Transcribed by Victor T. Jones, Jr.
Local History and Genealogy Librarian
New Bern-Craven County Public Library
copyright 2006, all rights reserved
The 1815 Craven County Tax Lists were recently re-discovered on a roll of microfilm from the NC State Archives. The tax list is in the series titled "Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s Papers, County Settlements with the State, Tax Lists" and is on roll S.115.49. Other counties' tax lists are included in the series.
The Craven list is important in two respects. As far as is known, it is the only surviving early nineteenth century tax list for the entire county. A few portions of districts for other years are known, but they are incomplete. The tax list is also a supplemental census for the missing 1810 Federal Census of Craven County.
Craven County was evidently divided into fourteen districts plus the city of New Bern. Each district is named for the person who took the listing and are broken down below. The list as it survives is a copy made by James G. Stanly of the originals (now missing) from his office. They appear to have been forwarded to the State Treasurer as a result of the Direct Tax levied by the Federal Government to help pay for the War of 1812.
According to the chapter on "Tax and Fiscal Records" by Raymond A. Winslow, Jr., in North Carolina Research (Raleigh: NC Genealogical Society, 1996, p. 231-239), between 1801 and 1817, the free poll included whites aged 21 to 50, and the slaves were aged 12 to 50.
The Tax Lists by District
