The following resources are helpful in researching and learning about land grants in North Carolina and in general. All links will open in a new window/tab.
LEARNING ABOUT NC LAND GRANTS
Familysearch.org Wiki – North Carolina Land and Property
A detailed article about researching North Carolina land and property.
Leary, Helen F. M., Ed. North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History 2nd Edition. (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1996.)
This is the “go to” book for any type of historical research in North Carolina. The Land Grant Files found on this website are discussed in Chapter 31 by Margaret Hofmann, and other information about land can be found in chapters 2, 7 and 13.
Purchase here or find in a library
Tennessee State Library and Archives Guide
Contains information about early Tennessee land grants issued by North Carolina. Information on how to access images on ancestry.com is provided. Access is free for current Tennessee residents.
ONLINE DATABASES WITH LAND GRANT INFORMATION OR IMAGES
State Archives of North Carolina – Discover Online Catalog (DOC)
DOC is the new website for searching all the holdings at the State Archives, replacing the old MARS system. Although most entries are at a general level, detailed records are available for certain holdings such as land grants and wills. You can use this to look up land grant records for counties not covered on this website. It can be a little tricky, and you can find help on how to use it on their website.
Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds – Historical Search
Mecklenburg County has digital images of old deeds, many of which are a result of land grants. The searching is a little tricky because you have to use images of index books which are a little quirky, so it is probably a good idea to look at their First Time User and Tutorial pages.
Anson County Register of Deeds – Scanned Index Books
Anson County has digital images of old deeds, many of which are a result of land grants. The searching is similar to Mecklenburg, so please check their online help materials.
South Carolina Land Grants
The South Carolina Archives has an online catalog of land grants with document images.
Virginia Land Grants
The Library of Virginia has an online catalog of land grants with document images.
BOOKS/PUBLICATIONS
Books by Margaret M. Hofmann
This site contains lists of books published by Ms. Hofmann and other authors about various North Carolina land records, available for purchase.
Land Records for Genealogists by A. B. Pruitt
This site contains lists of books published by Dr. Pruitt and other authors about land entries, warrants and grants in North Carolina, as well as some general information about land in NC.
North Carolina Historical Books by Stewart E. Dunaway
Mr. Dunaway has published many books of interest to NC historians/genealogists, many of which include land records. His books often contain high quality images of the original documents.