COHABITATION RECORDS, 1866-1868
Prior to 1865, 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 to have their marriages
recorded. Originally the marriages was 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.
