Lee County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Lee County

Guide to Lee County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Lee County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1792
County Seat	Jonesville
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Lee County is located in the far Southwestern corner of the Commonwealth of Virginia and shares borders with Kentucky and Tennessee. Lee County is named for Henry Lee, Governor of Virginia, 1791-1794.

Lee County, Virginia Courthouse

Lee County Courthouse
P.O. Box 326
Main Street
Jonesville, VA 24263-0326
Phone: 540-346-7763

Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1853-1877
Marriage  records from 1830 divorce records from 1832
probate records from 1800, Court and land records from 1793

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1853	1830	1853	1793	1793	1800	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Lee County, Virginia History

Parent County

1792--Lee County was created 25 October 1792 from Russell County.
County seat: Jonesville

Boundary Changes

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

1863 A significant number of loose records prior to

1860 including chancery and judgments are missing, probably destroyed when the courthouse burned in October 1863. Bound volumes, including deeds, orders and will books survive.

• Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1890

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

• Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle.
• When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle. Online at: Tennessee Genealogy Blog.
• Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Lee County, Virginia Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Bell County, Kentucky
• Claiborne County, Tennessee
• Hancock County, Tennessee
• Harlan County, Kentucky
• Scott
• Wise

Resources

African American

• Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872

• Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL

Bible Records

Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007.

Cemeteries

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
Virginia Gravestones
Billion Graves
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

• 1800-1986 - Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — index

Census

For tips on accessing Lee County, Virginia Genealogy census records online, see: Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	3,538		—
1810	4,694		32.7%
1820	4,256		−9.3%
1830	6,461		51.8%
1840	8,441		30.6%
1850	10,267		21.6%
1860	11,032		7.5%
1870	13,268		20.3%
1880	15,116		13.9%
1890	18,216		20.5%
1900	19,856		9.0%
1910	23,840		20.1%
1920	25,293		6.1%
1930	30,419		20.3%
1940	39,296		29.2%
1950	36,106		−8.1%
1960	25,824		−28.5%
1970	20,321		−21.3%
1980	25,956		27.7%
1990	24,496		−5.6%
2000	23,589		−3.7%

1790 - See Parent County.

1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1830

• Simmons, Don. Lee County, Virginia, Census of 1830. [Virginia?]: D. Simmons, 1976. Available at FHL; digital version at World Vital Records ($).

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 Lee County.]

1890 Union Veterans' Census

• Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes this county.]

Church Records

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Deep Spring (1797)

Lee County fell within the bounds of the Holston and Mountain Associations.

Court

Lee Circuit Court

Genealogy

More than 25 genealogies have been published about Lee County families. To view a list, visit Lee County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Land

Local Histories

• Historical Facts of Lee County, Virginia. Pennington Gap, Va.: Pennington High School, 1930. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Military

Revolutionary War

• Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FHL. [Includes Lee 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 version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Lee County on page 135.]

War of 1812

Lee County men served in the 94th Regiment.

• 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, Lee County, p. 87. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 - Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 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)

Regiments. Service men in Lee 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 Lee County, Virginia Genealogy:

- 1st Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate)

- 20th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) - possibly from Lee County

- 25th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B, Company G (Lee Rangers), Company H, and Company I (Lee Rangers aka Lee Greys).

- 32nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) -  possibly from Lee County

- 37th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Walnut Hill Company).

- 48th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Lee County Guards).

- 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Lee Rifles), Company B, and Company G (2nd).

- 64th Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry (Confederate). Companies A, B, C1, C2.
- Lee Home Guard

Miscellaneous Records

• 1607-2007 - Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Lee 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.

Periodicals

Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Lee County, Virginia records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase.The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001.

Private Papers

• Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007

• Bell, Annie W.B. Southwest Virginia Historical Records: Family Bible Records of the People Living in Lee County, Virginia Adjoining Historical Cumberland Gap, Tennessee One Year Before the Civil War Began, During which the Families were Separated, Many Never to Meet Again, as Taken from the 1860 Census of the United States ... 195-?. FHL US/CAN Access Services Window 6015650-6015655.

Probate Records

A free index to Lee County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1794-1832) is available at the Library of Virginia.

Online Records

• 1793 - 1944 General Index to Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers.net ($)

Taxation

Online Lee County, Virginia Tax Lists
Type	Index			Images
	Free	FHC	Fee	Free	FHC	Fee
Personal Property	1795	-	-	1795	1795	1795
Land	1795	-	-	1795	-	1795
Personal Property	1796	-	-	1796	1796	1796
Land	1796	-	-	1796	-	1796
Personal Property	1797	-	-	1797	1797	1797
Land	1797	-	-	1797	-	1797
Personal Property	1798	-	-	1798	1798	1798
Land	1798	-	-	1798	-	1798
Personal Property	1799, 1799	-	-	1799, 1799	1799	1799
Land	1799, 1799	-	-	1799, 1799	-	1799
Personal Property	1800	-	-	1800	1800	1800
Personal Property	1801	-	-	1801	1801	1801
Personal Property	1802	-	-	1802	1802	1802
Personal Property	1803	-	-	1803	1803	1803
Personal Property	1804	-	-	1804	1804	1804
Personal Property	1805	-	-	1805	1805	1805
Personal Property	-	-	-	1806	1806	1806
Personal Property	-	-	-	1807	1807	1807
Personal Property	-	-	-	1809	1809	1809
Personal Property	-	-	-	1810	1810	1810
Personal Property	-	-	-	1811	1811	1811
Personal Property	-	-	-	1812	1812	1812
Personal Property	-	-	-	1813	1813	1813
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1814-1834	-
Personal Property	1835	-	-	-	1835	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1836-1850	-

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

Bibliography

The original Lee County Personal Property Tax Lists are held at the Library of Virginia. The Family History Library has acquired microfilms the Library of Virginia made for the years 1795-1850: FHL US/CAN Films 2024603-2024604.

The original Lee County Land Tax Lists are held at the Library of Virginia. The Family History Library does not have microfilm copies of these records, but has acquired abstracts for select years published in genealogical journals.

Lee County is also fortunate in being part of the First Tax District whose detailed 1815 records survive in the Kincade Private Papers. The Family History Library has acquired a microfilm copies of these records from the Library of Virginia: FHL US/CAN Film 1993745 Item 1 and FHL US/CAN Film 1993745 Item 2. These records were also abstracted, published, and indexed by Kegley (see below).

• [1795-1805] 1795-1805 Lee County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists; indexes online at New River Notes - free.
• [1795-1799] Lee County Land Tax Lists 1795-1799 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [1795-1813] Lee County Personal Property Tax Lists 1795-1813 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• [1795-1799] 1795-1799 Lee County, Virginia Land Tax Lists; indexes online at New River Notes - free.
• [1799] Indexed images of the 1799 Personal Property Tax List of Lee County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1799] Indexed images of the 1799 Land Tax List of Lee County, Virginia is available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1806] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1806 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Summer 1986):129-130; Vol. 5, No. 3 (Fall 1986):195-198. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 5 (1986).
• [1807] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1807 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Fall 1986):198-199; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter 1986):263-267. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 5 (1986).
• [1809] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1809 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring 1987):33-34; Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1987):120-123; Vol. 6, No. 3 (Fall 1987):191-192. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 6 (1987).
• [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. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 R4s. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Lee County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
• [1810] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1810 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1987):120-123; Vol. 6, No. 3 (Fall 1987):192-193; Vol. 6, No. 4 (Winter 1987):276-277; Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1988):61-62; Vol. 7, No. 3 (Fall 1988):190-192. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 6 (1987) ff.
• [1812] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1812 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Fall 1989):169-175. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 8 (1989).
• [1815] Kincaid, Bathsheba. "Lee County, Virginia Tax Book for 1815," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall 1985):175-176. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 4 (1985).
• [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. FHL US/CAN Book 975 E4w v. 5. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Lee 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: FHL US/CAN Book 975.57R4k and FHL US/CAN Book 975.57R4k supp. [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.]
• [1835] 1835 Lee County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.

Vital Records

Indexes to Lee 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

• 1853-1866 - Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1854-1877 - Lee County Birth Index 1854-1877. Batch C868806 at FamilySearch - free.
• 1912-1913 - Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

• Book 1 Lee County Marriages (VAGenWeb) - free.

• 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).

• 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).

• 1830-1916 - Lee County Marriage Index 1830-1916. Batch M868806 at FamilySearch - free.

• 1851-1929 - Virginia Marriages 1851-1929 (Ancestry) ($).

• 1936-1988 - Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

• 1918-1988 - Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

• 1853-1891 - Lee County Death Index 1853-1891. Batch B868806 at FamilySearch - free.
• 1912-1987 - Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images

Vital Record Substitutes

Lee County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

Lee County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

• Lee Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Lee County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)

References