LATEST NEWS! Eighteen townships are now live. Raleigh and St Matthews will be added soon! Scroll down to see our progress. Also recently added are some Find-A-Grave links for some of the listings.
Introduction
Wake County Genealogical Society is proud to present our latest service project, conducted in partnership with Upchurch and Allied Families Association of Cary, NC. It is a perfect effort to commemorate the anniversary of Wake County’s formation – 250 years in March 2021.
The Wake Cemetery Survey by Township, c. 1978 is a gold mine for any researcher with Wake County roots. It sprang out of a short-lived government effort to update the previous cemetery census conducted statewide by the WPA in the late 1930s. The state discontinued their effort when they decided that they could not force counties to comply. It fell to dedicated survey volunteers across the state to redouble their efforts as grassroots citizen led projects in the various counties. The project and what it entailed is described starting on
page 8 of the Wake Genealogy Watch, vol. 5, issue 1, if you would like to read the back story.
The records collected by Irene O. Kittinger and her army of volunteers “stitched” the names of the local departed into a rich tapestry of community, location, and context across the fabric of Wake County. There are records of burials for Native Americans, first settlers, patriots, historical figures, and enslaved -all walks of life in Wake are represented. There are accounts of rich and poor resting side by side. You will find records of homeplaces and landmarks that do not exist anymore. You will find the FAN clubs (Friends, Associates and Neighbors) so clearly illustrated in their place and time. The records tell stories of their struggles, survivals, and successes.
WCGS has digitized these records with an eye to providing an experience that is as close to viewing the originals as possible. In addition to the vital statistics that are a part of any Cemetery Survey, the jewels of this record set are the copious notes and family connections scribbled in the margins, on post-it notes, and any spare bit of paper. If you have Wake ancestors to research, you will really want to check this record set. It will surely enrich your research.
The townships will be published in stages, if the one you seek is not live yet have faith, it is coming. If you are interested in speeding the process to preserve this record set and keep the valuable work of Mrs. Kittinger and her survey team alive, please consider volunteering. There are many tasks that still need to be completed, most can be done remotely via computer, but some involve field work if you are a cemetery ninja.
Contact our volunteer coordinator Saundra Cropps to join the WCS1978 team!
Includes global finding notes for all townships, a guide to the original indexes as they appeared in Wake Treasures in 1996-2000, and link to Jan. 25, 2022, presentation – Tapestry of Wake County (to be added)
Includes Wake County township map, Original Creation and Goals of the WCS78, WCS78 newsletter, article - Become a Preservationist, Map with original index locations in Wake Treasures, Graveyards and Cemeteries of Wake County, North Carolina as presented to the Wake County Board of Commissioners in August 1999.
Updated Global Index with GPS – project date tba. This new index will update the data with links to the individual cemetery files, GPS coordinates as available, and links to online cemetery info like Find a Grave, Cemetery Census, etc.
Townships underlined are live. Other townships, coming soon!
Unsure where to start looking?
Check this map to help narrow your search.
Bartons Creek – including cemeteries displaced by the Falls Lake Reservoir Project, and a portion of Raleigh and a portion of Durham county that was formerly part of Wake County
Buckhorn – including cemeteries displaced by the Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant and Reservoir and small portions of Apex and Holly Springs
Cary – including the town of Cary and portions of Apex and Raleigh
Cedar Fork – including the town of Morrisville and cemeteries displaced by improvements to Raleigh-Durham Airport, and portions of Cary and Raleigh. A portion of Cedar Fork was also carved off to Durham County when it was created.
Holly Springs – including the town of Holly Springs and portions of Apex and Fuqua-Varina
Meredith – including portions of Raleigh
Middle Creek – including the town of Fuquay-Varina and portions of Holly Springs
Neuse - including portions of Raleigh
New Light – including cemeteries displaced by the Falls Lake Reservoir Project
Raleigh – including the city of Raleigh and its downtown.
Saint Mary’s – including the town of Garner and portions of Raleigh
Saint Matthews – including the town of Knightdale and portions of Raleigh
Swift Creek – including portions of Cary, Garner and the city of Raleigh
Wake Forest – including the towns of Wake Forest and Rolesville and a portion of Raleigh
White Oak – including the town of Apex and portions of Cary
