Bedford County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Bedford County

Parent County
1752--Bedford County was created 27 February 1752 from Albemarle and Lunenburg Counties. County seat: Bedford

Populated Places

 * The Peaks of Otter Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Bedford Villages: Lost and Found. Bedford, Va.: The Chapter, 1997.

Cemeteries
For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see Bedford County, Virginia Cemeteries.

Church
Presbyterian


 * McGinnis, Andrew M. "Between Enthusiasm and Stoicism: David Rice and Moderate Revivalism in Virginia and Kentucky," Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Vol. 106, No. 2 (Spring 2008):165-190.

Court

 * Indexed images of Bedford County, Virginia Chancery Records 1755-1912 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
 * Little, Barbara Vines. "Individuals Listed in the 1754-1761 Bedford County Fee Book," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Feb. 2009):74-84; Vol. 47, No. 2 (May 2009):102-106.
 * "1785 Petition for an Inspection Station for Tobacco Hemp &amp; Flour at Lynches Ferry," Bedford Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Feb. 2008):10-11.
 * "Governor's Fees &amp; Etc., Bedford County Fee Book," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Aug. 2003):225-226.

Family Histories
The Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library in Bedford, Virginia has collected many histories of local families.

Bibliography


 * [Abshire] Pullen, William E. Virginians and Hoosiers: Abshires, Houstons and Wrights [of] Bedford and Franklin Counties, Virginia; and Union [and] Hamilton Counties, Indiana. n.p.: n.p., 1977. Available at FHL.
 * [Arthur] Arthur Family Genealogy of Bedford, Greenbrier &amp; Cabell Counties, Va., W. Va. and Jackson Co., Ohio. n.p.: n.p., n.d. Available at FHL.
 * [Bewley] Bible Records of Christopher Bewley, 1756-1839: Bewleyville, Breckinridge Co., Kentucky, Bedford Co., VA to Hardin Co., KY 1817 to Breck. Co., KY, Revolutionary War Soldier from Virginia. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Board] McCarty, Leah. The Boards: From Bedford County, Virginia to Breckinridge and Meade Counties of Kentucky. L. McCarty, 1996.
 * [Board] Obert, Isabelle Board. The Board Family Chronicle: From Maryland to Bedford County, Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Margaret I.B. Obert, 1997. Available at FHL.
 * [Bondurant] Bondurant, Birdie. Bible Records [1824-1959] of John Parnell &amp; Mollie E. (Jopling) Bondurant, Bedford Co., Va. &amp; Richmond &amp; Clarke Cos., Ga.: And Other Family Records, ca. 1730-1959. MSS., in possession of Miss Birdie Bondurant, Athens, Georgia, 1960. Available at FHL.
 * [Bramlitt]See Woodson.
 * [Bright] Blankenship, Gayle King. Some Families of Bedford &amp; Washington Counties, Virginia and Orange County, North Carolina: Bright, Buford, Cash, Crawford, Crews, Davis, Downs, Early, Foster, Franklin, Gray, Huddleston, Lawhorn, McGeorge, McNew, Parker, Perrott, Pendergrass, Poindexter, Powell, Quarles, St. Clair, Scoggins, Shrewsbury, Smith, Tyler, Warren, Watts, Wiggenton. Poquoson, Virginia: G.K. Blankenship, 2000. Available at FHL; digital book available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Brown] Eakley, Barbara Brown. The Browns of Bedford County, Virginia, 1748-1840: A Collection of Brown Surname Records Extracted from Primary and Secondary Sources. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1998. Available at FHL; purchase at Heritage Books.
 * [Buford] See Bright.
 * [Burroughs] Walker, Clarence Earl. Booker T. Washington Family Relationships 1843-1910: The Wrights and Burroughs, Ex-slaves of Bedford and Franklin Counties, Virginia. C.E. Walker, 1997.
 * [Carson] Carson Families of Bedford County, Virginia and Kentucky.
 * [Carter] Carter, Oliver Shelton. The Carter Family: Descendents of Berry Lafayette Carter, Bedford County, Virginia. Rockcastle Pub., 1987.
 * [Corley] Corley, Dewitt Clinton. A Genealogy of Corleys: Beginning with Caniel Corley of Bedford County, Virginia, Tracing All Lineal Descendants of His Son, Jonathan Cheatham Corley. Decatur, Illinois: n.p., 1927. Available at FHL.
 * [Cowgill] Cowgill and Wright Family of Bedford Co., Virginia and Ohio.
 * [Crews]See Bright.
 * [Crumpacker] Whitesell, Lois Church. Crumpacker, Oglesby and Fowler Families: With Related Families, Primarily of Putnam and Sullivan Counties, Missouri and Bedford and Campbell Counties, Virginia. Edmond, Oklahoma: L.C. Whitesell, 1986. Available at FHL.
 * [Davis] Davis, Thomas Edward. The Davis Family of Bedford County, Virginia, from 1698 to 1898. n.p.: T.E. Davis, 1898.
 * [Dierdorff] The Descendants of Anthony Dierdorff (Deardorff) Sr., of Germany and Germantown, Philadelphia Co., Pa. Later Generations Removed to York County, Pa., Bedford, Virginia and Ohio.
 * [Doss] Murphy, Nathan W. Descendants of Azariah Doss and His Wife Lydia (Ayres) Doss: Information Regarding Over 1000 Descendantsof Azariah Doss (1754-1820) and His Wife Lydia (Ayres) Doss (1758-1831). Hanson, Kentucky: David W. Murphy &amp; Associates, 1998. Available at FHL; purchase at David W. Murphy Books.
 * [Douglas] Harris, Ruth Eleanor Poole. Ruth Eleanor Douglas Journal: With Genealogies of Douglas, Noell, Callaway, Clemens, Moorman and Other Related Bedford County, Virginia Families, also Genealogies of Douglas Families of Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri. Nashville, Tennessee: Douglas Family Publishers, 1979. Available at FHL.
 * [Downing] Williams, Frank L. The Downing Family from Montgomery and Bedford Counties, Virginia, to Lincoln County, Missouri, by Way of Lincoln County, Kentucky. MSS., available at the Urbana Free Library, Illinois, and at FHL.
 * [Field] Lacy, Carole Field. James Field Papers, 1781-1874, Bedford County, Virginia. Carole Field Lacy Publications, 2008.
 * [Foster] See Bright.
 * [Fowler] See Crumpacker.
 * [Franklin] See Bright.
 * [Frost] Roberts, Snyder E. Descendants of Joseph Frost, Sr.: From Amherst, Bedford, &amp; Washington Counties, Va. to Anderson County, Tn. and Elsewhere. n.p.: S.E. Roberts, 1989. Available at FHL.
 * [Gray] See Bright.
 * [Hackworth] Hackworth, William M. William Hackworth of Bedford County, Virginia: Revolutionary Soldier. W.M. Hackworth, 1995.
 * [Hancock] Childs, J. Rives. The Hancock Family of Lower Norfolk, Henrico, and Bedford Counties, Virginia. J.R. Childs, 1923.
 * [Higginbotham] Shrader, B.R. Descendants of Roderick Higginbotham of Taylor's Mountain, Bedford County, Virginia. 2008.
 * [Houston] See Abshire.
 * [Hubbard] Hubbard, Louisa Dexter and Sarah D. Clapp Hubbard. Life in Virginia in 1868: The Diary of Louisa Dexter Hubbard, Wife of Henry Hubbard Jr., in the First Year of the Family's Residence in Bedford County, Virginia. 1974.
 * [Hubbard] Hubbard, William David. John Hubbard Descendants from Body Camp Creek, Bedford County, Virginia. Swift Print, 1991.
 * [Huddleston]See Bright.
 * [Hunter] Hunter, Walter Marvin. The Hunters of Bedford County, Virginia: Notes and Documents on the Family of James Hunter, Regulator Leader of North Carolina, Including Forebearers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana and Texas. Cottonport, Louisiana: Polyanthos, 1973. Available at FHL.
 * [Jackson] Williams, Lyle Keith et al. Joseph Jackson, 1705-1774 of Bedford and Goochland Counties, Virginia and Descendants. Fort Worth, Texas: L.K. Williams, 1991. Available at FHL.
 * [Johnson] Johnson, Marion C. Johnston/Johnson Deeds of Franklin County, Virginia, February 1st, 1786-September 12, 1831: And Deeds for the Earlier Patrick Johnson of Bedford County, Virginia, 1765/1776/1778. M. &amp; V. Johnson, 1998.
 * [Johnston]See Johnson.
 * [Lawhorn] See Bright.
 * [Leftwich] Hopkins, Walter Lee. Leftwich-Turner Families of Virginia and their Connections. Richmond, Virginia: J.W. Fergusson &amp; Sons, 1931. Available at FHL; digital book available for a fee at Ancestry and World Vital Records.
 * [Leftwich] Weaver, Oliver C. Captain John Leftwich of Bedford County, Virginia, and Oglethorpe County, Georgia (Died Feb. 26, 1797): And Allied Hammett and Reynolds Families of Wilkes, Oglethorpe, and Greene Counties, Georgia with Connecting Links to Barge and Reynolds Families of Butler and Wilcox Counties, Alabama. Birmingham, Alabama: Oliver C. Weaver Jr., 1996. Book available at FHL; digital book available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [McGeorge] See Bright.
 * [McGhee] Biggerstaff, Virginia Rice. Rice and McGhee Families of Bedford County, Virginia: A Record of Tales Remembered and Trails Explored. V.R. Biggerstaff, 1982.
 * [Meador] Newton, Jane Meador and Wathena Kennedy Miller. Descendants of Ambrose Meador, Bedford County, Virginia, to Breckinridge County, Kentucky, 1733-1988. McDowell, 1988.
 * [Meriwether] Glover, Ann Rucker. Meriwethers of Bedford County, Virginia: Ancestors and Descendants of "Sholto." A.R. Glover, 1994.
 * [Moore] Moore, Charles R. The Moore Family of Central Virginia: Covering the Counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Bedford, Buckingham, Campbell, Fluvanna, Louisa, Nelson, and Orange, Virginia. Charlottesville, Virginia: C.R. Moore, 1985. Available at FHL.
 * [Moorman] See Douglas.
 * [Moseley] Stevenson, Estelle Moseley. George Cabell Moseley of Ingleside, Bedford County, Virginia and His Mother Elizabeth Winston Moseley: A Compilation of Family History and Genealogy. Typescript, copy in possession of Sara Gregory Slaydon, Deland, Florida, 1960. Available at FHL.
 * [Myers] Snider, Donald A. The Myers Family of Botetourt, Montgomery and Bedford Counties, Virginia. D.A. Snider, 2003.
 * [Neal] Miller, Chester I. Neals 'of Bedford Co., Va, and Family of Walter Neal Sr., of Lawrence and Gallia Counties, Ohio. London, Ohio: C.I. Miller, 1992. Available at FHL.
 * [Noell] See Douglas.
 * [Oglesby] See Crumpacker.
 * [Overstreet] Overstreet, Bob. Overstreets in Virginia, 300 Years of Bedford County: A Workbook Compilation of Outline Descendants Trees. Everett, Washington: B. Overstreet, 1999. Available at FHL; digital book available at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [Overstreet] Overstreet, Bob. Overstreets from Virginia: Thomas Overstreet (1720-1792) &amp; Agnes: 6 Generations -- Bedford County, Virginia and Westward. Everett, Washington: B. Overstreet, 2001. Available at FHL.
 * [Overstreet] Overstreet, Bob. Overstreets from Virginia: James Overstreet (1740-?) &amp; Frances Eubank (1740-1780); 7 Generations - Bedford County, Virginia and Westward. Everett, Washington: B. Overstreet, 2002. Available at FHL.
 * [Pagan] Shover, Elizabeth Nadine Pagans. The Pagan Family of Franklin and Bedford Counties, Virginia and Allied Families 1745-1996. E.N.P. Shover, 1996.
 * [Parker] See Bright.
 * [Parker] Cox, Helen Goggin. "Who was Robert William Parker?" Bedford Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 2 (May 2008):26-27.
 * [Payne] Wilson, Jerald A. A Compilation of the Joseph and Phoebe Payne Family of Bedford County, Virginia. J. Wilson, 1990.
 * [Payne] Wilson, Jerald. Addendum to Joseph and Phoebe Payne of Bedford County, Virginia.
 * [Pullen] Pullen, William E. Tide-water to Blue Ridge: Pullen-Walker Families of Bedford County, Virginia. Hollywood, Florida: W.E. Pullen, 1977. Available at FHL.
 * [Quarles] See Bright.
 * [Rice] See McGhee.
 * [St. Clair] See Bright.
 * [Saunders] Saunders: The Saunders Family of Bedford County, Virginia. n.p.: n.p., n.d. Available at FHL.
 * [Sharp] Montgomery, Anne Deubery. Sharps of Augusta County, Virginia, Bedford County, Virginia and Three Soldiers of the Revolution Came to Kentucky. San Francisco, California: Ann Deubery Montgomery, 1971. Available at FHL.
 * [Shrewsbury]See Bright.
 * [Taylor] Weber, Anne Taylor. William Taylor of Bedford County, Virginia: Also Burton, Powell. Huntington, West Virginia: A.T. Weber, ?1990. Available at FHL.
 * [Thurman] Crouch, Kenneth E. The Thurman Family: Ancestry of John S. and Bevie Saunders Thurman and Allied Families of Bedford County, Virginia. 1956.
 * [Turner] See Doss and Leftwich.
 * [Vaughn] Anderton, Donna L. Vaughn. "The Vaughn Family of the Peaks of Otter," Museum News: Bedford Museum &amp; Genealogical Library, No. 3 (Fall 2009):3-5.
 * [Vincent] Murphy, Nathan W. Early Families of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Vincent, Wright, McElwain, Wilkins and Jarvis; Historical Information and Sources for more than 2,000 Descendants of Charles Vincent, William Wright, George McElwain, John Wilkins, and John Jarvis, Whose Numerous Progenitors Make Up a Large Portionof the Present Population of Muhlenberg County. Hanson, Kentucky: David W. Murphy &amp; Associates, 1999. Available at FHL; purchase at David W. Murphy Books.
 * [Wade] Arnott, Mary Edith Wade. Wade Family of Virginia - Bedford County: Records, Letters, Notes, Etc. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Walker] See Pullen.
 * [Watts] See Bright.
 * [Wiggenton] See Bright.
 * [Wilkerson] Jordan, Janie Moseley Garraghty. The Descendants of Joseph Wilkerson (12 May 1729-15 March 1829) and Allied Families of Bedford County, Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia: Warwick House, 1995. Available at FHL.
 * [Wilkes] Wilkes, Harry. Letters, Day Books and Records of the Wilkes Family of Bedford County, Virginia, about 1790-1871. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Wood] Snider, Donald A. The Wood Family of Goose Creek, Bedford County, Virginia. D.A. Snider, 2000.
 * [Woodson] Descendants of Dr. John Woodson from England to Virginia in 1619: Jane Woodson Married Ambrose Bramlitt, of Bedford County, Va. in 1768.
 * [Wright] See also Abshire, Burroughs, Cowgill, and Vincent.
 * [Wright] Wright, Jay B. Joseph and Elizabeth Wright of Bedford County, Virginia, and Columbiana County, Ohio. MSS., available at FHL.
 * [Wright] Wright, Pauline Williams. The Wright Book: Worthy Heritage, Enduring Challenge; Being the History of Someof the Descendants of John Wright, 1745-1814, Bedford County, Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1974. Available at FHL.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Untangling Some of the Wrights of Bedford County, Virginia. n.p.: n.p., 1977. Available at FHL.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Marriage Records, Bedford County, Virginia: Revised as of February 3, 1998. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1998. Available at FHL.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Birth Records in Bedford County, Virginia: Revised as of February 3, 1998. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1998. Available at FHL.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Land Records (Surveys, Patent Deeds, Land Grants and Grant Deeds), Bedford County, Virginia: Revised as of September 9, 1998. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1999. Available at FHL; purchase at Heritage Books.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Death, Cemetery and Probate Records, Bedford County, Virginia: Revised as of February 4, 1999. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1999. Available at FHL.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Census Records, Bedford County, Virginia, 1810 to 1900: Revised as of August 31, 1999. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2000. Available at FHL; purchase at Heritage Books.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Records, Personal Property Tax Lists, Bedford County, Virginia 1782 to 1850: Revised as of October 17, 1999. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2000. Available at FHL; purchase at Heritage Books.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Wright Family Records, Land Tax Lists, Bedford County, Virginia, 1782 to 1850: Revised as of December 2, 1999. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2000. Available at FHL; purchase at Heritage Books.
 * [Wright] Grant, Robert N. Sorting Some of the Wrights of Southern Virginia: Part 1: 1763 Thomas Wright of Bedford County, His Wife Mary (_____) Wright, and their Descendants. 6 vols. Menlo Park, California: R.N. Grant, 2003. Available at FHL.

Military

 * Westerlund, John Stephen. "Bedford County, Virginia, 1774-1783: A Study of Participation in the War for Independence." Utah State University, Department of History and Geography, 1977.

Minorities

 * Boyd-Rush, Dorothy A. "Bedford County Register of Free Negroes, 1803-1820," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 45, No. 2 (May 2007):110-122.

Newspapers

 * Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. In addition, 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 this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.
 * Lacy, Carole Field. "Marriages and Deaths Found in Early Bedford Newspapers [Bedford Democrat]," Bedford Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Feb. 2008):3; Vol. 22, No. 2 (May 2008):19; Vol. 23, No. 1 (Feb. 2009); Vol. 23, No. 2 (May 2009):19; Vol. 23, No. 3 (Aug. 2009):35; Vol. 23, No. 4 (Nov. 2009):51.

Probate
Full-view of Rowland D. Buford's Bedford County, Virginia Index of Wills from 1754 to 1830 (New York: William M. Clemens, 1917) at Google Books.

Taxation

 * "Bedford County Tithables, 1764," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 46, No. 2 (May 2008):89-90.
 * Indexed images of the 1789 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Accomack County, Virginia are available online at Binns Genealogy.
 * "Bedford County Insolvents, 1795," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Aug. 2008):203-204.
 * "A List of Lands and Lots Returned as Delinquent in Bedford County," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Nov. 2006):295-30. [Non-payment of taxes before 1820.]

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog