LibGuides: Researching Southeast North Carolina History: Other Repositories

Other Collections Related to SENC History

If the information you're seeking isn't available from the Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History, there are several other archival repositories throughout the state that collect materials related to this region. The links below will take you to these institutions' websites, where you can find more information on their collections.

Cape Fear Museum
ape Fear Museum’s collection of more than 57,000 objects sheds light on the history, science, and cultures of the Lower Cape Fear. The bulk of the collection spans the 17th through 21st centuries, with a heavy concentration in the 20th century. It includes historical photographs and documents as well as three dimensional artifacts such as furniture, tools, clothing, and toys.
ECU Joyner Library Special Collections
The Special Collections unit at ECU's Joyner Library consists of ECU's university archives, the North Carolina Collection, manuscripts and rare books, and digital collections.
NCSU Special Collections Research Center
NC State University's Special Collections Research Center contains several collections documenting the southeast North Carolina region, particularly related to architecture, agriculture, and tourism.
New Hanover County Public Library
Website for New Hanover County Public Library.
Outer Banks History Center
he Outer Banks History Center is a regional archival research facility in Manteo, N.C. on historic Roanoke Island administered by the Special Collections Section of the State Archives of North Carolina. Its holdings document the history and culture of the North Carolina coast and adjacent areas, including the Cape Fear region.
Pender County Library W. Dallas Herring Carolina Heritage Research Center
The W. Dallas Herring Carolina Heritage Research Center offers genealogy and local history resources concentrated on eastern North Carolina, particularly Duplin, Pender, and Sampson counties.
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Duke University's archives and special collections are housed at the Rubenstein Library. The collection includes several manuscripts and historical publications related to the southeast North Carolina region.
State Archives of North Carolina
The State Archives of North Carolina collections private collections, organizational records, and government records from across the state. Records of interest to genealogists, including county records, birth and death records, and other vital records are housed at the main repository in Raleigh. Additionally, the State Archives holds numerous manuscript collections related to southeast North Carolina families and organizations.
Wilson Library, UNC Chapel Hill
The Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library at UNC Chapel Hill includes extensive documentation of the Cape Fear region. Researchers will find the resources within the Southern Historical Collection, Southern Folklife Collection, and North Carolina Collection particularly useful.
Wrightsville Beach Museum of History
The collections of the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History consist of artifacts and photographs documenting the history of the town of Wrightsville Beach and its residents.

Searching for Archives and Manuscript Collections on the Internet

ArchiveGrid
ArchiveGrid includes over 7 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,400 archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies. You may be able to use this database to locate archives and manuscript collections related to people and families that may not be represented in the Center's collections.
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections
The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections was created by the Library of Congress provides a gateway for searching nearly 1.5 million catalog records describing archival and manuscript collections and individual manuscripts in public, college and university, and special libraries located throughout North America and around the world. This website will allow you to search across these resources for keywords, subjects, personal and family names, and more.

If you are not able to locate the information you're looking for using these two resources, sometimes you will have better luck using a basic internet search engine, such as Google. When searching, enter the topic, person, or family you're researching and add a phrase such as "papers", "records", "collection", or "digital collection" in quotation marks. For example, if you were looking for information on the Smith family of Columbus County, you might try Googling the following phrases:

Smith family Columbus County "papers"
Smith family Columbus County "collection"
Smith family Columbus County "archives"
Smith family Columbus County "digital collection"

Researching Southeast North Carolina History

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Other Collections Related to SENC History

Searching for Archives and Manuscript Collections on the Internet