Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Independence
Organized: 01 May 1793[1]
Parent County(s): Wythe[2]
Neighboring Counties
Alleghany (NC)Ashe (NC)CarrollGalax (Independent City)Johnson (TN)SmythSurry (NC)WashingtonWythe
See County Maps
Courthouse
Virginia, Grayson (Independent City) Court House.png
Location Map
Location of Grayson County Virginia.png

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. The county was named for William Grayson, one of Virginia’s first two senators.[3]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Grayson County Courthouse
129 Davis Street/P.O. Box 130
Independence, VA 24348-0130
Phone: 276-773-2231
Grayson County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court, and land records from 1793[4]

Grayson County, Virginia Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1853 1793 1853 1793 1793 1793 1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912.
General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

  • Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1890

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

Boundary Changes[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:[7]

Towns
Unincorporated communities


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Grayson 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[edit | edit source]

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

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. FS Catalog 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. By Ronald Ray Turner. FS Catalog book 975.5 X2t 1890; film 1425065, item 14. Includes residents of this county. Includes residents of this county.
  • 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes residents of this county. Includes residents of this county.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

  1. Cedar Island or Fox Creek (1782)[8]
  2. Meadow Creek (1797).[8] A list of new members (1840) was published in Glimpses of Grayson, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Dec. 1985).
  3. N. Fork of New River (1796)[8]

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

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

  • Chestnut Creek Monthly Meeting (1785-1841)[9]
  • Fruit Hill Monthly Meeting (1790-1814)[9]
  • Mount Pleasant Monthly Meeting (1790-1825, 1980s)[9]

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Online Court Indexes and Records
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.

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 1 British alien living in Grayson County.[10]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African American

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

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

  • Nuckolls, B.F. Pioneer Settlers of Grayson County, Virginia. Bristol, Tennessee: The King Printing Company, 1914. FS Catalog Collection 873858 Item 4; 1975 reprint: FS Catalog Collection; digital versions at Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($). Chapters on the Bourne, Cornett, Cox, Dickey, Flower, Garland, Goodykoontz, Hale, Hash, Jones, Kenney, Nuckolls, Osborne, Phipps, Reeves, and Swift families.

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

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

Galax (Independent City)Carroll CountyWythe CountySmyth CountyWashington CountyAshe CountyAlleghany CountySurry CountyVA GRAYSON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War

  • Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FS Library. [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 Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Grayson County on page 134.
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FS Library Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.

War of 1812

  • Grayson County, Virginia in the War of 1812
  • 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, Grayson County, p. 82. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Regiments. Grayson County men served in the 78th Regiment.[11]

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Grayson 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:

- 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Grayson Dare Devils).[12]
- 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Companies B and D.
- 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company C (Grayson Cavalry)[13]
- 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.[14]
- 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Grayson Rifles).[15]
- 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Wilson Rifles) (Grayson Hornets).[16]
- 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A and D.[17]
- 63rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (McMahon's) (Confederate). Companies C and G.[18]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

  • 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[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

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

  • Tax Laws, Local, Glimpses of Grayson, Vol. 9, Nos. 1-2 (Jun. 1988).
  • 1794-1850 Grayson County, Virginia Personal property tax lists, 1794-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at FS films - images.
  • 1794-1890 Grayson County, Virginia Land and Personal Property Tax Lists at New River Notes. Lists are found under heading Enumerations.
  • 1800 "Grayson County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1981):204-210. Available at FS Library; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
  • 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 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 FS Library. 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).
  • 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FS Library. 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 FS Library. 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.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

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

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • 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[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 FS Library; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Newberry
  2. Newberry
  3. https://www.graysoncountyva.gov/
  4. 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.
  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. Newberry
  7. Wikipedia contributors, "Grayson _ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grayson_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 15 January 2020.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 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 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Jay Worrall, The Friendly Virginians: America's First Quakers (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing Company, 1994), 537-539. FS Library Book 975.5 K2wj.
  10. Kenneth Scott, British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979), 320-333. FS Library Book 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).
  11. Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 95. FS Library Book 975.5 M2bs.
  12. James I. Robertson, 4th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.F. Howard, 1982). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 1.
  13. Jack L. Dickinson, 8th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1986). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 25.
  14. J.L. Scott, 36th and 37th Battalions Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1986). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 24.
  15. J.L. Scott, 45th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1989). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 58.
  16. John C. Chapla, 50th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1997). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 129.
  17. James A. Davis, 51st Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1984). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 9.
  18. Jeffrey C. Weaver, 63rd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1991). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 76.