African American Genealogy Resources
Online
North Carolina on February 10, 1868. I use the term,"officially", because prior to1865, slaves in North Carolina
were not legally permitted to marry, although many lived together as husband and wife. Following the end of the
Civil War, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation (10 March 1866) that ordered former slaves
living together as man and wife to have their marriages recorded. Originally the marriages were to be
registered before 1 September 1866, but in 1867 that deadline was extended to 1 January 1868. Information
found in the records include the names of the man and woman, length of time they had lived together prior to
1866, and the name of person before whom the statement was made. Additional information such as names
and number of children, names of former owners, and date of cohabitation can occasionally be found.
However, in the case of William and Jane, an actual marriage is recorded with no indication that they had lived
together for any significant period of time as man and wife other than during their normal courtship period. You
can click on the thumbnail below to see the actual copy of the marriage register recording the marriage of
William and Jane Lawrence.
