Giles County, Virginia Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Pearisburg
Organized: 01 May 1806[1]
Parent County(s): Montgomery, Monroe (WV), Tazewell[2]
Neighboring Counties
Bland  • Craig  • Mercer (WV)  • Monroe (WV)  • Montgomery  • Pulaski  • Summers (WV)
See County Maps
Courthouse
VirginiaGilesCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Giles County Virginia.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Giles County is located in the southwest portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with West Virginia. The county was named for William Branch Giles, United States Senator from Virginia at that time.[3]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Giles County Courthouse
501 Wenonah Avenue
Pearisburg, VA 24134
Phone: 540-921-1722
Giles County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1806, birth and death records, divorce, probate court and land records.[4]

Giles 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 Major County Records[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1858 1806 1858 1806 1806 1806 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 census: 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]

William B Giles.JPG

The county was named after Virginia Senator William B. Giles (1762-1830), who later served as the Virginia's Governor.

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 Giles 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. %±
1810 3,745 —
1820 4,521 20.7%
1830 5,274 16.7%
1840 5,307 0.6%
1850 6,570 23.8%
1860 6,883 4.8%
1870 5,875 −14.6%
1880 8,794 49.7%
1890 9,090 3.4%
1900 10,793 18.7%
1910 11,623 7.7%
1920 11,901 2.4%
1930 12,804 7.6%
1940 14,635 14.3%
1950 18,956 29.5%
1960 17,219 −9.2%
1970 16,741 −2.8%
1980 17,810 6.4%
1990 16,366 −8.1%
2000 16,657 1.8%
2010 17,286 3.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1810

  • Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1810 Census of Giles County, Virginia. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1970. Available at FHL.
  • 1810 Census of Giles County, Virginia. Beverly, W. Va.: Crickard, 1979. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

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 Giles County.]

1860

  • Davis, Charley L. Giles County, Virginia 1860 Census Annotated: Family Histories - Births - Marriages - Deaths. Virginia?: C.L. Davis, 1991. Available at FHL.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

  1. Blue Stone (1804)[8]
  2. Sinking Creek (1796)[8]

Giles County fell within the bounds of the New River Association and the Greenbrier Association.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court
Indexes (1807-1936) and images (1807-1929) to Giles 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[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

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

  • Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Virginia, Early Settlers from the Earliest Times through 1795, in the Area that was Botetourt County in 1782. Ft. Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 1990. Available at FHL. [Includes area that later became Giles County.]
  • Heavener, Ulysses S.A. German New River Settlement: Virginia. 1929; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1976. FHL Book 975.5 F2ghu 1976.
  • Research Committee, Giles County Historical Society. Giles County, Virginia, History - Families. n.p.: Giles County Historical Society, 1982. Available at Virginia Historical Society; FHL.

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.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

  • Friend, Robert C. Giles County, 1806-1956: A History. Pearisburg, Va.: Giles County Chamber of Commerce, 1956?. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Johnston, David E. A History of Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1988. Available at FHL.

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.

Radford (Independent City)Pulaski CountyMontgomery CountyCraig CountyBland CountyMercer CountySummers CountyMonroe CountyVA GILES.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 FHL. [Includes Giles 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 et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Giles 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. Virginia section begins on page 238.

War of 1812
Giles County men served in the 86th Regiment.[9]

  • 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, Giles County, p. 81. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Giles 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:

- 7th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (1st Nitre Battalion) (Confederate). Company D (The Mountain Boomers).[10]
- 23rd Battalion, Virginia Infantry Reserves (Confederate). Company G.[11]
- 24th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (New River Rifles).[12]
- 32nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A, B, G, and K.[13]
- 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company K.[14]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Private Papers

  • French, David. Day Book, v. 2, 1835-1837. Original records, Giles County Courthouse, Pearisburg, Va.; also available on microfilm at FHL. [Book seems to be an account or ledger book for a private business or store. David French may have been the secretary or owner. Name and location of store or business was not given.]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

For 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

  • 1806 The 1806 Giles County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at 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. Giles County is included in Vol. 5.]
  • 1815 Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1815 Tax List of Giles County, Virginia: Abstracts of 300 Deeds and Surveys, 1806-1830; Detailed Map of Area Covered by Tax Collector. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1971. Available at FHL.

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 Giles County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

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

  • 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

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Giles 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]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Newberry
  2. ↑ Newberry
  3. ↑ http://genealogy-quest.com/states/virginia/giles-county-virginia/history/
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Newberry
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Giles _ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 15 January 2020.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 349, 421. Digital version at Google Books.
  9. ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 90. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
  10. ↑ David F. Riggs, 7th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1982). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 3.
  11. ↑ J.L. Scott, 23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1991). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 79.
  12. ↑ Ralph White Gunn, 24th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1987). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 34.
  13. ↑ Les Jensen, 32nd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1990). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 70.
  14. ↑ Scott C. Cole, 34th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 94.
  15. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Records List (July 1998). Microfiche.
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