Washington County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Washington County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Description
Washington County lies in the Southwest Appalachian area of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named in honor of General George Washington who was commander in chief of the American Revolutionary forces at the time.

Washington County, Virginia Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 216 Park Street Abingdon, Virginia 24210-3312 Phone: 540-628-8733

In 1974 nine square miles of Washington County were annexed to the City of Bristol, which is an independent city with its own clerks office and records. Circuit Court Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1777

See also Independent City of Bristol.

Washington County, Virginia History
The county was named after George Washington (1732-1799), who later became President.

Parent County
1776--Washington County was created 7 October 1776 from Fincastle County. Fincastle County was formed from Botetourt County in 1772, and was abolished in 1777. See Montgomery County. County seat: Abingdon

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1864 Courthouse was burned on 15 December 1864, destroying many loose papers and minute books from the periods 1787-1819 and 1821-1837.


 * Lost federal censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

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:

African American

 * Freedmen's Bureau
 * Free black tithables, brief lists, 1804, 1806, Pastmaster Journal of the Mountain Empire. Bristol VA: Jan 2004.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Washington County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List 1806-1819," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Hockett, Jack. Washington County Virginia (WCV) Personal Property Tax List (PPTL): D.A.P. Campbell: 1862 Property End. Jno. Burwell (Upper District), available online, courtesy: New River Notes. [Includes a list of free negroes over the age of 12.]
 * Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Va.: Kegley Books, 2003. ; digital version at
 * Lowrey, J.K. Washington County Virginia (WCV) 1852 Personal Property Tax List (PPTL): Upper District, available online, courtesy: New River Notes. [Includes a list of free negroes over the age of 12.]
 * Personal property tax list, 1845, coloreds, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 2001. Vol. 19 Iss. 75.
 * Tax book, 1861, free negroes, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 1990. Vol. 8 Iss. 31.

Bible Records

 * [Hunt] Family Bible Records [1793-1906] of George Hunt. MSS. Copy:.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index
 * McConnell, Catherine S. High on a Windy Hill. 2 vols. Abingdon, Va.: Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia, 1968, 1995, 2000. ; Free Lookups Available!
 * Montgomery, Mary Alice Hurt. Cemetery Census for Hawkins County, Tennessee, Sullivan County, Tennessee and Washington County, Virginia. Kingsport, Tenn.: M.A.H. Montgomery, [2002?]..

Census
1840


 * Douthat, James L. 1840 Mountain Empire of Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. 975.5 X2d 1840. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. [Includes Washington County.]

1850

Barbe and Edwards annotated the 1850 census using county records, tombstone inscriptions, family Bibles, Jessee H. Miller's diary, and other censuses:


 * Barbe, Waverly W. and Shelby Ireson Edwards. 1850 Census of Washington County, Virginia, Annotated. Bristol, Tenn.: Holston Territory Genealogical Society, 2000.

1890 Union Veterans


 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Mill Creek Valley (1799)
 * 2) North Fork of Holston (1783)
 * 3) Rich Valley (1802)
 * 4) South Fork of Holston or St. Clair's Bottom (1791), Cilhowie, Va. Membership lists (beginning in 1791) and a history were published in the Appalachian Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Dec. 2005). This area is now part of Smyth County, Virginia.

In 1810 Washington County fell within the bounds of the Holston and Mountain Associations. It later belonged to the Washington District Association.


 * Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Regular Primitive Baptist Washington District Association: Short History, Abstract of Principles, Preamble and Constitution, Rules of Decorum, Other Data. 1952. 1985 edition:.

Court

 * Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search Washington County chancery records for the years 1849-1913. Records are available on microfilm and the Clerk's Office.

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Washington County, Virginia residents. FamilySearch has not independently verified the lineages of those tested.


 * [Fletcher] Multiple descendants of Drury Fletcher, d. 1817 Washington County, Virginia. Y-DNA 12 and 37 Marker Tests, FTDNA. Genetic signatures available online (labelled William Fletcher of Accomac County, Virginia/James Fletcher of Brunswick County, Virginia), courtesy: The Fletcher DNA Project.
 * [Fletcher] Multiple descendants of Vardaman Fletcher, b. c1760, m. 1797 Washington County, Virginia. Y-DNA 12, 25, and 37 Marker Tests, FTDNA. Genetic signature available online (labelled William Fletcher of Accomac County, Virginia/James Fletcher of Brunswick County, Virginia), courtesy: The Fletcher DNA Project.

Genealogy
More than 175 genealogies have been published about Washington County families. To view a list, visit Washington County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

See also: Virginia Compiled Genealogies

Gordon Aronhime (1911-1983) collected information on hundreds of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee pioneers. His note cards, which reference more than 4,000 early settlers of the Holston-Clinch River area and East Tennessee (1770s-1790s), are held at the Library of Virginia. The cards have been digitized and made available online.

An Index to Family Files at the Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia Library in Abingdon is available online.

Compiled genealogies that treat multiple Washington County families include:


 * Allison, Elizabeth Kelly. Early Southwest Virginia Families: Families of Kelly, Smyth, Buchanan, Clark and Related Families of Edmonson, Keys, Beattie, Ryburn, McDonald. Auburn, Ala., 1960.
 * Holston Territory Genealogical Society. Families of Washington County and Bristol, Virginia, 1776-1996. Bristol, Va.: Holston Territory Genealogical Society and Don Mills, 1996. 975.572 D2f
 * 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, Va.: G.K. Blankenship, 2000. ; digital version at - free.

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 3 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Abingdon and Washington County.

Early migration routes to and from Washington County for European settlers included:


 * Great Indian Warpath pre-historic
 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Great Valley Road about 1744 (overlapped the Great Indian Warpath)
 * Wilderness Road 1775

Local Histories

 * Creigh, Alfred. History of Washington County from Its First Settlement to the Present Time: First Under Virginia as Yohogania, Ohio, or Augusta County Until 1781, and Subsequently Under Pennsylvania: With Sketches of All the Townships, Boroughs, and Villages, Etc.: And to Which is Added a Full Account of the Celebrated Mason and Dixon's Line, the Whiskey Insurrection, Indian Warfare, Traditional and Local Historical Events. Harrisburg, Pa.: B. Singerly, printer, 1871, c1870. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). (Note that this is a history of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and is not about Washington County, Virginia.)
 * Publications of the Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia [Nos. 1-18]. Abingdon, Virginia, 1964.
 * Summers, Lewis Preston. History of Southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870. J.L.Hill Print Co., 1903. Available at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); ; and Google Books. Index at EveryNameIndex.com - free.

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. [Identifies some Washington County veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

 * Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. [Includes Washington 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 versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books. 1967 reprint: . [See Virginia, Western District, Wythe County on page 136.]
 * 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." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Washington County men served in the 70th and 105th Regiments.


 * 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. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Washington County, p. 106-107. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 3rd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles (Confederate). Company F.
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company I (2nd).
 * - 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Company K.
 * - 9th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Company K.
 * - 13th Battalion, Virginia Reserves (Confederate). Companies C, F, and I.
 * - 21st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company C 2nd and Company F.
 * - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Bowen's Virginia Mounted Riflemen) (Confederate). Company A, Company C, and Company E.
 * - 30th Battalion, Virginia Sharpshooters (Clarke's) (Confederate). Company E.
 * - 37th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Goodson Rifle Guards), Company B (Virginia Mountain Boys), Company F (Glade Spring Rifles), Company H (King's Mountain Rifles), and Company K (Washington Dependents).
 * - 48th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Mountain Marksmen), Company F (Holston Foresters), and Company G (Campbell Greys).
 * - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (1st) (Floyd Blues).
 * - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company I.
 * - 63rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (McMahon's) (Confederate). Companies A, B, E, F, and I.

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. 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.


 * 1868-1882 - Bristol News at Chronicling America - free.

Periodicals
Bulletin of the Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia

Digital version at - free.

Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Washington County, Virginia records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has a complete collection, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002).

Private Papers
Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007


 * Davis--Hatfield--Parkey Family Bible Records, 1779-1919. Kentucky Bible and Cemetery Records / Genealogical Records Committee, Kentucky Society D.A.R. leaves 255-260;.

Probate Records
Online Probate Links


 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete,
 * Images of Wills, Estates, Deeds 1771 – 1791; 1791 – 1806; 1806 – 1812. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Washington County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1980):58-60. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?

Bibliography


 * [1782-1805] Washington County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1805 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * [1782] "Tithables in Washington County, Virginia, in 1782," Publications (The Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia). Series 2, No. 7 (Winter-Spring 1968-1969), No. 8 (Jul. 1970) and No. 9 (Jul. 1971). Available at.
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1782 personal property tax list of Washington County.]
 * [1782] Personal Property Tax List, 1782, Tazewell County Historical Society Newsletter. Tazewell VA: Jun 1996. Vol. 9 Iss. 2.
 * [1782] Personal Property Tax List, 1782, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 1992. Vol. 10 Iss. 39.
 * [1782] "Washington County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists - 1782," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Summer 1985):124-127. . [Abstracted from The Sutherland Collection.]
 * [1782] Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1782 Washington County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1783] - Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
 * [1784] Personal property tax list, 1784, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Dec 1992. Vol. 11 Iss. 41.
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Washington County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1788, 1797] Images of the 1788 and 1797 Personal Property Tax Lists of Washington County, Virginia are available to browse online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1791] Tax list, c. 1791, Hart County Historical Society Quarterly. Munfordville KY: Summer 2005.
 * [1797] Tithables, 1797, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Dec 1993. Vol. 12 Iss. 2; Mar 1994. Vol. 12 Iss. 3; Jun 1994. Vol. 12 Iss. 4; Sep 1994. Vol. 13 Iss. 1; Dec 1994. Vol. 13 Iss. 2; Mar 1995. Vol. 13 Iss. 50.
 * [1804, 1806] Free black tithables, brief lists, 1804, 1806, Pastmaster Journal of the Mountain Empire. Bristol VA: Jan 2004.
 * [1806] Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1806 Washington County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1806-1819] Heinegg, Paul. "Washington County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List 1806-1819," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Washington 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 . [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.]
 * [1845] Personal property tax list, 1845, coloreds, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 2001. Vol. 19 Iss. 75.
 * [1845] Personal property tax list, 1845, Upper District, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Mar 2001. Vol. 19 Iss. 3.
 * [1845] Personal property tax list, 1845, Ha-Wh, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 2001. Vol. 19 Iss. 75.
 * [1852] Lowrey, J.K. Washington County Virginia (WCV) 1852 Personal Property Tax List (PPTL): Upper District, available online, courtesy: New River Notes. [Includes a list of free negroes over the age of 12.]
 * [1861] Tax book, 1861, free negroes, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 1990. Vol. 8 Iss. 31.
 * [1862] Hockett, Jack. Washington County Virginia (WCV) Personal Property Tax List (PPTL): D.A.P. Campbell: 1862 Property End. Jno. Burwell (Upper District), available online, courtesy: New River Notes. [Includes a list of free negroes over the age of 12.]
 * [1868] Hockett, Jack. Washington County Virginia (WCV) Personal Property Tax List (PPTL), 1868, Upper District), available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1870] Supplement to Saltville District, 1870, labor and tax, 1872-1873, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Dec 2002. Vol. 21 Iss. 81.
 * [1870] Hockett, Jack. 1870 Personal Property Tax List (PPTL), Washington County Virginia (WCV): Upper District), available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1871] Hockett, Jack. Washington County VA Personal Property Tax List, Saltville Township, 1871), available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1872-1873] Hockett, Jack. A Supplement to the 1870 Census of Washington Co.VA, Saltville District: List of Labor &amp; Tax 1872 &amp; 1873, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1883] Hockett, Jack. Washington County, VA (WCV) Personal Property Tax List (PPTL), 1883; Upper District: John D. Blackwell, Commissioner of the Revenue, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1883] Hockett, Jack, 1883 Washington County, VA Personal Property Tax List, Lower District: Thomas P. Hendricks, Commissioner of the Revenue - free.
 * [1887] Hockett, Jack. 1887 Washington County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List: Upper District: John D. Blackwell, Comr. Rev. - free.
 * [1903-1906] Poll tax lists, 1903-6, Saltville dist., Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Sep 1998. Vol. 17 Iss. 1; Dec 1998. Vol. 17 Iss. 65; Mar 1999. Vol. 17 Iss. 3; Jun 1999. Vol. 17 Iss. 4; Sep 1999. Vol. 18 Iss. 1; Dec. 1999. Vol. 18 Iss. 2; Mar 2000. Vol. - Iss. 70.
 * [1906] Tax list, 1906, Ab-Sc, Holston Pastfinder. Bristol VA: Jun 1998. Vol. 16 Iss. 4.

Birth

 * 1853-1892 - Washington County Birth Index 1853-1892. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1889-1896 - Fridley, Beth, comp. Washington County, Virginia Births, 1889-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Available at Ancestry ($).


 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1782-1820 - Washington County Marriage Register, 1782-1820 (VAGenWeb) - free.


 * 1782-1820 - Fleet, Beverley. Washington County Marriage Register, 1782-1820. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1785-1902 - Washington County Marriage Index 1785-1902. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1801-1820 - Barbe, Waverly. "Washington County, Virginia, Mc Marriages, 1801-1820," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1976):130-132. Available at American Ancestors ($).


 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1853-1861 - Washington County, Virginia Deaths 1853-1861 (VAGenWeb) - free.


 * 1853-1892 - Washington County Death Index 1853-1892. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Beth Fridley has published abstracts of the following Washington County death records online at Ancestry:


 * Washington County, Virginia Deaths, 1853-85 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($). 
 * Washington County, Virginia Deaths, 1886-96 [database on-line]. Available at Ancestry ($).

Washington County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Bristol Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Bristol Virginia Family History Center

Washington County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Washington County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Washington County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * References for Southwest Virginia (Southwest Virginia Project)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)
 * Cyndi's List
 * RamblingRoots (Pioneer Families of Washington Co., Virginia)
 * RamblingRoots (Pioneer Families of Washington Co., Virginia)