David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Durham

Part of the Duke University Libraries, the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds a vast selection of early American materials. Its Collections cover a wide variety of topics with particular strengths in African and African American history, American literature, British literature, economic history, Latin America and the Caribbean, medicine, music, religion, southern U.S. history, and women’s history. Both Collection Guides and Research Guides are available. Items held by the Rubenstein Library may be searched with its Online Catalog. The Rubenstein Library operates several research centers, John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History & Culture. Much of the Rubenstein Library’s materials have been digitized and may be viewed through the Duke Digital Collections. The Rubenstein Library also offers several Grants & Fellowships each year.

Hege Library

Greensboro

Hege Library serves as the main library for Guilford College. Its Special Collections maintains an extensive archive of records relating to the Society of Friends. Several Quaker Collections include the Quaker Records of the North Carolina Yearly Meeting. There are also various Manuscript Collections made up of the private papers and ephemera of early Quakers from North Carolina. Research Guides for these holdings will soon be added by the Library. Items held by the Hege Library may be searched with its Online Catalog. Some of the Quaker Collections have been digitized and can be viewed through the Hege Library’s Digital Collections. The Hege Library also partners with the North Carolina Friends Historical Society (NCFHS) to offer several NCFHS Fellowships and Awards each year.

J. Murrey Atkins Library

Charlotte

The J. Murrey Atkins Library serves as the main library for the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Its Special Collections is home to various sources related to early North Carolina. There are nearly 13,000 Rare Books with strengths in the histories of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and North Carolina, American and British literature, African American history, and religion. Archival Collections include Manuscripts, Photographs, and Historical Maps that document the history of Charlotte and the surrounding region. Many of these collections date back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Finding Aids are available. Special Collections items may be searched with the Atkins Library’s Online Catalog. Much of the Special Collections material has been digitized and can be viewed through the Atkins Library’s digital collection, Goldmine.

Joyner Library

Greenville

Joyner Library serves as the central library for Eastern Carolina University. Its Special Collections contain a strong selection of early sources related to eastern North Carolina. A robust collection of Rare Books dates back to the 16th century, features travel accounts, maps, and North Carolina imprints, and covers such subjects as the American Civil War, abolition and slavery, military history, maritime history, and the history of the book. The East Carolina Manuscript Collection is made up of letters, diaries, photographs, and other records related to eastern Carolina history, with particular focus on the history of tobacco and maritime history. There is also the Verona Joyner Langford North Carolina Collection, which includes colonial and early national manuscripts, government documents, county records, newspapers, rare prints, and much more. Collection Guides are available. Items held by the Special Collections may be searched with Joyner Library’s Catalog. Much of the Special Collections material has been digitized and can be viewed through the East Carolina University Digital Collections.

Laupus Health Sciences Library

Greenville

Part of the Eastern Carolina University Libraries, the Laupus Health Sciences Library maintains a large selection of sources related to early American medicine. Its History Collections are comprised of published materials, personal papers, and material objects. These collections date back to the 16th century and cover the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacology, and public health. The Laupus Library also owns a sizeable collection of material objects, most of which are housed at the Country Doctor Museum. Collection Guides are available. Items held by the Special Collections may be searched with ECU Libraries’ Catalog. Much of the Laupus Library’s material has been digitized and can be viewed through the East Carolina University Digital Collections.

Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library

Chapel Hill

Part of the University of North Carolina Libraries, the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library is home to many early American sources. A robust Rare Book Collection boasts nearly 200,000 volumes, with particular strengths in Mayan civilization, Spanish-American cronistas, and American popular culture. One of the Wilson Library’s treasures is the Southern Historical Collection, a group of over 5,000 unique manuscript collections related to Southern history and which date back to the 18th century. Other collections include the Southern Folklife Collection and the North Carolina Collection. The Wilson Library also maintains a Music Library with various Primary Source Collections. There are numerous Finding Aids available for the Wilson Library’s holdings. Items held by the Wilson Library may be searched with the UNC Libraries’ Catalog. Much of the Wilson Library’s materials have been digitized and can be viewed through its various Digital Exhibitions and Collections. Annual Fellowships are awarded by the Wilson Library.

Moravian Archives, Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem

The Moravian Archives, Winston-Salem has served as the official repository for the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province since 1753. Its holdings cover the Moravian Church’s activities in North Carolina, as well as Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. These Collections include various manuscript collections from both the Moravian Church and private individuals associated with it. A Guide to the Manuscripts is available. There is also an extensive Memoir Collection, and a robust Genealogy Library. Much of the Archives’ material has been published as Records of the Moravians in North Carolina and Records of the Moravians Among the Cherokees.

Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

Winston-Salem

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) is one of the world’s premiere research institutions for the study of Southern material culture. Its Research Center has cataloged some 20,000 southern-made objects and 85,000 separate artisans. This valuable information can be found in the MESDA Object Database and the MESDA Craftsman Database. MESDA is also home to the Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray Library, which houses over 20,000 printed volumes related to the history and material culture of the American South. At the core of the Library is the Thomas A. Gray Rare Book and Manuscript Collection, with items dating from 1585 to 1865. There are many ways to Explore and Search the MESDA’s holdings, including its Online Catalog. Much of the MESDA’s material has been digitized and can be viewed through its Online Exhibitions.

State Archives of North Carolina

Raleigh

The State Archives of North Carolina serves as the official repository for the State of North Carolina. Its Collections span more than 50,000 linear feet and chronicle both the colonial and early national history of the state. These materials include Bible Records, Government Records, Maps, Military Collections, Newspapers, Organization Records, and Private Collections. Much of this material dates from the 18th and 19th centuries. There are also various land records, much of which have been digitized via North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data. Thousands of Finding Aids are available. Items held by the State Archives may be searched with its Discover Online Catalog. Some of the State Archives’ material has been digitized and can be viewed through its North Carolina Digital Collections. Besides the main repository in Raleigh, the State Archives also operates regional repositories at the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo and the Western Regional Archives in Asheville.

Walter Clinton Jackson Library

Greensboro

The Walter Clinton Jackson Library serves as the central library for the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Its Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections & University Archives is home to a variety of sources related to early North Carolina. A large collection of Rare Books dates back to the 15th century with strengths in Books Arts and Book Binding, Children’s Literature, Military History, and Women’s Literature. There is also a sizeable Manuscripts Collection that focuses on the history, culture, economy, and politics of the North Carolina Piedmont. Some standouts include the Nathanael Greene Letters, the Ramsey Family Papers, the Amos Family Papers, the Annie E. Johns Papers, and the 19th and 20th Century Diary Collection. Dozens of Finding Aids are available. Items held by the Special Collections may be searched with the UNCG Libraries Catalog. Much of the Special Collections material has been digitized and can be viewed through UNCG digital collection, Gateway.

William Madison Randall Library

Wilmington

The William Madison Randall Library serves as the main library for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Its Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History is home to UNCW’s Special Collections. These materials include various collections of rare books, with particular focus on Southeast North Carolina history, the history of science, and the history of medicine. There are also approximately 400 manuscript and photograph collections. Much of this material dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Finding Aids are available. Items held by the Randall Library may be searched with the UNCW Library Catalog. Some of the Special Collections material has been digitized and can be viewed through the Randall Library’s Digital Collections.

Z. Smith Reynolds Library

Winston-Salem

The Z. Smith Reynolds (ZSR) Library is the main library at Wake Forest University. Its Special Collections & Archives houses various early American sources. A Rare Books Collection totaling 70,000 prints is especially strong in 18th and 19th century American, British, and Irish literature, North Carolina history, and regional Americana. There are also some 800 Manuscript Collections that include a variety of sources covering many subjects. Another significant holding is the NC Baptist Historical Collection, an archive of records from several North Carolina Baptist churches and institutions. The ZSR Library also displays several Special Exhibits. Numerous Finding Aids are available. Items held by the ZSR Library may be searched with its online catalog, Primo. Much of the ZSR Library’s materials have been digitized and can be viewed through its Digital Collections.

Other North Carolina Archives & Sources

The Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies maintains a list of local historical and genealogical societies within North Carolina. Much of the court records of North Carolina were lost during the American Civil War. However, it may be worth checking with county courts to see if any records remain. What does survive are the records of various county courts that were saved during the conflict and later donated to the Isothermal Community College Library, which keeps a PDF of available records on microfilm. Another useful online resource is the North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data, which provides over 500,000 digitized images of land records held by the State Archives of North Carolina.

Various regional archives and libraries hold collections pertaining to the early history of North Carolina, including the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, the Library of Virginia, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the South Carolina Historical Society, the Swem Library, the Tennessee State Library & Archives, and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Sources on early North Carolina can also be found at the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.

As the site of England’s first American colony, North Carolina’s early history is well documented in the United Kingdom. Documents pertaining to the colonization of North Carolina can be found at the British Library and at the National Archives at Kew, which the University of North Carolina maintains a useful Finding Aid for.