NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DE HISTORY AND LOOKUP (FORMERLY NEW AMSTEL DISTRICT)

County History Books

*None Listed

New Castle County, Delaware: A Genealogical Overview

Located in the northernmost part of Delaware, New Castle County is the state’s most populous and economically vital region. It serves as a major hub on the Eastern Seaboard, containing the state’s largest city, Wilmington, and a blend of historic colonial towns, modern suburbs, and rural landscapes south of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Its history is a complex and unique layering of Native American, Swedish, Dutch, and English settlement, making it one of the oldest and most historically significant counties in the United States.

I. County Formation and Evolution

Understanding New Castle County’s origin as one of the original colonial jurisdictions is fundamental to tracing families through its rich documentary heritage.

  • 1673: County Formed: New Castle County was one of the original counties established by the English after they took control of the territory from the Dutch. Its court was functioning as early as 1673.
  • Parent County: It was not formed from another county but evolved directly from the original European jurisdictions on the Delaware River, beginning with the New Sweden Colony (1638), the Dutch colony at Fort Casimir (1655), and the Duke of York’s proprietary rule (1664).
  • Subsequent County Formations: No new counties have been formed from New Castle County. Its boundaries were definitively established through the multi-decade survey that resulted in the Mason-Dixon Line in the 1760s, settling long-standing border disputes with Pennsylvania and Maryland.
  • Name Origin: The county and its original seat were named by the English in 1664, likely in honor of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, or for the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • County Seat History: The historic town of New Castle served as the county seat and the colonial capital of Delaware. In 1881, the county seat was moved to the larger, more industrial city of Wilmington, where it remains today.

II. Settlement and Early History

  • Early Inhabitants: The original inhabitants of the area were the Lenape (also known as the Delaware Indians), particularly the Unami or “Turtle” phratry, whose villages dotted the Delaware River and its tributaries.
  • Colonial Settlement and Economy: New Castle County is unique for its three successive waves of European colonization. The Swedes established the first permanent settlement at Fort Christina (now Wilmington) in 1638, focusing on the fur and tobacco trade. In 1655, the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant conquered the colony. Finally, the English seized control in 1664. In 1682, the area became part of William Penn’s grant as “The Three Lower Counties on the Delaware.” The economy evolved from agriculture to a milling powerhouse along the Brandywine River. The founding of the DuPont gunpowder mills in 1802 set the stage for the region’s long history as a center of the chemical industry and corporate law.

III. Genealogical Records and Resources

This section provides practical information for locating ancestral records specific to New Castle County.

  • County Government Offices: The primary location for modern county records is the Louis L. Redding City/County Building in Wilmington, DE 19801. This building houses the Recorder of Deeds (for all land records) and the Register of Wills (for probate records from 1714 to the present). The Clerk of the Peace handles marriage records.
  • Vital Records:
    • Birth and Death Records: Delaware has very late statewide registration. Some records for the City of Wilmington exist from 1881. Statewide birth registration was required in 1913 and death registration in 1930, but compliance was inconsistent for several decades. The primary repository for these state records is the Delaware Public Archives. Church, cemetery, and family Bible records are essential for research before these dates.
    • Marriage Records: Records are generally available from the late 17th century. Historical records are held at the Delaware Public Archives. More recent records (typically from the last 50-60 years) are held by the New Castle County Clerk of the Peace in Wilmington.
  • Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
    • Delaware Public Archives (DPA): Located in Dover (Kent County), the DPA is the single most important institution for Delaware genealogy. It holds original county land, probate, court, and vital records, as well as tax lists, military records, and church records for all three counties.
    • Historical Society of Delaware: Located in Wilmington, its research library holds significant manuscript collections, family papers, photographs, maps, and published local histories.
    • University of Delaware Library: The Morris Library in Newark has extensive special collections, including Delaware-related books, manuscripts, and maps.
    • Wilmington Public Library: Has a local history collection with valuable resources for city research.
  • Bordering Jurisdictions:
    • Kent County, DE
    • Cecil County, MD
    • Chester County, PA
    • Delaware County, PA
    • Salem County, NJ
    • Gloucester County, NJ

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