Hi Gail, My understanding is that the records office burned in the 1930's and some records that may be found will probably be in Raleigh, NC at their NC Archives-Library. I queried for an elusive ancestor who lived in the Wilkes area and was told about the fire. You can inquire for records at: http://www.onhgs.org/ncarchives.htm I haven't been there in person at Wilkes to know what they have available. I hope this helps you in your search. Debi A few more questions for those who might know: (1) Does the Wilkes Courthouse have probate files as far back as 1891, or are they already shipped off to the NC Archives? (2) Are the tax lists for 1891-1900 at the courthouse, on microfilm at the WCC library, or at the archives? (3) Are there any county directories for the time period above? My 2nd great grandfather, Rev. Alexander Gilreath, died after 1891 (he executed a deed that year), but before the 1900 census. I have been unable to find an obituary for him, and the church minutes for Bethel Baptist in Alexander County just state that he died, but do not give a date. I'm now grasping for staws! Thanks again for all the help! Gail Rich Nestor Smyrna, Georgia www.roots2buds.net

Quite a few of the records that were sent to Raleigh when the new court house was built a few short years ago are on micro-film at public library. The micro-film holdings are too many to name. Jeanie --------------------------------- All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

Hi Debi, thanks for this information. I just visited the NC Archives web site and I see they do have a handy PDF file with all the records (paper and microfilm) listed by each county. I have started to copy these into an excel file so I will have a list ready for my next research trip. I know I could just print the PDF page, but this way I can make notes beside each file with exactly what I'm searching for and I can rearrange the order as desired. Now I think I will make up a list of all the files at the WCC library (also online) and a list of what records are at the FHL library on microfilm. I already have partial listings for each. Once these three are all combined, I will post the complete list to this group. This should come in handy for all of us Wilkes County researchers. It could also potentially be listed at the Wilkes County rootsweb site. I have noticed some overlaps and possibly some gaps in the various records. It would also be nice to know what is held in original form at the current Wilkes County Courthouse. Maybe someone who lives in town could do some sort of survey of exactly what is held there. Hint, hint!! I recently did some similar surveys for the Decatur County, Georgia courthouse and posted them at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~gadecatu/Decatur_Court_Records_Survey.html. For all of us out-of-towners, this would be very helpful! I should be done with the combined list of holdings for Wilkes County by the end of next week. The list will include holdings at: 1) the Wilkes Community College Library on microfilm 2) the North Carolina State Archives 3) the FHL library (per their web site) It would also be nice to have a list of all Wilkes County churches, their old/present locations, and when they were established - and (most importantly) where the records for each are held. This would be a much bigger project, I think! Thanks again and I'll be back in touch... Gail Rich Nestor Smyrna, Georgia www.roots2buds.net On 10/12/06, Debbi Henefield <babydoll@onetexun.com> wrote: > Hi Gail, > My understanding is that the records office burned in the 1930's and some > records that may > be found will probably be in Raleigh, NC at their NC Archives-Library. I > queried for > an elusive ancestor who lived in the Wilkes area and was told about the > fire. > You can inquire for records at: > http://www.onhgs.org/ncarchives.htm > I haven't been there in person at Wilkes to know what they have available. > I hope this helps you in your search. > Debi > > > > > > A few more questions for those who might know: > (1) Does the Wilkes Courthouse have probate files as far back as 1891, > or are they already shipped off to the NC Archives? > (2) Are the tax lists for 1891-1900 at the courthouse, on microfilm at > the WCC library, or at the archives? > (3) Are there any county directories for the time period above? > > My 2nd great grandfather, Rev. Alexander Gilreath, died after 1891 (he > executed a deed that year), but before the 1900 census. I have been > unable to find an obituary for him, and the church minutes for Bethel > Baptist in Alexander County just state that he died, but do not give a > date. I'm now grasping for staws! > > Thanks again for all the help! > Gail Rich Nestor > Smyrna, Georgia > www.roots2buds.net > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NCWILKES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- Gail Rich Nestor Smyrna, Georgia www.roots2buds.net