Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy
Guide to Buchanan County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.
| Buchanan County, Virginia | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1858 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Grundy |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Buchanan County Virginia History
- 3 Buchanan County Virginia Places/Localities
- 4 Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy Resources
- 4.1 Research Guides
- 4.2 African Americans
- 4.3 Bible Records
- 4.4 Cemeteries
- 5 Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- 6 Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy Websites
- 7 Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Buchanan County is located in the Southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the only county to border West Virginia and Kentucky. The County was named after the 15th U.S. President, James Buchanan[1].
Buchanan County Virginia Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Buchanan County Courthouse
P.O. Box 929
Grundy, Virginia 24614
Phone: 540-935-6575
Courthouse burned in 1885
Clerk Circuit Cout has marriage, divorce,
probate, court and land records from 1885[2]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1853 | 1885 | 1853 | 1885 | 1885 | 1885 | 1810 |
General compliance year is unknown. | ||||||
Buchanan County Virginia History[edit | edit source]
The county was named after President James Buchanan (1791-1868), who was in office at the time of the county's formation.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1858--Buchanan County was created 13 February 1858 from Russell and Tazewell Counties.
County seat: Grundy [2]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
The courthouse burned in 1885 destroying many records. In 1977 a flood caused extreme damage to many later records.[2] [4] [5]
- Lost census: 1890
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Buchanan County Virginia Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Buchanan County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1962):81-82. CD available at: American Ancestors ($).
African Americans[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
- 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| VAGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| VAGenWeb Archives | ||
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Virginia Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy census records online, see: Virginia Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 2,793 | — |
| 1870 | 3,777 | 35.2% |
| 1880 | 5,694 | 50.8% |
| 1890 | 5,867 | 3.0% |
| 1900 | 9,692 | 65.2% |
| 1910 | 12,334 | 27.3% |
| 1920 | 15,441 | 25.2% |
| 1930 | 16,740 | 8.4% |
| 1940 | 31,477 | 88.0% |
| 1950 | 35,748 | 13.6% |
| 1960 | 36,724 | 2.7% |
| 1970 | 32,071 | −12.7% |
| 1980 | 37,989 | 18.5% |
| 1990 | 31,333 | −17.5% |
| 2000 | 26,978 | −13.9% |
| 2010 | 24,098 | −10.7% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". United States Census Bureau. | ||
- The 1860 Agriculture Ceneus [sic] of Buchanan County, Virginia. 1992. By Jeffrey C. Weaver. Clintwood, Virginia : Mullins Printing. Available at FHL.
1890 Union Veterans
- Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner. Online at: Prince William County Virginia, FHL Collection.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
- See Buchanan County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a few published books and Articles.
Compiled genealogies for multiple families
- Atkins, Oscar T. Buchanan County, Virginia, Families 1860. Williamson, West Virginia: East Kentucky/Southern W.Va. Family Records, 1997. FHL Collection ["Taken in part from the federal census of Buchanan County, Virginia, for 1860, ... and from tax lists, from other census records, marriage records, and from the library and files of the compiler."--T.p.]
- Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Some Sandy Basin Characters. 1962; reprint, Clintwood, Va.: Hettie Sutherland, 1985. FHL Collection
- Early Southwest Virginia Families: Families of Kelly, Smyth, Buchanan, Clark and Related Families of Edmondson, Keys, Beattie, Ryburn, McDonald. 1960. By Elizabeth Kelly Allison. Ann Arbor, MI : Edwards Brothers, Inc. Online at: Hathitrust.
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Looking Back One Hundred Years, a Brief Story of Buchanan County and Its People. 1979. By Hannibal Albert Compton. Knightstown, Indiana : Bookmark. At various libraries (WorldCat).
- The Forests of Buchanan County, Virginia. 1918. By W. G. Schwab. Charlottesville, Virginia : Office of State Forester, University of Virginia. Online at: Hathitrust, Google Books.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
War of 1812[edit | edit source]
- List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Buchanan County, p. 65.
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy:
- - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (State Line) (Confederate)
- - 2nd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry) (Confederate). Company D, likely Company I.
- - 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (State Line) (Confederate)
- - 7th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
- - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate)
- - 14th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Companies C, F, G, H, and I
- - 21st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
- - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Bowen's Virginia Mounted Riflemen) (Confederate). Company B.
- - 29th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F.[6]
- - 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company C and Company E.[7]
- - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
- - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
- - 64th Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry (Confederate). Company F2.[8]
- - French's Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
Records and histories are available, including:
- 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
- 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
- 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 Ancestry
- 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Virginia, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
Miscellaneous Records[edit | edit source]
- 1607-2007 - Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
- Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Indexes to Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Most records can also be ordered electronically online as well. Courtesy: FamilySearch. See also How to order Virginia Vital Records
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1853-1866 - Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1912-1913 - Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($).
- 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
- 1853-1935 - Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988.
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1918-1988 - Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988
Death[edit | edit source]
Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy deaths are online in the Library of Virginia's Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, sponsored by Virginia Genealogical Society.
- Early Deaths, Buchanan County, Virginia, 1858-1896. 1990. By Jesse Stewart. Grundy, Virginia : J. Stewart. Available at FHL.
- 1912-1987 - Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987
Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]
 |
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy Websites[edit | edit source]
- Buchanan Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Buchanan County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
- Cyndi's List
Buchanan County Virginia Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchanan_County,_Virginia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Buchanan County, Virginia. Page 711 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Buchanan County, Virginia . Page 710-723 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 715-720.
- ↑ Burned Record Counties (VA-NOTES). (n.d.). Library of Virginia. Retrieved 4 May 2012, from http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/guides/va22_burnedco.htm.
- ↑ Lost Records Localities: Counties and Cities with Missing Records, 2, in Library of Virginia (accessed 4 April 2014).
- ↑ John Perry Alderman, 29th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1989). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 53.
- ↑ Scott C. Cole, 34th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 94.
- ↑ Jeffrey C. Weaver, 64th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1992). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 89.
