Fincastle County, Virginia Genealogy

Fincastle County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Fincastle County (1772-1776) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including marriage records, wills, deeds and land records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, and churches.

Historic Facts
Short-lived county on the Southwest Virginia frontier. Established 1772 and dissolved 1776 when it was divided to form Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky counties in Virginia.

Researchers studying pioneer families in East Tennessee may find their ancestors in records of Fincastle County.

Parent County
1772--Fincastle County was created in 1772 from Botetourt County. See County Formations Database (Kentucky Land Office)

Boundary Changes
1776--Became extinct in 1776 when it was divided to form Montgomery, Washington and Kentucky counties in Virginia.. See County Formations Database (Kentucky Land Office)

Some records are kept by Montgomery County, Virginia.

See an interactive map of Fincastle County boundary changes.

John R. Hildebrand prepared a map identifying the location of Fincastle County between 1772 and 1777:.

Neighboring Counties
Bedford | Botetourt | Pittsylvania

Getting Started

 * Michael L. Cook and Bettie A. Cook, Fincastle and Kentucky County, Va.-Ky.: Records and History (Evansville, Ind.: Cook Pub., 1987)..

Biography

 * T.W. Preston, "Some Famous Civilians of Southwestern Virginia: That Portion Formerly Embraced in East Fincastle County," Bulletin (Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia), No. 15 (Nov. 1947)..

Presbyterian
Sinking Creek Presbyterian Church - est 1772. Located near Wolf Hills (Abingdon).

Court Records

 * Spillman and Thomas. "Fincastle County, Virginia Road Orders, 1773-1776."
 * "Minutes of Fincastle County Court (pp 588-651) 5 Jan 1773 - 3 Sep 1776," Distant Crossroads [Hawkins Co., TN Genealogical Society], Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1986): 89-90. FHL US/CAN Book 976.895 B2d. [Source: Summers' Annals of Southwestern Virginia.]

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Bibliography


 * [Breckenridge] Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. Digital versions of Vol. 1 at Google Books; Internet Archive | Vol. 2 at ;Internet Archive;.
 * [Drake] Drake, Charles E. "The Drake Family of Ninety Six District and Abbeville County, South Carolina," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Fall 2001):183-195.
 * [Duncan] Dobson, Mary Ann Duncan. Duncan Research Files of Mary Ann (Duncan) Dobson. MSS. 1975-1999. Includes Fincastle County.
 * [McGriff] Hill, Joseph Edward. Captain James McGriff (1755-1830) and His Descendants. Leesburg, Fla.: J.E. Hill, 1979..
 * [McNew] Hockett, Thomas Jack and Janice M. Snead. The Macknew (McNew) and Marlow (Marler; Marley) Family of Prince Georges Cty, Md., Frederick (Berkeley) Cty, Va. and Fincastle (Washington) Cty., Va., and the Possibly Allied Families of Hargis and Berry. Typescript, microfilmed 1991. 1697545 Item 21; also  929.273 M218ht
 * [Marshall] Marshall, Ganell. The Marshall Family. 2004.
 * [Page] Rutherford, Dolores Crumrine. Page Family Records in Virginia Counties. 2 vols. Carmichael, Calif.: D.C. Rutherford, 1982-2006. [Fincastle County appears in Vol. 2 Part 2]
 * [Shelby] Armstrong, Zella. Notable Southern Families. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Lookout Publishing Company, 1922. Vol. 2. Digital version at - free.
 * [Spratt] Buchanan, Paul C. "The Spratt Family of Southwest Virginia Prior to 1800," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1988):297-305. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..

Land and Property
Mary B Kegley's Early Adventurers on the Western Waters includes many Fincastle County entries, military warrants, surveys and deeds. Vol 1, Chapter 2 and 3 also covers the land companies. For the New River area see also Vol 2 and 5.

Deeds


 * "Fincastle County Virginia Deeds 1773-1777," Distant Crossroads [Hawkins Co., TN Genealogical Society], Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1986): 91. FHL US/CAN Book 976.895 B2d. [Source: Summers' Annals of Southwestern Virginia.]

Land Surveys


 * "Fincastle County Virginia Land Surveys," [1774] Distant Crossroads [Hawkins Co., TN Genealogical Society], Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1986): 91. FHL US/CAN Book 976.895 B2d. [Source: Summers' Annals of Southwestern Virginia.]

Maps

 * Hildebrand, John R. Fincastle County, Virginia, 1772-1777. 1968..

Military
Dunmore's War and Revolutionary War

Regiments. Service men in Fincastle County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Fincastle County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 7th Virginia Regiment
 * - 8th Virginia Regiment
 * - 14th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

"Pay Roll for Captain Womack's Company of Militia stationed at Womack's Fort in Fincastle County (1777)," transcribed by Will Graves, is available for free online, courtesy: Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution.


 * Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Culpeper and Fincastle Payrolls and Public Service Claims, 1775 also Known as Dunmore's War: Enlarged and Photocopied. Ft. Wayne, Ind.: Allen County Public Library, 2004? 975.5 M2au
 * Harwell, Richard Barksdale. The Committees of Safety of Westmoreland and Fincastle Proceedings of the County Committees, 1774-1776. Richmond, Va.: Virginia State Library, 1956. 1974 reprint: 975.5 N2c 1974
 * Kegley, Mary B. Soldiers of Fincastle County, Virginia 1774. Dublin, Va.: M.B. Kegley, 1974. 975.5 A1 no. 12
 * List of Capt Evan Shelby's Co of Volunteers from the Watauga Valley in the Fincastle County Battalion and also a partial list of Capt Wm Campbells Company is on page 1413 of Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800. Avail at Ancestry $

Probate Records

 * Worrell, Anne Lowry. A Brief of Wills and Marriages in Montgomery and Fincastle Counties, Virginia, 1773-1831. Christiansburg, Va.: Montgomery Messenger Pub. Corp., 1932. 32634.

Vital Records
Marriage


 * 1797-1954 -  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Worrell, Anne Lowry. A Brief of Wills and Marriages in Montgomery and Fincastle Counties, Virginia, 1773-1831. Christiansburg, Va.: Montgomery Messenger Pub. Corp., 1932. 32634; purchase at Genealogical.com.