Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Grayson County

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Independence Organized: 01 May 1793 Parent County(s): Wythe Neighboring Counties Alleghany (NC)  • Ashe (NC)  • Carroll  • Galax (Independent City)  • Johnson (TN)  • Smyth  • Surry (NC)  • Washington  • Wythe See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

Grayson County is located in the Southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with North Carolina. Grayson was named for William Grayson one of Virginia’s first two senators.

County Courthouse

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

Grayson 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 Major County Records
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

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: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

Parent County: Created from Wythe County, on 01 May 1793. County seat: Independence Interactive Map of Virginia County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes Virginia Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

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:

Towns
Fries	Independence	Troutdale
Unincorporated communities
Baywood Elk Creek	Mouth of Wilson Whitetop	Whitetop

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Grayson County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave VAGenWeb USGenWeb Archives VA Tombstone Transcription Project BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find A Grave FamilySearch Places
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

Census Records

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. FHL 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." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner. FHL Collection. Includes residents of this county.

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Cedar Island or Fox Creek (1782)
2. Meadow Creek (1797). 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)

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)
• Fruit Hill Monthly Meeting (1790-1814)
• Mount Pleasant Monthly Meeting (1790-1825, 1980s)

Court Records

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.

Emigration and Immigration

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.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American

• 1800-1860 Grayson County, Virginia Slaveholders 1800-1860 (New River Notes) - free.
• 1865-1872 Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Heinegg, Paul. "Grayson County Personal Property Tax List, 1805-1818," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Grayson County.

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

• See Grayson County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

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. FHL Collection 873858 Item 4; 1975 reprint: FHL Collection; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books; and World Vital Records ($). [Chapters on the Bourne, Cornett, Cox, Dickey, Flower, Garland, Goodykoontz, Hale, Hash, Jones, Kenney, Nuckolls, Osborne, Phipps, Reeves, and Swift families.]

Land and Property Records

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

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.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this couinty - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FHL. [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 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, 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." FHL 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. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [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.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 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. 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).

- 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Companies B and D.

- 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company C (Grayson Cavalry)

- 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.

- 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Grayson Rifles).

- 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Wilson Rifles) (Grayson Hornets).

- 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A and D.

- 63rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (McMahon's) (Confederate). Companies C and G.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1906-1929 Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

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.

Probate Records

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.
• 1793-1849 Grayson County, Virginia Wills 1793-1849 (New River Notes) - free.
• 1796-1839;1839-1849Images of Wills and Estates 1796-1839;1839-1849. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

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

Online Grayson County, Virginia Tax Lists
Type	Index			Images
	Free	FHC	Fee	Free	FHC	Fee
Personal Property	1794, 1794	-	-	-	1794	1794
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1795	1795
Personal Property	1796	-	-	-	1796	1796
Land	1796	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1797	1797
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1798	1798
Personal Property	1799	-	-	-	1799	1799
Land	1799	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	1800, 1800	-	1800	1800	1800	1800
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1801	1801
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1802	1802
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1803	1803
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1804	1804
Personal Property	1805	-	-	-	1805	1805
Land	1805	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1806	1806
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1807	1807
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1809	1809
Personal Property	1810	-	-	-	1810	1810
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1811	1811
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1812	1812
Personal Property	1813	-	-	-	1813	1813
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1814	1814
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1815-1816	-
Personal Property	1817	-	-	-	1817	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1818-1823	-
Personal Property	1824	-	-	-	1824	-
Personal Property	1825	-	-	-	1825	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1826-1827	-
Personal Property	1828	-	-	-	1828	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1829-1834	-
Personal Property	1835	-	-	-	1835	-
Personal Property	-	-	-	-	1836-1850	-
Personal Property	1863	-	-	-	-	-
Personal Property	1890	-	-	-	-	-

Bibliography

• Tax Laws, Local, Glimpses of Grayson, Vol. 9, Nos. 1-2 (Jun. 1988).
• 1794-1814 Grayson County Personal Property Tax Lists 1794-1814 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
• 1794 Grayson County, Virginia Tax List - 1794 (New River Notes) - free.
• 1794 1794 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1796 The 1796 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1799 The 1799 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1800 The 1800 Grayson County, Virginia Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1800 "Grayson County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1981):204-210. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• 1805 The 1805 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1805 The 1805 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 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 The 1810 Grayson County, Virginia Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 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 FHL. [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).
• 1813 The 1813 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists (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. 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 FHL. [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.]
• 1817 The 1817 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1824 The 1824 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1825 The 1825 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1828 The 1828 Grayson County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1835 The 1835 Grayson County Virginia Personal Property Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1863 The 1863 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.
• 1890 The 1890 Grayson County, Virginia Land Tax List (New River Notes) - free.

Vital Records

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

Birth

• 1853-1866 Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1879, 1884-1888 Grayson County, Virginia Birth Records 1853-1879, 1884-1888, under Vital Statistics. (New River Notes).
• 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1584-1917 Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

• 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
• 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index ; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
• 1793-1836 Grayson County, Virginia Marriages 1796-1836 (New River Notes) - free.
• 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1853-1931 Grayson County, VA Marriages 1853-1931 (New River Notes) - free.
• 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1853-1896 Grayson County, Virginia Death Register 1853-1870 and Records 1870-1896 (New River Notes) - free.
• 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1912 Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

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

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Family History Centers

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

• Bristol Virginia Family History Center

• Washington County Public Library - Damascus Branch - an affiliate library
• Washington County Public Library - Glade Spring Branch - an affiliate library
• Smyth County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

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

Societies

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

Websites

• Grayson Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
• Cyndi's List

• 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: Grayson County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1967):157-159. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a family history center.