Rutherford County Genealogy
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Rutherford County was formed in 1779 and was named for Brigadier General Griffith Rutherford. He had led a campaign against the Cherokee in 1776 and was in the Revolutionary War. In 1791 parts of Rutherford were used to form Buncombe County. Further land was used to create Lincoln and Cleveland Counties as well as McDowell, and Polk Counties.
The county seat of Rutherford County is Rutherfordton. The county is divided into the following townships: Camp Creek, Chimney Rock, Colfax, Cool Spring, Duncans Creek, Gilkey, Golden Valley, Green Hill, High Shoals, Logan Store, Morgan, Rutherfordton, Sulphur Springs, and Union.
Notable sites in Rutherford County are Lake Lure (Filming location of parts of the movie Dirty Dancing) and Chimney Rock (now a State Park) where parts of the 1990’s movie Last of the Mohican’s was filmed. (Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeline Stowe and Wes Studi had prominent roles in the film.)
Rutherford County Genealogy Resources
Rutherford County NCGenWeb Archives
Rutherford County Genealogy Site (at rootsweb)
Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County
P.O. Box 938
Forest City, NC 28043
Broad River Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 2261
Shelby, NC 28150-2261
(covers Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Henderson and Rutherford Counties in NC, and a few SC counties)
Rutherford County Historical Society
P.O. Box 1044
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
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Rutherford County Government
Rutherford County Government – Official site
Rutherford County Register of Deeds
229 N. Main St.
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
Mailing: PO BOX 551
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
Phone: 828-287-6155
or 828-287-6195
Hours: 8:30am-5:00pm M-F
Rutherford County Library
Hours
Monday – Friday 9am – 5:30pm
Saturday 10am – 1pm
Phone
(828)287-6115
Address
255 Callahan Koon Road
Spindale, NC 28160
FAX
(828)287-6119
Haynes Branch
Hours
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
Saturday 10am – 12pm
Phone
(828)657-9110
Address
141 N. Main Street, Suite 110
Henrietta, NC 28076
FAX
(828)657-5278
Mountains Branch
Hours
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
Saturday 10am – 12pm
Phone
(828)625-0456
Address
150 Bill’s Creek Road
Lake Lure, NC 28746
Cities and Towns:
* Alexander Mills (merged with Forest City)
* Bostic
* Chimney Rock
* Ellenboro
* Forest City
* Lake Lure
* Ruth
* Rutherfordton
* Spindale
Townships:
Camp Creek
Chimney Rock
Colfax
Cool Spring
Duncans Creek
Gilkey
Golden Valley
Green Hill
High Shoals
Logan Store
Morgan
Rutherfordton
Sulphur Springs
Union
Tax Records
1782 Rutherford County Tax List (1782.txt) (53.3 KB)
Census
1810 Federal Census Index – A-K
1810 Federal Census Index – L-Z
1830 Federal Census Index – A-K
1830 Federal Census Index – L-Z
1840 Federal Census Index – A-K
1840 Federal Census Index – L-Z
1850 Federal Census Index – A-F
1850 Federal Census Index – G-M
1850 Federal Census Index – N-Z
1860 Federal Census Transcription
Cemeteries
USGS listing of cemeteries in Rutherford County
Cemetery Transcriptions – part 1
Cemetery Transcriptions – part 2
Query Forums
Rutherford County, NC Query Forum
Latest North Carolina Genealogy Query posts for Rutherford County from the Forum:
Rutherford County, NC at Genforum
News related to Rutherford County, NC
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