Free North Carolina Online Tax Records

Another type of genealogy record that provides tremendous value is tax records. Like city directories and voting registers, they provide information for us between federal censuses. They also can go back to colonial times.

Types of Taxes

  • Income tax
  • Federal direct tax
  • Poll or head tax
  • Real property, e.g., land
  • Personal property, e.g., livestock, equipment, carriages, enslaved persons
  • Other, such as special levies for roads, schools, etc.

Types of Information

  • Date
  • Residence address; property, license, or goods; value; tax amount; possibly profession, occupation, or trade
  • Name of taxpayer, usually white adult males
  • Town/township/city, county, and state of residence
  • Owner and/or renter of the property
  • Number of white adult males in the home
  • Type and value of property
  • Livestock owned
  • Personal property owned
  • Amount of tax owed
  • Profession, occupation, or trade
  • Number of school-aged children
  • Number of enslaved persons

Derivative information, such as birth date, death date, and date of marriage can often be estimated or determined from the presence or absence of a person in a tax list.

Good primers regarding the genealogical value of tax records and more details can be found in these articles:

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

(Updated September 2023)

North Carolina Tax Records

Listed below are links to tax records that are available for free online for the state:

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For other Free North Carolina Links, click on the category of interest:

Newspapers
Yearbooks
Births
Marriages
Deaths
BMD Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
Church Records
Coroner Records
Criminal Records
Digital Archives
Directories
Divorce Records
Immigration Records
Institutional Records
Military Records
Mortuary Records
Naturalizations
Obituaries
Photos
Probate and Wills
School Records
Tax Records
Voter Records

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