Wayne County Genealogy
- Formed 1779
- Parent county / earlier Dobbs
- County seat Goldsboro
- Neighbors wilson, greene, lenoir, duplin, sampson, johnston
Photos & maps
What’s new
- Charleston-class research hub: history essay, record matrix, towns, repositories, and local history news.
- Formation 1779 from Dobbs — search parents for earlier events.
- Seat: Goldsboro · Library: Wayne County Public Library.
- Method guides: Start here · Formation · Census.
In-depth topics
Towns & communities
Wayne County was formed in 1779 from Dobbs. The county seat is Goldsboro. Neighboring counties include wilson, greene, lenoir, duplin, sampson, johnston.
This hub combines a modern research floor—record matrix, towns, repositories, news—with local history narrative. Always search parent jurisdictions for pre-formation events.
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 113,329 and in 2006 the population was estimated at 113,847. It is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Goldsboro and it is home to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Prior to 1730, Native Americans were the only known occupants of the territory now known as Wayne county. Settlers trickled into the territory, but there was no general movement of immigration until after 1750. Wayne County was established on November 2, 1779 from the western part of Dobbs County. It was named for "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a general in the American Revolutionary War. The act, establishing the County, provided the first court should be held at the home of Josiah Sasser at which time the justices were to decide on a place for all subsequent courts until a courthouse could be erected. By 1782 the commissioners were named. In 1787 an act was passed establishing Waynesborough on the west side of the Neuse River on the land of Doctor Andrew Bass where the courthouse now stands.
In 1855 parts of Wayne County, Edgecombe County, Johnston County, and Nash County were combined to form Wilson County.
Source: Wikipedia.
Wayne County Genealogy Resources
Old Dobbs County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 617
Goldsboro, NC 27530
Wayne County Historical Association and Museum
P.O. Box 665
Goldsboro, NC 27533
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Wayne County Government
Wayne County Government - Official Site
Wayne County Register of Deeds
224-226 E. Walnut Street
Goldsboro, NC 27533
(919)731-1449
Wayne County Public Library
Main Branch
1001 E Ash St
Goldsboro, NC 27530
(919) 735-1824
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday - Thursday 9:00 - 9:00
Friday & Saturday 9:00 - 5:30
Sunday - 1:00 - 5:00 (During September after Labor Day until Memorial Day in May)
Steele Memorial Mt Olive North Carolina
111 N Chestnut St
Mount Olive, NC 28365
(919) 705-1891
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - 9:00 - 5:30
Tuesday 9:00 - 8:00
Sunday - Closed
Pikeville Branch
107 W Main St
Pikeville, NC 27863
(919) 705-1892
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday - Wednesday: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Friday: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Sunday - Closed
Fremont Branch
202 N Goldsboro St
Fremont, NC 27830
(919) 705-1893
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Tuesday - Friday: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Saturday, Sunday: - Closed
Cities and Towns
- * Brogden
- * Dudley
- * Elroy
- * Eureka
- * Fremont
- * Goldsboro
- * Mar-Mac
- * Mount Olive
- * Pikeville
- * Seven Springs
- * Walnut Creek
- * Grantham
- Goldsboro (County Seat)
- Mount Olive
- Fremont
- Pikeville
- Eureka
- Seven Springs
Census
- 1790 Federal Census Transcription - Newbern District
- 1790 Federal Census Transcription
- 1790 Federal Census Images
- 1800 Federal Census Index
- 1800 Federal Census Transcription
- 1800 Federal Census Index (alternate)
- 1800 Federal Census Images
- 1810 Federal Census Index
- 1810 Federal Census Images
- 1820 Federal Census Index
- 1820 Federal Census Images
- 1830 Federal Census Index
- 1830 Federal Census Images
- 1840 Federal Census Index
- 1840 Federal Census Images
- 1850 Federal Census Index
- 1850 Federal Census Images
- 1860 Federal Census Images
- 1870 Federal Census Images
- 1880 Federal Census Images
- 1880 Federal Census Transcription - Barfields and Flowers Surnames
- 1880 Federal Census Transcription - Prostitutes
1900 Federal Census Transcription - Stony Creek - Part 1 - Addendum
- 1900 Federal Census Transcription - Stony Creek - Part 2
- 1900 Federal Census Transcription Stony Creek - part 3
- 1900 Federal Census Transcription - Black Creek Home and Farm Ownership
Cemeteries
- USGS listing of cemeteries in Wayne County
- Cemetery Transcriptions
- Wayne County Cemetery Census
- Wayne County Cemetery Transcriptions
- 1981 Wayne County Cemetery Book
Query Forums
News related to Wayne County, NC
History notes
Wayne County (seat: Goldsboro) is a core research hub for families who lived, married, worshipped, or owned land in this part of the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina.
Wayne County is part of North Carolina’s coastal plain documentary landscape—river towns, ports, agricultural belts, and free Black/plantation contexts. Formed in 1779 from Dobbs, early research often depends on parent counties and Albemarle or Cape Fear–era sources.
Neighboring counties—wilson,greene,lenoir,duplin,sampson,johnston—frequently hold the “missing” deed, marriage, or burial when households straddle lines or move a few miles for work, church, or better land. Always record the jurisdiction as named in the original, then map it onto modern county pages.
Use the panels on this hub for record availability, towns, repositories, and local history news. Pair them with the statewide Start here path and the counties & formation guide when events predate 1779.
Local history & events
- WVU baseball: Mountaineers' historic season ends against North Carolina, 12-7 - waynecountynews.com
- ‘Doing our happy dance’: Wayne County woman celebrates $100,000 win on lottery scratch off - CBS 17
- Wayne County Public Library Awarded Nearly $200,000 in State Library Grants - Goldsboro Daily News
- Goldsboro Woman Arrested on Felony Drug Charge During Wayne County Sheriff’s Saturation Patrol - Goldsboro Daily News
- Jerry Wayne Hood Obituary | Seymour Funeral Home & Cremation Service | Goldsboro, NC - Tribute Archive
- ‘Still a little shaky’: Wayne County woman ecstatic after $200,000 scratch-off lottery win - CBS 17
Research tools
Record availability matrix
| Record type | Coverage | Years (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal census | good | 1790–1950 | Federal schedules available for NC with known quirks/losses in some years. Place the household in the correct county for each decade. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Birth records | sparse | 1915– | Statewide birth registration is comparatively late in NC. Use delayed births, church registers, Bibles, and census for earlier generations. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Marriage records | partial | 1800– | County marriage records improve in the 19th–20th centuries; earlier events often appear in church books, bonds, or newspapers. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Death records | partial | 1915– | Death certificates denser after statewide registration; earlier deaths via obituaries, church burial, probate, and cemeteries. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Land & deeds | good | 1779– | Deeds/ROD series typically begin near county formation; colonial grants/plats may predate the county and live at State Archives of North Carolina. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Probate & estates | good | 1779– | Wills, administrations, and equity files are core sources. Courthouse losses push research to neighbors, microfilm, and State Archives of North Carolina. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Church & parish | partial | varies | Church coverage varies by denomination and survival; check local societies and denominational archives. |
| Newspapers | varies | varies | Title survival varies widely. Search local weeklies plus larger regional papers; use Chronicling America and the State Library of North Carolina and DigitalNC. |
| Military | good | 1775– | Revolutionary through 20th-century service may generate pensions, CMSRs, and local militia notes. Pair with county context for battles and units. |
| Cemeteries | partial | varies | Published surveys, Find a Grave, churchyards, and family plots. Unmarked burials are common—use obituaries and church books. |
| Court records | partial | 1779– | Common pleas, sessions, and other court series often begin near formation; equity may be with or near probate. Before 1779, search parent jurisdiction: Dobbs. |
| Tax lists | sparse | varies | Tax lists can substitute for missing census years. Coverage is uneven by locality and year; check State Archives of North Carolina and published abstracts. |
Cemeteries & burial research
- Wayne County cemeteries (Find a Grave / surveys)
Societies & repositories
Research starting points
Census
Federal census schedules are foundational for Wayne County household reconstruction. Collect every decade, note neighbors (FAN club), and track the county name as it existed that year—especially across formation and split boundaries.
Vital records
North Carolina statewide vital registration expanded in the early 20th century. For many Wayne County families you will rely on marriage bonds, church registers, Bible records, newspapers, delayed births, and probate—not only a modern certificate.
Cemeteries (legacy notes)
Cemetery surveys for Wayne County appear in published books, Find a Grave, USGenWeb archives, churchyards, and family plots. Absence of a stone is not absence of burial—pair markers with obituaries and church books.
Courthouse & contacts
The county seat is Goldsboro. Confirm current Register of Deeds, Clerk of Superior Court, and library hours before visiting—offices move and digital portals change.
Public library: Wayne County Public Library