Find a Grave North Carolina by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
From Outer Banks colonial settlements to Cherokee ancestral burial grounds in the Smoky Mountains — your complete guide to North Carolina cemetery and burial records search by name.
North Carolina’s 100 counties hold burial records spanning from the first English colonial attempts at Roanoke Island (1587) and Outer Banks settlements to Cherokee ancestral burial grounds in the Great Smoky Mountains, Quaker meeting house cemeteries in the Piedmont, and Civil War battlefield graves at Bentonville, Fort Fisher, and Averasboro. North Carolina maintains one of the best-organized free online genealogy archives in the South through the NC State Archives — with a free death certificate index searchable back to 1906.
🔎 How to Search North Carolina Graves by Name — Micro Step-by-Step
- Go to findgraveusa.org — North Carolina and enter the person’s full name in the search bar.
- Use the county filter to narrow results — North Carolina has 100 counties and common surnames return hundreds of statewide results without county filtering.
- Click any result to open the full burial record: cemetery name, address, plot number, burial date, and headstone photo if available.
- No results? Try surname only first, then search maiden names for married women. Many older North Carolina headstones prominently display the maiden name.
- Visit findagrave.com — North Carolina Cemeteries. No account required to search basic records.
- Use wildcards for uncertain spelling:
?replaces one letter,*replaces multiple. Essential for immigrant surnames and phonetic spelling variants common in North Carolina records. - Click “More Search Options” to filter by birth/death year range and specific North Carolina county.
- No headstone photo? Click “Request Photo” on any memorial — a local North Carolina volunteer typically photographs it within days at no cost.
- For North Carolina’s famous graves: use the “Famous Memorials” filter — North Carolina has 698 notable figures indexed.
- Visit archives.ncdcr.gov/ — the official North Carolina state archives and primary repository for historical records.
- Search the free online death certificate database and county-level cemetery surveys, church records, and genealogy collections.
- In-person research: 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27601. Phone: (919) 814-6840.
- Many state archives are FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries — free in-person access to restricted digital collections not available online at home.
- Visit billiongraves.com and search by name in North Carolina. Results show GPS-tagged headstone photos with exact grave coordinates.
- Click “View on Map” to see the grave’s precise position within the cemetery — navigate directly to any indexed grave.
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting a North Carolina cemetery — it provides turn-by-turn navigation to any indexed grave within the grounds.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org — no cost, no subscription ever required.
- Search “North Carolina Deaths” in the Search → Records section to see all available indexed collections for this state.
- Also search county-level collections in Search → Catalog by typing the North Carolina county name plus “cemetery” for microfilmed cemetery records.
- For church burial records predating statewide registration: search “North Carolina church records” in the FamilySearch catalog — Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Catholic church registers are often available.
Pro tip: When you find a burial record, immediately cross-reference with FamilySearch census records for the same name and approximate birth year. Census entries reveal parents, siblings, neighbors, and often the county of origin — dramatically expanding your family tree beyond what any headstone alone can provide.
📊 All North Carolina Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid
Database | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
North Carolina cemetery burial records searchable by name and county | Free | First stop for any North Carolina burial search | |
Millions of North Carolina memorials; wildcard search; photo request | Free | Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links | |
GPS-tagged headstone photos; in-cemetery navigation | Free | Finding exact grave location inside large cemeteries | |
North Carolina death records; county microfilm; church registers | Free | Historical death records; pre-registration research | |
Official North Carolina historical records; county records; cemetery surveys | Free | Official records research; state archives access | |
County-organized transcriptions from original cemetery registers | Free | High-accuracy transcriptions from official registers | |
Veterans buried in VA national cemeteries in North Carolina | Free | Military and veteran burial searches | |
Certified North Carolina death certificates | $24 first copy | Legal/official proof of death; parents’ names and details |
🗺️ Search North Carolina Burial Records by County
North Carolina has 100 counties. Click any county below to browse its indexed cemeteries on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working:
Browse all North Carolina counties at Find a Grave North Carolina or use Interment.net North Carolina for county-organized transcriptions from official records.
🪦 Notable North Carolina Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
North Carolina’s historic cemeteries are living documents of American history. These are the most significant and most-searched burial grounds in the state — with verified, clickable search links for each.
- Established 1869 — Raleigh’s most historic cemetery
- North Carolina governors and 1,200+ Confederate soldiers buried here
- Beautiful Victorian-era monuments and tree-lined avenues
- Address: 701 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27601 · (919) 832-6077
- Guided historical tours available through the City of Raleigh
- Established 1771 — unique Moravian burial tradition in America
- Flat grave markers only — reflecting equality in death per Moravian belief
- Over 4,000 burials in the original Old Salem settlement burial ground
- Address: 529 S. Church St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
- One of the most historically intact colonial-era cemeteries in the South
- Site of the Confederate Salisbury Prison — 12,000+ Union soldiers died here
- One of the largest Civil War prison camp burial sites in the South
- Established 1873 by the U.S. government following the war
- Address: 202 Government Rd, Salisbury, NC 28144 · (704) 636-2661
- Searchable free via VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- Established 1885 on 87 acres above the French Broad River
- Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward, Angel) and O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) buried here
- Beautiful mountain setting with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains
- Address: 53 Birch St., Asheville, NC 28801 · (828) 259-5490
- Active cemetery; guided walking tours available seasonally
📜 Official North Carolina Death Certificates — How to Get Them
An official North Carolina death certificate provides legally certified cause of death, attending physician, parents’ names and birthplaces (on most modern certificates), and informant details not found on headstones — invaluable for genealogy research and legal matters.
Access Restriction: North Carolina death certificates become public 50 years after death. The NC State Archives provides a free online death index back to 1906. Order certified copies at vitalrecords.nc.gov for $24 each.
- Visit any local county health department in North Carolina during business hours, Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM.
- Bring valid government-issued photo ID and proof of qualifying relationship if the record is under the confidentiality period.
- Pay $24 for the first certified copy. Most offices issue while you wait.
- Download the application form from vitalrecords.nc.gov/.
- Make a check or money order payable to “NC Vital Records” for $24 per copy. Never send cash.
- Mail the completed form and payment to: NC Vital Records, 1903 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1903.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888 (24 hours/day). VitalChek adds a convenience fee beyond the standard $24 state fee.
- Rush processing and overnight delivery options available for additional fees.
📚 North Carolina State Archives — Official State Records
North Carolina State Archives at archives.ncdcr.gov/ is the official North Carolina state archives and the most authoritative source for historical records. Located at 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27601. Phone: (919) 814-6840. It holds historical death records, county court records, cemetery surveys, church burial registers, and genealogy collections covering all 100 counties in North Carolina.
Many state archives serve as FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries — providing free in-person access to restricted FamilySearch digital collections not available online at home. Contact the archives to confirm affiliate status and plan your research visit accordingly.
🎖️ North Carolina Veteran & Military Grave Search
- VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator: Search gravelocator.cem.va.gov for veterans buried in any VA national cemetery in North Carolina. Covers all conflicts from the Civil War through the present day.
- Find a Grave Military Filter: On Find a Grave, use “More Search Options” → check “Has Military” to filter results to veteran memorials only in North Carolina.
- FamilySearch Veterans: Search “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” free on FamilySearch for veteran burial location records from North Carolina.
- Civil War Records: Use Fold3.com (accessible free at state archive terminals) for pension records and burial details of North Carolina Civil War veterans — both Union and Confederate.
- State Veterans Cemetery: Many states maintain a veterans cemetery directory — search “North Carolina veterans cemeteries” at the state Department of Veterans Affairs website for state-operated burial sites not in the VA national system.
🌿 Insider Tips — North Carolina-Specific Genealogy Tricks
Free NC Death Index 1906–1994 Online
The NC State Archives provides a free searchable death certificate index 1906–1994 at archives.ncdcr.gov — one of the most complete and accessible free state death indexes in the Southeast. This covers 88 years of North Carolina death records and is searchable by full name, county, and year.
NC Has 100 Counties — Know Your Region
NC’s 100 counties divide into three distinct regions: the Coastal Plain (east — tidewater settlements, plantation records), the Piedmont (central — Quaker, German, Moravian communities), and the Mountains (west — Appalachian Scots-Irish and Cherokee records). Research patterns differ significantly between regions.
Moravian Records Are Uniquely Organized
The Moravian church in Forsyth County maintains meticulous burial records dating to 1753 at the Moravian Archives Southern Province (moravianarchives.org). The Moravian ‘God’s Acre’ tradition of flat markers and equal burial dates every grave precisely. These records are far more detailed than Find a Grave for Forsyth County.
Cherokee Nation Records Are at EBCI
For Cherokee ancestors buried in the western NC mountains, contact the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians at ebci.com. The EBCI maintains separate burial records for tribal members in Jackson, Swain, and surrounding counties — not in any public genealogy database.
$24 Death Certs Are Worth It
NC’s $24 death certificate fee is higher than most states but death certificates include parents’ birthplaces and other details vital to breaking genealogy brick walls. The free death INDEX at archives.ncdcr.gov confirms the death; pay $24 for the full certificate only when you need the complete details.
Roanoke Island Mystery Records
The 1587 Lost Colony on Roanoke Island has never been definitively resolved, but research continues. The First Colony Foundation at firstcolony.org maintains research databases on the period. For colonial NC burials generally, the NC State Archives holds early county court records and church registers dating to the early 1700s.
North Carolina Local Register of Deeds
Unlike most states, North Carolina’s death certificates are also filed with the local Register of Deeds (not just the state). The county Register of Deeds often has death records searchable online through the county government website — sometimes faster than the state archives for recent records.
Request Photo — Charlotte/Raleigh Volunteers Are Fast
Find a Grave’s NC volunteer network is most active in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) and Wake County (Raleigh). Photo requests in these urban counties are typically fulfilled within 24–48 hours. For mountain counties in western NC, requests may take 2–4 weeks — contact the local historical society directly for unfulfilled requests.