed images from Wikimedia Commons (and related open sources), cached locally for research context.

Historic view — Gates County
Historic view Indy beetle · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Courthouse — Gates County
Courthouse Indy beetle · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Map — Gates County
Map US Census, Ruhrfisch, Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source

What’s new

Gates County was formed in 1779 from Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford. The county seat is Gatesville. Neighboring counties include Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford, Camden, Pasquotank.

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 1779 from parts of Chowan County, Hertford County, and Perquimans County. It was named for General Horatio Gates, who had commanded the victorious American forces at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. NCpedia / formation references (verify with Corbitt)

Gates County NCGenweb site

Gates County Historical Society
P.O. Box 98
Gates, NC 27937

Gates County Courthouse
PO Box 148
County Courthouse
Gatesville, NC 27938

Tax Records

1784 partial Tax list

In-depth topics

Towns & communities

7 places — view all town pages

Gatesville county seat Corapeake Eure Gates Hobbsville Roduco Sunbury

History notes

Gates County (formed 1779 from Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford; seat Gatesville) is a distinctive research problem: Northeastern swamp/edge farms; Gatesville. Genealogists who treat every NC county the same will miss how virginia border free black communities shapes the paper trail here—and how albemarle parents chowan/perquimans/hertford changes which record class to open first.

Pin the decade before the courthouse. Record the jurisdiction as cited in the original deed, estate, or church book—then map it to modern hubs. Neighbor FAN clubs frequently spill into Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford, Camden, Pasquotank.

This county rewards a fixed order: census clusters with neighbors → land and probate in the correct years → church and cemetery substitutes for pre-vital generations → newspapers and directories around Gatesville for 19th–20th century moves. Use the record matrix on this hub as a planning tool, not a catalog.

Virginia border FAN clubs often complete marriages and burials that look missing in NC-only indexes—log both states for the same decade.

Session order: write person + year + place as written → formation/parent check → census FAN club → land/probate → church/cemetery → newspapers/directories when town-era → neighbors listed above. Free path: Start here · formation guide · Master NC research guide. Statewide substitutes: State Archives of North Carolina · DigitalNC · NCGenWeb — Gates.

Record availability matrix

Guidance for what tends to exist for this county—not a guarantee. Always verify at the repository. Statewide method notes: vitals, land, probate, census.

Record type Coverage Years (approx.) Notes
Federal census good 1790–1950 Federal schedules for NC; place each household in the correct county for that decade. Before 1779, people will not be labeled Gates—use Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford. Parent-jurisdiction notes apply only to pre-formation events—not to post-formation federal census rows. Township and city-ward labels change; re-pin every decade.
Birth records sparse 1913– Statewide NC birth registration is late (roughly 1913–1915 for civil strength). Use delayed births, church registers, Bibles, and census for earlier Gates generations—not parent-county “civil vitals.”
Marriage records partial 1779– County marriage records improve in the 19th–20th centuries after formation (1779); earlier events often appear in church books, bonds, newspapers, or Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford. Confirm event-year jurisdiction vs modern address.
Death records partial 1913– Death certificates denser after statewide registration (~1913–1915+). Earlier Gates deaths via obituaries, church burial, probate, and cemeteries.
Land & deeds good 1779– Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1779 from Chowan/Perquimans/Hertford. Early research is multi-parent Albemarle work. Gates deed/Register of Deeds series typically begin near formation (1779); pre-1779 land lives under Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford. Colonial grants/plats may predate the county at State Archives of North Carolina. Always verify book/page gaps; abstract witnesses and neighbors.
Probate & estates good 1779– Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1779 from Chowan/Perquimans/Hertford. Early research is multi-parent Albemarle work. Wills, administrations, inventories, and equity are core after 1779; pre-formation estates under Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford. Abstract bondsmen, sales, and widows’ petitions for FAN clubs. Pair thin years with newspaper legal notices and Archives microfilm.
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 Gatesville and local weeklies, plus larger regional papers for legal notices and obituaries. Verify actual title runs on DigitalNC and Chronicling America before citing continuous coverage—do not invent a “County Herald” without holdings.
Military good 1775– Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, militia notes, and wartime claims. Pair unit research with Gates 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 1779– Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1779 from Chowan/Perquimans/Hertford. Early research is multi-parent Albemarle work. Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation (1779); equity may sit with or near probate. Pre-1779 under Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford.
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

Title-by-title year ranges below are DigitalNC online holdings (digitized issues), not always the full publication span. Open each title to confirm gaps. Mastheads and successors change often.

  • DigitalNC holdings — all Gates titles
    Gatesville ·
    County holdings index on DigitalNC (title-by-title year ranges below are online digitized ranges).
  • Gates County Index
    Gatesville, N.C. · 1942–1956
    DigitalNC online holdings: 264 issue(s) digitized. Year range is what DigitalNC has online (not always full publication span)—open the title to confirm gaps.

Statewide newspapers guide · DigitalNC newspapers · Chronicling America

Cemeteries & burial research

Starting points and portals—not a complete inventory of every graveyard in the county.

  • Gatesville / county-seat churchyards
    Gatesville
    Multi-parent 1779 Albemarle formation—use churchyards with Chowan/Perquimans/Hertford.
    Find a Grave · More
  • Gates County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
    Gatesville
    Use Find a Grave, published surveys, churchyards, and USGS GNIS. Absence of a stone is not absence of burial.
    Find a Grave · More

Cemeteries research guide

Societies & repositories

Full societies & libraries directory

Vital records

North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Gates 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 Gatesville. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.

Gates County government

Public library: Albemarle Regional Library — Gates

Record-loss / series note: Formed 1779 from Chowan/Perquimans/Hertford. Early research is multi-parent Albemarle work.

If not found here, try…

North Carolina brick walls are often jurisdiction problems. When a deed, probate, or vital is missing here, try the parent district for the event year and neighboring counties for kin who lived across the line—not a substitute for later statewide birth/death registration.

  • Formed 1779
  • Parent / earlier jurisdiction Chowan, Perquimans, Hertford — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).

Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):

Chowan Perquimans Hertford Camden Pasquotank

Also use Start here, the counties & formation guide, and local history news for recent heritage context.

What to do next

Stay in Gates County only after the event year matches this courthouse. Otherwise open parents first.

Start here guide Free PDF checklist Cheatsheet bundle This week in Gates history

Local history & events

Recent news and notices about historic sites, heritage programs, reenactments, and local history related to Gates County (and statewide North Carolina heritage stories). Links open external publishers — verify details before traveling.

Updated automatically from public news feeds focused on history and heritage. See statewide local history news · Suggest an event

Sources & further reading

Formation, place-names, and series notes on this hub synthesize standard NC references. Always verify at the repository—fires and thin series vary by book and decade.

  • NCpedia — Gates County
    State Library of North Carolina encyclopedia (geography / county articles).
  • David Leroy Corbitt, The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663–1943
    Standard reference for county creation and boundary changes (this county formed 1779). Use with the counties & formation guide.
  • William S. Powell, The North Carolina Gazetteer
    Place-names, former communities, and watercourses—critical when deeds and censuses use extinct labels.
  • State Archives of North Carolina
    County records on microfilm, original series, and catalogs. Start from the Archives research pages for county holdings.
  • DigitalNC — Gates County
    Digitized newspapers, yearbooks, and local materials. Confirm title runs before citing continuous coverage.
  • Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
    Historic newspaper directory + selected digitized pages; pair with DigitalNC for NC titles.
  • FamilySearch Wiki · NCGenWeb
    Volunteer and wiki bibliographies—cross-check dates against Archives and local inventories.

Prefer NCpedia, Corbitt, Powell, and the State Archives over anonymous web mirrors for formation and place claims.