Mecklenburg County Genealogy

Mecklenburg County was formed in 1762 from the western part of Anson County. It was named for the German Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818), who had become queen consort of King George III the previous year. She is also the eponym of Mecklenburg County's county seat and largest city, Charlotte.

In 1768 the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River became Tryon County. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was allegedly signed on May 20, 1775; if the document is indeed genuine, Mecklenburg County was the first part of the Thirteen Colonies to declare independence from Great Britain. Some have disputed the the story of the Mecklenburg Declaration. Saying it was written around 1800 as an attempt to reconstruct from memory the 1775 Mecklenburg Resolves, the Resolves fell short of a full declaration of independence. The argument is that the writer of the 1800 document misunderstood the Resolves as a Declaration of Independence and borrowed language from the United States Declaration of Independence. "Meck Dec Day" was celebrated on May 20 in North Carolina although it's no longer an official holiday. For more on the Mecklenburg Declaration you can visit cmstory.org.

In 1792 the northeastern part of Mecklenburg County became Cabarrus County. Finally, in 1842 the southeastern part of Mecklenburg County was combined with the western part of Anson County to become Union County.

During the September-October British occupation of Charlotte the city was nicknamed a "Hornet's Nest" by Banastre Tarleton. That name stuck and is a symbol still used in Charlotte for their city. (It also lended the name to the Hornet's basketball franchise which have since moved.) October 3, 1780 there was a skirmish at McIntyre's Farm sometimes referred to as the Battle of McIntyre's farm or the McIntyre Skirmish. It was located (then) 7 miles from Charlotte. It took place when a party of 300 Redcoats went on a foraging expedition towards the vicinity of Hopewell Baptist Church. They met fierce resistance from a group of 14 which forced them to return back to Charlotte. (Their headquarters was at the Thomas Polk house.) This may be one of the better documented skirmishes of that occupation, but I'm sure it wasn't the only event leading them to term this area a Hornet's Nest.

James Knox Polk, the eleventh President of the United States, was born here in 1795 in what is now Pineville. From the Wikipedia.

Charlotte has seen aggressive growth in recent years expanding into the townships that were previously known. The census still tracks these (except for Sharon), but outside of statistical purposes they are not used:

* Charlotte Township - completely annexed into the City of Charlotte
* Mallard Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
* Crab Orchard Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
* Clear Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte and Mint Hill annexation
* Morning Star Township - almost entirely annexed by Charlotte, Mint Hill, and Matthews
* Sharon Township - completely annexed into Charlotte and eliminated
* Providence Township - almost entirely annexed into Charlotte
* Pineville Township - mostly annexed by the City of Pineville
* Steele Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
* Berryhill Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
* Paw Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
* Long Creek Township - greatly reduced by Charlotte annexation
* Deweese Township - reduced by Davidson and Cornelius annexation
* Huntersville Township - reduced by Huntersville annexation
* Lemley Township - mostly beneath Lake Norman since it was created in 1963, and reduced by Huntersville annexation

Mecklenburg County Genealogy Resources

• Mecklenburg County NCGenWeb
• Mecklenburg County NCGenWeb Archives
• Mecklenburg County Genealogy site

Olde Mecklenburg Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 32453
Charlotte, NC 28232

Historic Places in Mecklenburg County

Historic Rosedale Plantation

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Mecklenburg County Government

• Charlotte Mecklenburg Official Site
• Mecklenburg Register of Deeds/Vital Records

Census

• 1790 Federal Census Transcription
• 1850 Federal Census Index
• 1910 Federal Census Transcription - Partial Transcription of ED108

Mecklenburg County Cemeteries

• USGS Listing of Cemeteries in Mecklenburg County, NC
• Cemetery Transcriptions
• Mecklenburg County Cemetery Census

Query Forums

• Mecklenburg County, NC Query Forum
• Mecklenburg County, NC at Genforum

News related to Mecklenburg County, NC

Cities and towns

• Charlotte (County Seat)
• Matthews
• Mint Hill
• Huntersville
• Cornelius
• Davidson
• Pineville
• Stallings

History notes

Mecklenburg County (formed 1762 from Anson; seat Charlotte) is the commercial and urban engine of the southern Piedmont. Scots-Irish and other backcountry settlers arrived via the Great Wagon Road; Presbyterian churches, militia service, and land along creek systems dominate early paper trails. Later, Charlotte’s boom created layered city wards, street renamings, dense directories, and multi-denominational congregations.

Genealogists must separate three problems: (1) pre-1762 Anson parent research; (2) rural Mecklenburg farm and church networks; (3) 19th–20th century urban Charlotte households that move frequently within the metro. Events “in Charlotte” after about 1880 often require city directories and newspapers as much as deeds.

Border strategy matters. Families regularly appear in South Carolina’s York and Lancaster corridors—and later in Gaston, Cabarrus, Union, and Iredell. Always search both sides of the state line when surnames cluster on the border. Sister site: York County, SC.

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is a high-value stop for maps, newspapers, and local history vertical files—pair it with county courthouse series and FamilySearch wiki guidance.