Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy
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Guide to Grayson County, Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.
| Grayson County, Virginia | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1792 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Independence |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Grayson County Virginia History
- 3 Grayson County Virginia Places/Localities
- 4 Grayson County Virginia Genealogy Resources
- 4.1 Research Guides
- 4.2 African American
- 4.3 Bible Records
- 4.4 Cemeteries
- 4.5 Census
- 4.6 Church Records
- 4.7 Court
- 4.8 Genealogy
- 4.9 Immigration
- 4.10 Land and Property
- 4.11 Local Histories
- 4.12 Maps
- 4.13 Military
- 4.14 Miscellaneous Records
- 4.15 Naturalization
- 4.16 Newspapers
- 4.17 Probate Records
- 4.18 Taxation
- 4.19 Vital Records
- 5 Grayson County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- 6 Grayson County Virginia Genealogy Websites
- 7 Grayson County Virginia Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Grayson County is located in the Southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with North Carolina. Grayson was named for William Grayson one of Virginia’s first two senators[1].
Grayson County Virginia Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Grayson County Courthouse
P.O. Box 130
129 Davis Street
Independence, Virginia 24348-0130
Phone: 276-773-2231
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court
and land records from 1793[2]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1853 | 1793 | 1853 | 1793 | 1793 | 1793 | 1810 |
General compliance year is unknown. | ||||||
Grayson County Virginia History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1792--Grayson County was created 7 November 1792 from Wythe and Patrick Counties.
County seat: Independence [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]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
- Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1890
Grayson County Virginia Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[4]
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
Grayson County Virginia Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Grayson County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1967):157-159. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
African American[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1860 Grayson County, Virginia Slaveholders 1800-1860 (New River Notes) - free.
- 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
- Heinegg, Paul. "Grayson County Personal Property Tax List, 1805-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Grayson County.
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. | ||
- 1800-1986 - Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — index
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1800 | 3,912 | — |
| 1810 | 4,941 | 26.3% |
| 1820 | 5,598 | 13.3% |
| 1830 | 7,675 | 37.1% |
| 1840 | 9,087 | 18.4% |
| 1850 | 6,677 | −26.5% |
| 1860 | 8,252 | 23.6% |
| 1870 | 9,587 | 16.2% |
| 1880 | 13,068 | 36.3% |
| 1890 | 14,394 | 10.1% |
| 1900 | 16,853 | 17.1% |
| 1910 | 19,856 | 17.8% |
| 1920 | 19,816 | −0.2% |
| 1930 | 20,017 | 1.0% |
| 1940 | 21,916 | 9.5% |
| 1950 | 21,379 | −2.5% |
| 1960 | 17,930 | −16.1% |
| 1970 | 15,439 | −13.9% |
| 1980 | 16,579 | 7.4% |
| 1990 | 16,278 | −1.8% |
| 2000 | 17,917 | 10.1% |
| 2010 | 15,533 | −13.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
1800 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.
1810 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.
1840
- Douthat, James L. 1840 Mountain Empire of Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL Collection 975.5 X2d 1840. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. [Includes Grayson County.]
1890 Union Veterans
- "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner. FHL Collection. Includes residents of this county.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Baptist[edit | edit source]
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
- Cedar Island or Fox Creek (1782)[5]
- Meadow Creek (1797).[5] A list of new members (1840) was published in Glimpses of Grayson, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Dec. 1985).
- N. Fork of New River (1796)[5]
Grayson County fell within the bounds of the Holston and Mountain Associations.
Quaker[edit | edit source]
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):
- Chestnut Creek Monthly Meeting (1785-1841)[6]
- Fruit Hill Monthly Meeting (1790-1814)[6]
- Mount Pleasant Monthly Meeting (1790-1825, 1980s)[6]
Court[edit | edit source]
Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index can be used to search for Grayson County chancery records for the years 1795-1912. Original records 1795-1899 may be closed for digitization, but the full index is available.
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
- See Grayson County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 25= published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.
Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
- Nuckolls, B.F. Pioneer Settlers of Grayson County, Virginia. Bristol, Tennessee: The King Printing Company, 1914. FHL Collection 873858 Item 4; 1975 reprint: FHL Collection; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books; and World Vital Records ($). [Chapters on the Bourne, Cornett, Cox, Dickey, Flower, Garland, Goodykoontz, Hale, Hash, Jones, Kenney, Nuckolls, Osborne, Phipps, Reeves, and Swift families.]
Immigration[edit | edit source]
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 1 British alien living in Grayson County.[7]
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Maps[edit | edit source]
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
- Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FHL. [Includes Grayson County pensioners.]
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Grayson County on page 134.]
- Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]
War of 1812[edit | edit source]
Grayson County, Virginia in the War of 1812
Grayson County men served in the 78th Regiment.[8]
- 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... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Grayson County, p. 82. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Grayson 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 Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy:
- - 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Grayson Dare Devils).[9]
- - 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Companies B and D.[10]
- - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company C (Grayson Cavalry)[11]
- - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Bowen's Virginia Mounted Riflemen) (Confederate). Company G.
- - 37th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Dunn's Battalion, Partisan Rangers) (Confederate). Company D and Company I.[12]
- - 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Grayson Rifles).[13]
- - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Wilson Rifles) (Grayson Hornets).[14]
- - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A and D.[15]
- - 63rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (McMahon's) (Confederate). Companies C and G.[16]
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 at Ancestry — index (free)
- 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
Miscellaneous Records[edit | edit source]
- 1607-2007 - Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
- Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.
Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
A free index to Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1796-1800) is available at the Library of Virginia.
- 1793-1849 - Grayson County, Virginia Wills 1793-1849 (New River Notes) - free.
'Online Probate Indexes and Records'
- Images of Wills and Estates 1796-1839;1839-1849. Virginia Pioneers ($)
Taxation[edit | edit source]
| Online Grayson County, Virginia Tax Lists | |||||||||||
| Type | Index | Images | |||||||||
| Free | FHC | Fee | Free | FHC | Fee | ||||||
| Personal Property | 1794, 1794 | - | - | - | 1794 | 1794 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1795 | 1795 | |||||
| Personal Property | 1796 | - | - | - | 1796 | 1796 | |||||
| Land | 1796 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1797 | 1797 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1798 | 1798 | |||||
| Personal Property | 1799 | - | - | - | 1799 | 1799 | |||||
| Land | 1799 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1800, 1800 | - | 1800 | 1800 | 1800 | 1800 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1801 | 1801 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1802 | 1802 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1803 | 1803 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1804 | 1804 | |||||
| Personal Property | 1805 | - | - | - | 1805 | 1805 | |||||
| Land | 1805 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1806 | 1806 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1807 | 1807 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1809 | 1809 | |||||
| Personal Property | 1810 | - | - | - | 1810 | 1810 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1811 | 1811 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1812 | 1812 | |||||
| Personal Property | 1813 | - | - | - | 1813 | 1813 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1814 | 1814 | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1815-1816 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1817 | - | - | - | 1817 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1818-1823 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1824 | - | - | - | 1824 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1825 | - | - | - | 1825 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1826-1827 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1828 | - | - | - | 1828 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1829-1834 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1835 | - | - | - | 1835 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | - | - | - | - | 1836-1850 | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1863 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Personal Property | 1890 | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
How can Virginia tax lists help me?
Bibliography
- Tax Laws, Local, Glimpses of Grayson, Vol. 9, Nos. 1-2 (Jun. 1988).
- [1794-1814] Grayson County Personal Property Tax Lists 1794-1814 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
- [1794] Grayson County, Virginia Tax List - 1794 (New River Notes) - free.
- [1794] 1794 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1796] The 1796 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1799] The 1799 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1800] The 1800 Grayson County, Virginia Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1800] "Grayson County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1981):204-210. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
- [1805] The 1805 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1805] The 1805 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1805-1818] Heinegg, Paul. "Grayson County Personal Property Tax List, 1805-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
- [1810] The 1810 Grayson County, Virginia Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1810] Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Grayson County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
- [1810] Tax List, 1810, Southwest Virginian, Vol. 5, No. 27 (Dec. 1982).
- [1810] Tax List, 1810, Southwest Virginia Ancestors, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring 1995); Vol. 9, No. 2 (Summer 1995).
- [1813] The 1813 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists (New River Notes) - free.
- [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Grayson County is included in Vol. 5.]
- [1815] Kegley, Mary B. Southwest Virginia Tax Assessments, 1815: Grayson, Lee, Scott, Russell, Washington, and Wythe Counties. Wytheville, Va.: Kegley Books, 1991. Original edition and 1992 supplement available at FHL. [The source for this publication is a private collection of 1815 tax assessment tickets for the First District of Virginia. The tickets includes landowners' names, number of acres or lots, number of buildings along with descriptions, and number of slaves. N.B. These are not the 1815 land tax books.]
- [1817] The 1817 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1824] The 1824 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1825] The 1825 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1828] The 1828 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1835] The 1835 Grayson County Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1863] The 1863 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
- [1890] The 1890 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Indexes to Grayson 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]
- 1853-1879, 1884-1888 - Grayson County, Virginia Birth Records 1853-1879, 1884-1888, under Vital Statistics. (New River Notes).
- 1853-1870 - Grayson County Birth Index 1853-1870. Batch C868753 at FamilySearch - free.[17]
- 1853-1866 - Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1912-1913 - Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
- 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
- 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
- 1793-1836 - Grayson County, Virginia Marriages 1796-1836 (New River Notes) - free.
- 1793-1906 - Grayson County Marriage Index 1793-1906. Batch M868753 at FamilySearch - free.
- 1853-1935 - Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1853-1931 - Grayson County, VA Marriages 1853-1931 (New River Notes) - free.
- 1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1918-1988 - Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1853-1896 - Grayson County, Virginia Death Register 1853-1870 and Records 1870-1896 (New River Notes) - free.
- 1853-1870 - Grayson County Death Index 1853-1870. Batch B868753 at FamilySearch - free.
- 1912-1987 - Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images
Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]
 |
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Grayson 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
Grayson County Virginia Genealogy Websites[edit | edit source]
- Grayson Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Grayson County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
- RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)
- Cyndi's List
Grayson County Virginia Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://www.graysoncountyva.gov/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Grayson County, Virginia. Page 714 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Grayson 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Grayson _ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grayson_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 15 January 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 358-359. Digital version at Google Books.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jay Worrall, The Friendly Virginians: America's First Quakers (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing Company, 1994), 537-539. FHL Book 975.5 K2wj.
- ↑ Kenneth Scott, British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979), 320-333. FHL Book 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).
- ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 95. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
- ↑ James I. Robertson, 4th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.F. Howard, 1982). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 1.
- ↑ The Virginia State Line: Organizational Structure of the Virginia State Line, Ranger95.com, accessed 11 June 2012.
- ↑ Jack L. Dickinson, 8th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1986). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 25.
- ↑ J.L. Scott, 36th and 37th Battalions Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1986). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 24.
- ↑ J.L. Scott, 45th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1989). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 58.
- ↑ John C. Chapla, 50th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1997). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 129.
- ↑ James A. Davis, 51st Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1984). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 9.
- ↑ Jeffrey C. Weaver, 63rd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1991). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 76.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/3/37/Igivirginia.pdf.
