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Wise County, Virginia Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Wise
Organized: 16 Feb 1856[1]
Parent County(s): Lee, Russell, Scott
Neighboring Counties
Dickenson • Harlan (KY) • Lee • Letcher (KY) • Pike (KY) • Russell • Scott
See County Maps
Courthouse
VirginiaWiseCounty&NortonCityCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Wise County, Virginia.png

County Information

Description

Wise County is located in the southwest Appalachian area of the Commonwealth of Virginia was named after Henry A. Wise, who was Governor of Virginia at the time.[2]

County Courthouse

Wise County Courthouse
206 East Main Street
PO Box 829
Wise, VA 24293-0829
Phone: 276-328-3426
Wise County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, and divorce, probate court and land records [3]

Wise 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 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.

  • Lost census: 1890

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

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:[7]

Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Henry A Wise.jpg

The county is named after Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise (1806-1876), who was in office at the time of Wise County's organization. He later served as a Confederate States Army General during the Civil War.[8]

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

Biographies

  • Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Some Sandy Basin Characters. Clintwood, Va.: Hettie Sutherland, 1962. 1985 reprint available at FS Library.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Wise 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.

 

  • 1800-1986 Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
  • Adams, James Taylor (1892-1954). Wise County Historical Inventory: Family Burying Grounds. St. Louis, Mo.: R.R. Seibel and D.A. Griffith, 1971. Available at FS Library.
  • Ben Bolling Cemetery, Flat Gap, Wise Co., VA
  • Kilgore, Paul. Butcher's Fork, American Legion, Skeen's Ridge and Back Valley Cemeteries of Wise County, Virginia. [West Virginia]: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), [1997?]. Available at FS Library.
  • Kilgore, Paul. Powell Valley Memorial Gardens: Located in Beautiful Powell Valley, Wise County, VA. Wise, Va.: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), 2003. Available at FS Library.

Census Records

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

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1860 4,508 —
1870 4,785 6.1%
1880 7,772 62.4%
1890 9,345 20.2%
1900 19,653 110.3%
1910 34,162 73.8%
1920 46,500 36.1%
1930 51,167 10.0%
1940 52,458 2.5%
1950 56,336 7.4%
1960 43,579 −22.6%
1970 35,947 −17.5%
1980 43,863 22.0%
1990 39,573 −9.8%
2000 40,123 1.4%
2010 41,452 3.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1860 Agriculture Census

  • Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1860 Agriculture Census of Wise County, Virginia. Clintwood, Va.: Mullins Printing, 1992. Available at FS Library.

1890 Union Veterans

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist

  • Little Primitive Baptist Church, Wise, Va. (by 1856).[9]

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court

  • Indexes (1855-1925) and images (1855-1912) to Wise 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.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

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

  • Adams, James Taylor (1892-1954). James Taylor Adams Collection. MSS., Cooke-Wyllie Library, Clinch Valley College, Wise, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available: FS Catalog Collection. Adams collected material for a history of the first settlers of Wise County, Virginia.
  • Heritage Book Committee and Wise County Historical Society. The Heritage of Wise County and the City of Norton. 2 vols. [Wise, Virginia?]: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), c1993, 2001. FS Catalog Collection
  • Laningham, Anne Wynn and Hattie Byrd Muncy Bales. Early Settlers of Lee County, Virginia and Adjacent Counties. 2 vols. Greensboro, North Carolina: Media, Inc., 1977. FS Catalog Collection
  • Lockwood, Frances B. and Hattie Byrd Muncy Bales. Annotations, Corrections and Additions to Early Settlers of Lee County, Virginia and Adjacent Counties. 1978. FS Catalog Collection. Includes Wise County families.

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


Local Histories

  • Johnson, Charles A. A Narrative History of Wise County, Virginia. Norton, Va.: Norton Press, 1938. Reprint edition, The Overmountain Press, 1988. FS Catalog Collection; online at Ancestry ($).
  • Wise County: Her Industries, Resources and Prominent Men. Norton, Va.: n.p., 1920. FS Catalog Collection; online at Ancestry ($).

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.

Norton (Independent City)Lee CountyScott CountyRussell CountyDickenson CountyPike CountyLetcher CountyHarlan CountyVA WISE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

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, Wise County, p. 107. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.


Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Wise 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 State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company C.
- 29th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F.[10]
- 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Wise Yankee Catchers).[11]


World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records


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

Vital Records

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

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Wise 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

Libraries

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

Museums

Societies

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

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: Wise County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1980):204-206. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

References

  1. ↑ Newberry
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, in Wise County, Virginia
  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. ↑ 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. ↑ Newberry
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Wise County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wise_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 6 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Henry A. Wise," in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_A._Wise, accessed 13 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Charles A. Johnson, A narrative history of Wise County, Virginia (Norton, Va.: Norton Press, 1938), 8. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  10. ↑ John Perry Alderman, 29th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1989). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 53.
  11. ↑ John C. Chapla, 50th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1997). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 129.
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Major
Repositories
Bristol Public Library · Germanna Foundation Library · Handley Regional Library · Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) · Historical Society of Washington, D.C. · John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg · Jones Memorial Library · Library of Congress (Washington, DC) · Library of Virginia · Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library · Maryland State Archives (Annapolis, MD) · National Archives I (Washington, DC) · National Archives II (College Park, MD) · National Archives at Philadelphia (PA) · National Genealogical Society · New York Public Library (New York City, NY) · Pennsylvania State Archives (Harrisburg, PA) · Portsmouth Public Library · Roanoke County Public Library · Salisbury University Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture (Salisbury, MD) · Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown (Santa Cruz, CA) · University of Virginia Library · Virginia Department of Health · Virginia Historical Society · Virginia Theological Seminary · Washington National Records Center (Suitland, MD) · William and Mary College Swem Library
Migration
Routes
Routes: Chesapeake Bay • James River • Potomac River • Rappahannock River • York River • Chesapeake and Ohio Canal • Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad • Fall Line Road (or Southern Road) • Great Indian Warpath • Great Trading Path • Great Valley Road • Kanawha Trail • King's Highway • National Road (Cumberland Road) • New River and Southern Trail • Occaneechi Path • Old Cherokee Path • Old Northwestern Turnpike • Pamunkey-New River Trail • Pioneer Road • Richmond Road • Richmond-Williamsburg Road • Saura-Saponi Trail • Secondary Coast Road • Upper Road • Wilderness Road • Wilmington, Highpoint, and Northern Trail • Ports: Atlantic Coast Ports • Accomack • Alexandria • Belvoir Plantation • Bermuda Hundred • Dumfries • Falmouth • Fredericksburg • Hampton • Jamestown • Leedstown • Norfolk • Port Royal • Portsmouth • South Quay • Suffolk • Tappahannock (aka Hobb's Hole) • Urbanna • Williamsburg • Yorktown



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