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Orange County Indexed

The Watson surname

The Watson name in Orange County Indexed: 585 historical records, 20 people in the chronology and 4 headings in books and archives.

In the records
1753 to 1911 most named in the 1790s
  • Court minutes 1753–1818
  • Deeds 1753–1874
  • Tax lists 1755–1790
  • Wills 1755–1877
  • Marriages 1781–1911
  • Records of enslaved people 1818–1857
In the chronology
1752 to 2003 20 people in 98 entries, most in the 1870s
In books and archives
1 family heading and 3 people, born 1890 to 1900
Places in its deeds and wills
Hillsborough (24), Chapel Hill (20), Eno River (10), Watsons Creek (8), Little River (6), Cane Creek (5), McGowans Creek (5), Tryon Street (5)
Married into
Riley 4, Williams 3, Allison 2, Carden 2, Clinton 2, Comb 2, Dockery 2, Faucett 2, Hogan 2, Laws 2, McCauley 2, Smith 2 · the marriages
Often named with
Carr 17, Barbee 17, Moore 13, Thompson 12, Guthrie 12, Cain 12, Hogan 11, Riley 9, Sugg 8, Mason 7, Turrentine 6, Young 6
People with a page here
Charles J. Watson, James Watson, John H. Watson, Johnny William Watson, Jones Watson
Spellings to try
Wason, Warson, Wasson, Watsons
Search beyond these records

Drawn from the records below. Families named together, or married to one another, are leads to follow, not proof of kinship. A similar spelling may be another family, and two people of the same name are not necessarily the same person.

In the chronology 20 people

The people of this surname named in the county’s dated events, as the names index lists them. Each printed name is its own heading; names that may be one person are not merged.

In books and archives 4 headings

Subject headings from the library catalogs Orange County Indexed gathers. A family heading collects genealogies and family papers; a person heading, the works about that person.

In the historical records 585 records

192 deeds, 14 records of enslaved people, 105 marriages, 225 court minutes, 14 tax list entries and 35 wills and papers, oldest first. Every record that names someone of this surname, as the record spells it; choose a collection to narrow the list. Watson marriages in full · Search the name in every collection

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Undated

Other surnames beginning with W · All surnames · People

Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026