Rockingham County Genealogy
- Formed 1785
- Parent county / earlier Guilford
- County seat Wentworth
- Neighbors Caswell, Alamance, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Deepened hub: Dan River Piedmont mills with Virginia border FAN clubs under Guilford parent paper.
- Formation 1785 from Guilford — for pre-formation events, use the parent jurisdiction’s paper (not later Anson-only catalogs).
- Seat: Wentworth · Neighbors: Caswell, Alamance, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes.
- Long-form topics: research path, parents/formation, neighbors, places, record stack.
- Tools: checklist · this week in Rockingham history.
Rockingham County was formed in 1785 from Guilford. The county seat is Wentworth. Neighboring counties include Caswell, Alamance, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes.
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.
Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 91,928. Its county seat is Wentworth.
The county was formed in 1785 from Guilford County. It was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, British Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782.
The county served as the location for the Searcy & Moore gun factory, which was located at Hogans Creek, a small village located some 20 miles northwest of Greensboro. The firm supplied weapons – dubbed "N.C. Rifles" – to the Confederate States of America forces during the Civil War. Owned by Alexander M. Searcy and Dr. J. S. Moore, the manufactory assembled some 100 rifles for the Rebel forces in 1862–1863.
Source: Wikipedia.
Madison Library
140 E. Murphy Street
Madison, NC 27025
336-548-6553 (Phone)
336-548-2010 (Fax)
Amy Newnam, Assistant Library Director and Branch Manager
Tue 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thu 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sat 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
Linda Vernon Genealogy Room
Computers with internet access and Microsoft Office
Children's area and teen corner
Color copier and fax service
Wireless internet access
Mayodan Library
101 N. 10th Avenue
Mayodan, NC 27027
336-548-6951 (Phone)
336-548-2015 (Fax)
Amy Newnam, Assistant Library Director and Branch Manager
Mon 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wed 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Fri 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays
Meeting room
Computers with internet access and Microsoft Office
Weekly story times for children
Occasional computer classes
Children's area and teen corner
Color copier and fax service
Wireless internet access
Outreach Department
527 Boone Road
Eden, NC 27288
336-627-3729 (Phone)
336-623-1258 (Fax)
Calvert Mason, Department Head
Bookmobile service to outlying county schools
Bookmobile service to outlying areas of the county
Delivery service to homebound individuals
Delivery service to nursing homes and assisted living facilities
Bookmobile Schedule
Bethany School, 3rd Wednesday, 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Community Baptist School. 1st Friday, 10:00 a.m.-Noon (site closed during the summer)
Arbor Ridge, 4th Tuesday, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Farrar's Store, 3rd Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Governmental Center, 4th Monday, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Huntsville Nutrition Center, 3rd Wednesday, 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Lincoln Elementary School, 4th Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (site closed during the summer)
Madison-Mayodan Nutrition Center, 3rd Thursday, 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Madison Presbyterian Church, 3rd Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
McCollum's Hardware, 1st Wednesday, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Rhema Christian Academy, 3rd Tuesday, 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (site closed during the summer)
Rockingham Community College Senior Center, 3rd Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Ruffin, 1st Friday, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Scott Commons, 3rd Thursday, 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Wentworth Presbyterian Church, 4th Monday, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Williamsburg School, 2nd Wednesday, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. during the summer)
Reidsville Library
204 W. Morehead Street
Reidsville, NC 27320
336-349-8476 (Phone)
336-342-4824 (Fax)
Calvert Smith, Branch Manager
Mon/Thu 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Tue/Wed/Fri 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sat 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Closed on Sundays
Three meeting rooms
Computers with internet access and Microsoft Office
Weekly story times for children
Occasional computer classes
Children's area and teen corner
Color copier and fax service
Wireless internet access
Stoneville Library
201 E. Main Street
Stoneville, NC 27048
336-573-9040 (Phone)
336-573-2774 (Fax)
Amy Newnam, Assistant Library Director and Branch Manager
Mon/Wed Noon-5 p.m.
Tue 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Thu 1 p.m.-8 p.m.
Fri 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Closed Saturdays and Sundays
Meeting space is available in the adjacent Vera Holland Community Center
Computers with internet access and Microsoft Office
Weekly story times for children
Children's area and teen corner
Color copier and fax service
Wireless internet access
In-depth topics
Towns & communities
History notes
Rockingham County (formed 1785 from Guilford; seat Wentworth) is a research problem defined by Dan River Piedmont mills with Virginia border FAN clubs under Guilford parent paper. The modern label helps late sources and misleads when the event year sat in a parent courthouse.
Jurisdiction first. Write person + event + year + place as written in a source, then open the jurisdiction that owned that year. Before 1785, expect parent paper—not a Rockingham-only catalog search.
Place density differs. Wentworth and market towns generate directories, newspapers, and church clusters that rural neighborhoods do not. Treat Wentworth, Eden, Reidsville, Madison, Mayodan as separate paper systems sharing a courthouse label.
FAN clubs spill. Neighbor research regularly includes Caswell, Alamance, Guilford, Forsyth, Stokes. Abstract adjoining owners, witnesses, bondsmen, and three neighboring census households before you declare a negative search.
Special Rockingham trap: Guilford parent; VA border marriages; textile mill directories; Eden dual-city memory. Keep a one-page formation log (event year → jurisdiction tried → repository → result → next action).
Session order: (1) fix jurisdiction; (2) rebuild every federal census decade; (3) land + probate with full witness abstracting; (4) church/cemetery/newspaper; (5) military and institutional series; (6) paid databases last. Methods: Start here · Master guide · Counties & formation.
Record availability matrix
| Record type | Coverage | Years (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal census | good | 1790–1950 | Federal schedules after formation; pre-1785 is Guilford. Re-pin river and mill households each decade. |
| Birth records | sparse | 1913– | Late civil; church substitutes earlier. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1785– | Post-1785 series; earlier Guilford/church/bond. Check VA border events carefully. |
| Death records | partial | 1913– | Certificates denser after statewide registration; obituaries earlier. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1785– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1785 from Guilford: Dan River / VA border FAN clubs are routine. Continuity is the norm; border and parent traps dominate. Post-1785 deeds; pre-formation Guilford. Virginia border families may leave dual-state trails. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1785– | Record-loss / thin-series note: Formed 1785 from Guilford: Dan River / VA border FAN clubs are routine. Continuity is the norm; border and parent traps dominate. Estates after formation; earlier Guilford. Pair with equity and newspapers when thin. |
| 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 | Reidsville/Eden and local titles—verify DigitalNC. Danville VA papers sometimes carry notices. |
| Military | good | 1775– | Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, militia notes, and wartime claims. Pair unit research with Rockingham 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 | 1785– | Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation (1785); equity may sit with or near probate. Pre-1785 under Guilford. Known disruption: No major fire on standard lists; Guilford parent (1785); VA border. |
| 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
Cemeteries & burial research
- Wentworth / Eden-area historic cemeteries
- Rockingham County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Rockingham 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 Wentworth. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: Rockingham County Public Library
Record-loss / series note: Formed 1785 from Guilford: Dan River / VA border FAN clubs are routine. Continuity is the norm; border and parent traps dominate.
If not found here, try…
- Formed 1785
- Parent / earlier jurisdiction Guilford — 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
Sources & further reading
- NCpedia — Rockingham 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 — Rockingham County
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
- FamilySearch Wiki · NCGenWeb