Montgomery County Genealogy
- Formed 1779
- Parent county / earlier Anson
- County seat Troy
- Neighbors Stanly, Davidson, Randolph, Moore, Richmond, Anson
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Flagship hub: Troy Sandhills/Uwharrie edge.
- Formation 1779 from Anson — for pre-formation events, use the parent jurisdiction’s paper (not later Anson-only catalogs).
- Seat: Troy · Neighbors: Stanly, Davidson, Randolph, Moore, Richmond, Anson.
- Methods: Start here · Formation · Master guide.
Montgomery County was formed in 1779 from Anson. The county seat is Troy. Neighboring counties include Stanly, Davidson, Randolph, Moore, Richmond, Anson.
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.
Montgomery county was founded in 1779 from Anson County. The county seat of Montgomery County is Troy. Montgomery County was named for General Richard Montgomery who was killed in 1775 during the Revolutionary War attempt to capture City.
Part of Montgomery County (to the west of the Pee Dee River) was used to create Stanly County. The county is made up of the following townships: Biscoe, Candor, Mount Gilead, Star, Troy. Although the current county seat is Troy, earlier county seats (from the official Montgomery County website):"The first county seat was Tinsdale (or Tindalsville) on the west bank of the river. Among the many roving county seats are references to Blakely, Henderson, Stokes and Lawrenceville. Tindalsville was wiped out by an epidemic of typhoid fever. The roving county seats were burned and their county records lost." The division of the county by the Pee Dee river had led to the controversy over where to place the county seat since at that time travel was made VERY difficult by the dividing river. This ultimately led to the split of Stanly county on the west side of the Pee Dee River. The county was split in 1842 and the new county seat (present day Troy) was established at West Old Fields.
The current name of the county seat, Troy, was due to the prominence of a popular attorney in the judicial district, John B. Troy. Legend says that the streets of Troy were paved with gold. It seems that fill dirt from the nearby Eldorado gold mine was used during the paving of the streets. Those with a sharp eye were said to have found gold nuggets in the streets. Eldorado had been a thriving mining community to the north of Troy.
Montgomery County is also home to the Uwharrie National Forest (50,129 acres). (It extends into Randolph and Davidson Counties.)
In-depth topics
History notes
Montgomery County (formed 1779 from Anson; seat Troy) is a distinctive research problem: Troy Sandhills/Uwharrie edge. Genealogists who treat every NC county the same will miss how parent anson shapes the paper trail here—and how pee dee approaches and farm estates 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 Stanly, Davidson, Randolph, Moore, Richmond, Anson.
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 Troy for 19th–20th century moves. Use the record matrix on this hub as a planning tool, not a catalog.
Border strategy: when surnames cluster on the Carolina line, open the sister hub South Carolina Genealogy after finishing this county’s parents and neighbors. Method: border research log.
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 — Montgomery.
Record availability matrix
| 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 Montgomery—use Anson. 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 Montgomery 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 Anson. Confirm event-year jurisdiction vs modern address. |
| Death records | partial | 1913– | Death certificates denser after statewide registration (~1913–1915+). Earlier Montgomery deaths via obituaries, church burial, probate, and cemeteries. |
| Land & deeds | partial | 1779– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Multiple 19th-century fires; 1886 clerk reported records “saved” but in great confusion. Expect disorder and gaps—abstract carefully and use Anson parent + neighbors. Montgomery deed/Register of Deeds series typically begin near formation (1779); pre-1779 land lives under Anson. Colonial grants/plats may predate the county at State Archives of North Carolina. Always verify book/page gaps; abstract witnesses and neighbors. |
| Probate & estates | partial | 1779– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Multiple 19th-century fires; 1886 clerk reported records “saved” but in great confusion. Expect disorder and gaps—abstract carefully and use Anson parent + neighbors. Wills, administrations, inventories, and equity are core after 1779; pre-formation estates under Anson. 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 | Troy 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 Montgomery 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. In thin/burned courthouse decades, cemeteries and funeral notices become higher priority. |
| Court records | sparse | 1779– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Multiple 19th-century fires; 1886 clerk reported records “saved” but in great confusion. Expect disorder and gaps—abstract carefully and use Anson parent + neighbors. Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation (1779); equity may sit with or near probate. Pre-1779 under Anson. |
| Tax lists | partial | 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. Especially valuable where courthouse series burned or moved. |
Newspapers
Cemeteries & burial research
- Troy / county-seat cemeteries
- Montgomery County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Montgomery 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 Troy. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: Montgomery County Public Libraries
Record-loss / series note: Multiple 19th-century fires; 1886 clerk reported records “saved” but in great confusion. Expect disorder and gaps—abstract carefully and use Anson parent + neighbors.
Record series note: Multiple 19th-century fires; 1886 clerk said records were “saved” but in great confusion—expect disorder as much as loss.
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1779
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Anson — 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
- Gov. Abbott unveils monument honoring Texas Revolutionary War patriots in Austin - The Courier of Montgomery County
- Montgomery County archives offer glimpse into the past as America marks 250 years - Roanoke Times
- Baltimore Heritage wants Md. LGBTQ historical sites added to National Registry - Washington Blade
Sources & further reading
- NCpedia — Montgomery 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 — Montgomery County
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
- FamilySearch Wiki · NCGenWeb