Campbell County, Virginia Genealogy

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Guide to Campbell County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Rustburg
Organized: 1 February 1782
Parent County(s): Bedford
Neighboring Counties
AmherstAppomattoxBedfordCharlotteHalifaxLynchburg (Independent City)Pittsylvania
See County Maps
Courthouse
VirginiaCampbellCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Campbell County, Virginia.png

County Information

Description

Campbell County is located in the Piedmont area of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for General William Campbell, the Revolutionary War hero famous for his leadership in defeating the Tories and Loyalists at the Battle of King’s Mountain in the Carolinas.[1]

County Courthouse

Campbell County Courthouse
732 Village Highway
Rustburg, VA 24588
Phone: 434-592-9517
Campbell County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1912-1918, marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1782[2]

Campbell County, Virginia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[3]
Birth Marriage Death Court Land Probate Census
1912 1782 1912 1782 1782 1782 1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912.
General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

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:[6]

Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

Biographies

  • Virginia and Virginians : Eminent Virginians (from Settlement of Jamestown to Close of the Civil War). 2 volumes. 1888. By Dr R. A. Brock. Richmond, VA : H. H. Hardesty, Publisher. Campbell County biographies are in Vol. II. Online at: Hathitrust; FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

  • The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. 1952. By George Barton Cutten. Richmond, Virginia : The Dietz Press, Incorporated. FS Library US/CAN Book 975.5 U23c. Includes a section on Liberty (now Bedford) silversmiths and watchmakers.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Campbell County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1790 7,685
1800 9,866 28.4%
1810 11,001 11.5%
1820 16,569 50.6%
1830 20,350 22.8%
1840 21,030 3.3%
1850 23,245 10.5%
1860 26,197 12.7%
1870 28,384 8.3%
1880 36,250 27.7%
1890 41,087 13.3%
1900 23,256 −43.4%
1910 23,043 −0.9%
1920 26,716 15.9%
1930 22,885 −14.3%
1940 26,048 13.8%
1950 28,877 10.9%
1960 32,958 14.1%
1970 43,319 31.4%
1980 45,424 4.9%
1990 47,572 4.7%
2000 51,078 7.4%
2010 54,842 7.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".
  • Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

1890 Union Veterans

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

  1. Burton's Creek (1806)[7]
  2. Ebenezer[7]
  3. Lower Falling (1792)[7]
  4. New Chapel[7]
  5. Seneca[7]

Campbell County fell within the bounds of the Appomattox Association, the Roanoke Association, and the Strawberry Association.

Church of England

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

  • Findagrave is an international database of cemetery interments. In some cases there are photographs and comments regarding the deceased's family. It is a collaborative project, meaning any volunteer may add names and photos. As of 2016 it contained over 150 million burial records and 75 million photos. [13]
(64+ entries)
  • 1739-1793 Quaker Records of Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting, Virginia, 1739-1793 by Mary Marshall Brewer. Colonial Roots, Lewes, DE., 2002. FS Library Book 975.5462 K2b. *Jane Douglas Summers Brown and Jones Memorial Library. Jane Douglas Summers Brown (1903-) Quaker Records: Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia); MS 1515. MSS, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va. Available on 26 microfilms at FS Library. Includes records of Campbell County Quakers; Brown assisted William Wade Hinshaw in the writing of the Virginia volume of the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy.

Presbyterian

  • History of Hat Creek Church. 1834. By William Irvin. Columbia, SC : n.p. Online at: Hathitrust

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court

  • Indexes (1793-1946) and images (1793-1914) to Campbell County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.[14]

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

  • North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. By Peter Wilson Coldham. 2007. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. At various libraries (WorldCat). Includes wills of residents of Albemarle County proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 11 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Lynchburg, Campbell County.[15]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American
In 1860, Campbell County had one of the largest enslaved populations in the state (11,580 enslaved). Ten years later in 1870, it had one of the largest African American populations in Virginia (14,343) - the town of Lynchburg in particular.[16]

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families

  • The Campbell Clan in Virginia. 1954. By Leslie Lyle Campbell. Lexington, VA : The Virginia Book Co. Online at: Hathitrust
  • Early, R. H. Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches: Embracing the History of Campbell County, Virginia, 1782-1926. Lynchburg, Va.: J.P. Bell Co., 1927. digital versions at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($); and MyHeritage ($).
    Information on the Adams, Alexander, Anderson, Anthony, Bailey, Brown, Bolling, Bullock, Burton, Callaway, Candler, Chiles, Clark, Clay, Clemens, Clement, Cobbs, Cocke, Dabney, Daniel, Davis, Davies, Deering, Diuguid, Douglas, Early, Evans, Floyd, Franklin, Garland, Gilliam, Goggin, Hairston, Hanks, Haythe, Henry, Holcombe, Hughes, Hunter, Irvine, Jennings, Johnson, Johnston, Jones, Kabler, Langhorne, Lee, Leftwich, Lewis, Lynch, McReynolds, Miller, Moorman, Morgan, Murrell, Norvell, Otey, Owen, Pannill, Payne, Perrow, Preston, Pleasants, Prewitt, Robertson, Rosser, Russell, Scott, Slaughter, Snow, Stith, Strange, Talbot, Tate, Terrell, Thompson, Thorpe, Thurman, Tyree, Venable, Wade, Walden, Ward, Watts, Winston, Withers, Wyatt, and Yuille families.[17]
  • Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes information about residents of Campbell County, see discussion of cited sources.] FS Library US/CAN CD-ROM no. 3887.


Jones Memorial Library in Lynchburg, Virginia has a nice genealogical collection. Among its holdings are the Family File. An index is available onsite and will help you track down genealogical charts and sources about specific families. To learn more, visit their website. Go to collections, family file.

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Grants and Patents
Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.*Hudgins et al. 795 patents dated 1736-1902 in what is now Campbell County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2010. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]


Local Histories

  • Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches: Embracing the History of Campbell County, Virginia, 1782-1926. 1927. By Ruth Hairston Early. Lynchburg, VA : J.P. Bell Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
  • Index to Mrs. Cabell's Sketches and Recollections of Lynchburg. Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jul. 1920):35-45. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Lest It Be Forgotten : A Scrapbook of Campbell County, Virginia. 1976. By Historical Committee of the Bicentennial Commission of Campbell County, Virginia. Altavista, VA : Altavista Printing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.

Lynchburg (Independent City)Amherst CountyAppomattox CountyCharlotte CountyHalifax CountyPittsylvania CountyBedford CountyVA CAMPBELL.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

  • Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 1966. By Katherine B. Elliott. South Hill, Virginia : K.B. Elliott. 2 vols. Vol. 1 online at: Ebook download, FS Library. Vol 1-2 1983 reprints at FS Library. Vol 1-2 1990-1992 reprints at FS Library. Includes individuals who migrated out of Campbell County to other parts of the country.

Military Records

French and Indian War

Revolutionary War

  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Campbell County on page 129.
  • A List of Soldiers Who Made Declaration of Service in Revolutionary War. By W.S. Morton. Campbell County, VA. The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1962):79. Available at JSTOR ($) .
  • King's Mountain and Its Heroes : History of the Battle of King's Mountain, October 7th, 1780, and the Events Which Led to It. 1881. By Lyman C. Draper, LL.D. Cincinnati, OH : Peter G. Thomson, Publisher. Online at: Hathitrust.
  • 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." FS Library Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
  • Revolutionary War Soldiers from Campbell County, Virginia. By Harriett A. Chilton. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1976):297-298. Available at FS Library. CD available at: New England Ancestors ($).

War of 1812
Campbell County men served in the 53rd and 117th Regiments.[18]

  • 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. FS Catalog Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Campbell County, pp. 65-66.
  • Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. 2007. By James L. Douthat. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press. Online surname list. FS Catalog Collection.

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Campbell County 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 here:

- 1st Regiment, Virginia Artillery (Confederate). Company C (1st) (Lynchburg Beauregard Rifles Artillery)
- 2nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B (Wise Troop), Company C (Botetourt Dragoons), Company I (Campbell Rangers)
- 11th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate).[19]
- 28th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Clifton Grays).[20]
- 34th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Davis Artillery).[21]
- 42nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Campbell-Lee Guards) and Company I (Campbell Guards).[22]

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

Jones Memorial Library has a free online obituary index to many local newspapers. They also have a great collection of newspapers accessible in their facility. 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.

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

For statewide probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records


Local Court

  • Virginia Wills Before 1799: A Complete Abstract Register of All Names Mentioned in Over Six Hundred Recorded Wills, ... Copied from the Court House Records of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Loudoun, Prince William and Rockbridge Counties. 1924. By William M. Clemens. Pompton Lakes, NJ : Biblio Co. Online at: Access Genealogy, Ancestry ($). Mountain Press provides online surname list.

London Courts

  • North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. 2007. By Peter Wilson Coldham. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Includes wills of Lynchburg residents proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

  • 1782-1843 Campbell County, Virginia Land tax books, 1782-1843. Original records at the Campbell County Courthouse in Rustburg, Virginia; microfilmed reproduction available at FS films (some years missing)(*) - images.
  • 1783 Land Tax List, 1783. Online at: Revolutionary War Service.
  • 1785 Campbell County, Virginia Personal Property Tax list; index online at New River Notes.
  • 1785 Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940. By Augusta B. Fothergill and John Mark Naugle. Reprint, Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978. FS Catalog book 975.5 R4f 1978. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, FS Library film 874197, item 4 - images.
  • 1785-1814 Campbell County Personal Property Tax List 1785-1814. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans.
  • 1785-1850 Campbell County, Virginia Personal property tax lists, 1785-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at FS films - images.
  • 1787 The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. c1987. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. At various libraries (WorldCat). Campbell County is included in Vol. 1.
  • 1800 Campbell County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):61-64; Vol. 13, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1969):106-110; Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1969):159-162. Available at FS Library; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
  • 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). By Roger D. Ward. c1997. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co. FS Catalog 975 E4w. At various libraries (WorldCat). The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Campbell County is included in Vol. 2.

Vital Records

For additional indexes, databases, and details, see Virginia Vital Records.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Campbell County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

To locate the closest FamilySearch center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Campbell County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Campbell County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.

Campbell County Public Library SystemWebsite

Websites

  • FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

  • A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Campbell County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1962):176-179. CD available at: American Ancestors ($). Available at FS Library.

References

  1. https://www.co.campbell.va.us/377/County-History
  2. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. VA Historical Boundary Changes- list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  5. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. Wikipedia contributors, "Campbell_ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell_County,_Virginia accessed 19 December 2019.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (1810; reprint, Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 272, 303-304, 338-339. Digital version at FS Library film #1425608, item 1, Internet Archive.
  8. William Meade, Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia, 2 vols. (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Co., 1861). Digital versions at Internet Archive: Vol. I and Vol. II.
  9. Jay Worrall, The Friendly Virginians: America's First Quakers (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing Company, 1994), 537-539. FS Library Book 975.5 K2wj.
  10. James Pinkney Pleasant Bell, Our Quaker Friends of Ye Olden Time: Being in Part a Transcript of the Minute Books of Cedar Creek Meeting, Hanover County, and the South River Meeting, Campbell County, Va (Lynchburg, Va.: J.P. Bell Company, 1905). Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
  11. F. Edward Wright, Quaker Records of South River Monthly Meeting, 1756-1800 (Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1993). FS Library Book 975.567 K2w.
  12. William Wade Hinshaw, Thomas W. Marshall and John Cox, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Bros., 1950). Vol. 6. FS Library film 432606.
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Find_a_Grave
  14. "Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index Availability," Library of Virginia (accessed 26 January 2010).
  15. British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812. 1979. By Kenneth Scott. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., pgs 320-333. Online at: Ancestry ($), available at FS Library Book 973 W4s; At various libraries (WorldCat).
  16. Ninth Census of the United States: Statistics of Population, Tables I to VIII Inclusive. 1872). Washington, DC : Government Printing Office, pg 70. Online at: Internet Archive. Available at FS Library Book 973 X2pcu.
  17. Review, The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1927):228-229. Digital version at JSTOR ($).
  18. Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 62. FS Library Book 975.5 M2bs.
  19. Robert T. Bell, 11th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1985). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 20.
  20. Frank E. Fields, 28th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1985). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 15.
  21. Johnny L. Scott, 34th Virginia Infantry (Appomattox, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1999). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 135.
  22. John Chapla, 42nd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1983). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 5.