Pasquotank County Genealogy
- Formed 1668
- Parent county / earlier Albemarle (colonial)
- County seat Elizabeth City
- Neighbors Camden, Perquimans, Gates
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Flagship hub (deepened): northeastern hub for Dismal Swamp edge and Sound research.
- Formation 1668 from Albemarle (colonial) — for pre-formation events, use the parent jurisdiction’s paper (not later Anson-only catalogs).
- Seat: Elizabeth City · Neighbors: Camden, Currituck, Gates, Perquimans.
- Long-form topics below target SC-style essay depth (jurisdiction, FAN clubs, place-level work, full record stack).
- Methods: Start here · Master guide.
Pasquotank County was formed in 1668 from Albemarle (colonial). The county seat is Elizabeth City. Neighboring counties include Camden, Perquimans, Gates.
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.
Pasquotank County is a county located in the State of North Carolina. As of 2007, its population was 41,897. Pasquotank's county seat is Elizabeth City.
Pasquotank County is part of the Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Part of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - National Protected Area is in Pasquotank County.
Source: Wikipedia.
Pasquotank County was a portion of the area of North Carolina that was earliest settled. It was a portion of Albemarle County which was established in 1663. The name Pasquotank comes from the Pasquotank River. Pasquotank is from an Algonquin word pasketanki meaning "where the current of the stream divides or forks".
The first settlement was Nixonton along the Little River and was planned out in 1746 and incorporated by 1758 and was the county seat from 1785-1799. In 1799 the county seat was moved to Elizabethton which had been founded in 1793 at the narrows of the Pasquotank River.
Local folklore holds that the Brick House in Elizabethton was used as a headquarters of Edward Teach - the infamous pirate "Blackbeard". The house though only dates to the 1750s and Edward Teach died in 1718 however there may have been a structure on the property dating to 1709.
Pasquotank County History from the County Official Site
Pasquotank County Genealogy
In-depth topics
- Pasquotank Research Path: Northeastern Hub for Dismal Swamp Edge and Sound River FAN Clubs
- Pasquotank Formation, Parents & Wrong-Courthouse Traps
- Pasquotank Neighbors, FAN Clubs & Borders
- Pasquotank Place-Level Research: Elizabeth City & Rural Communities
- Pasquotank Record Stack: Census to Substitutes
Towns & communities
History notes
Pasquotank County (formed 1668 from Albemarle (colonial); seat Elizabeth City) is a research problem defined by northeastern hub for Dismal Swamp edge and Sound research. Elizabeth City market density differs from sparse rural edges. Camden was cut from Pasquotank (1777)—many early Camden stories begin here.
Depth here is not about listing more sections—it is about choosing the right jurisdiction and record class for the decade. Wrong-courthouse searches create the most “missing” ancestors. Always record the jurisdiction as named in the original deed, estate, tax list, or church book, then map it onto modern hubs.
Neighbor FAN clubs frequently spill into Camden, Currituck, Gates, Perquimans. Heirs, bondsmen, burial neighbors, and mill co-workers often sit one county (or one state line) away. When a search goes cold, widen one decade and one jurisdiction at a time and write down negatives—they are data.
Elizabeth City and rural communities are different paper systems. Town decades after about 1880 often reward city directories, multi-denominational churches, and newspapers. Farm and mountain corridors still require land descriptions, small churches, and cemetery surveys that never appear in town books. Pin community first, then open the matching stack.
Use the record availability matrix on this hub as a planning tool—not a guarantee. Pair it with statewide methods: Start here, counties & formation, census, land, probate, church, and the Master NC research guide.
Session order that matches SC’s best county pages: (1) write person + event + year + place as written; (2) confirm formation/parent for that year; (3) rebuild every available census decade with neighbors; (4) abstract land and probate in the correct courthouse years; (5) church/cemetery substitutes for pre-vital generations; (6) newspapers/directories for later town moves; (7) military or specialized paths only when claimed; (8) parents/neighbors/border states with a written log. Statewide substitutes: State Archives of North Carolina · DigitalNC · NCGenWeb — Pasquotank.
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 1668, people will not be labeled Pasquotank—use Albemarle (colonial). 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 Pasquotank generations—not parent-county “civil vitals.” |
| Marriage records | partial | 1741– | County marriage records improve in the 19th–20th centuries after formation (1668); earlier events often appear in church books, bonds, newspapers, or Albemarle (colonial). Confirm event-year jurisdiction vs modern address. |
| Death records | partial | 1913– | Death certificates denser after statewide registration (~1913–1915+). Earlier Pasquotank deaths via obituaries, church burial, probate, and cemeteries. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1668– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Deep Albemarle county. Parent for Camden (1777) and related NE pulls—use Archives and multi-county Albemarle strategies for early families. Pasquotank deed/Register of Deeds series typically begin near formation (1668); pre-1668 land lives under Albemarle (colonial). 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 | 1668– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Deep Albemarle county. Parent for Camden (1777) and related NE pulls—use Archives and multi-county Albemarle strategies for early families. Wills, administrations, inventories, and equity are core after 1668; pre-formation estates under Albemarle (colonial). Abstract bondsmen, sales, and widows’ petitions for FAN clubs. Pair thin years with newspaper legal notices and Archives microfilm. |
| Church & parish | good | varies | Church coverage can be unusually rich (colonial Albemarle, Moravian Wachovia, Quaker, older coastal congregations) when books survive—check local societies and denominational archives. |
| Newspapers | varies | varies | Elizabeth City 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 Pasquotank 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 | 1668– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Deep Albemarle county. Parent for Camden (1777) and related NE pulls—use Archives and multi-county Albemarle strategies for early families. Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation (1668); equity may sit with or near probate. Pre-1668 under Albemarle (colonial). |
| 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
- DigitalNC holdings — all Pasquotank titles
- The Elizabeth-City Gazette, and Public Advertiser
- The Elizabeth-City Star and North-Carolina Eastern Intelligencer
- Herald of the Times
- The Intelligencer, and Nag’s Head Advocate
- The Old North State
- The Democratic Pioneer
- North Carolina Native Sentinel
- The North Carolinian
- The Weekly Economist
- The Albemarle Register
- Fisherman & Farmer
- The Elizabeth City News
- The Advance
- Daily Economist
- The Independent
- The Daily Advance
- Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
- The Daily Independent
Cemeteries & burial research
- Elizabeth City historic cemeteries
- Pasquotank County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Pasquotank 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
- Pasquotank County Government
- East Albemarle Regional Library / Elizabeth City
- FamilySearch Wiki — Pasquotank County
- NCGenWeb — Pasquotank
- State Archives of North Carolina
- DigitalNC
- FamilySearch — NC Vital Records
- Find a Grave — North Carolina
- Start here research guide
- Societies & libraries directory
Courthouse & contacts
The county seat is Elizabeth City. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: East Albemarle Regional Library / Elizabeth City
Record-loss / series note: Deep Albemarle county. Parent for Camden (1777) and related NE pulls—use Archives and multi-county Albemarle strategies for early families.
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1668
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Albemarle (colonial) — 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
- Updated Ninety Six Historic Site museum reopening with new interactive exhibits - FOX Carolina News
- Hickory Ridge History Museum to celebrate Independence Day with several activities - The Daily Reflector
- Thousands descend on Conneaut for largest WWII reenactment in North America - newsbreak.com
- Bald Head Island celebrates America 250 with live reenactment and block party - WECT
- N.C. Transportation Museum, Trains Magazine, and White River Productions partner on America 250 Locomotive Celebration - trains.com
- Top 10 Civil War sites in Eastern North Carolina - New Bern Sun Journal
Sources & further reading
- NCpedia — Pasquotank 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 — Pasquotank County
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
- FamilySearch Wiki · NCGenWeb