Wise County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Wise County Southwest Virginia county.

County Courthouse
Wise County Courthouse 206 East Main Street P.O. Box 1248 Room 245 Wise, VA 24293 276-328-6111

Circuit Clerk has marriage and div records

from 1856

Probate and Land Records

History


The county is named after Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise (1806-1876), who was in office at the time of Wise County's organization. He later served as a Confederate States Army General during the Civil War.

Parent County
1856--Wise County was created 16 February 1856 from Lee, Russell, and Scott Counties. County seat: Wise

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Neighboring Counties
Resources Biographies Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Some Sandy Basin Characters. Clintwood, Va.: Hettie Sutherland, 1962. 1985 reprint available at .  Cemeteries Adams, James Taylor (1892-1954). Wise County Historical Inventory: Family Burying Grounds. St. Louis, Mo.: R.R. Seibel and D.A. Griffith, 1971. Available at . Ben Bolling Cemetery, Flat Gap, Wise Co., VA Kilgore, Paul. Butcher's Fork, American Legion, Skeen's Ridge and Back Valley Cemeteries of Wise County, Virginia. [West Virginia]: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), [1997?]. Available at <span class="fck_mw_template">. </li>Kilgore, Paul. Powell Valley Memorial Gardens: Located in Beautiful Powell Valley, Wise County, VA. Wise, Va.: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), 2003. Available at <span class="fck_mw_template">. </li></ul> Census <span class="fck_mw_template"> <span class="fck_mw_template"> 1860 Agriculture Census Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1860 Agriculture Census of Wise County, Virginia. Clintwood, Va.: Mullins Printing, 1992. Available at <span class="fck_mw_template">. </li></ul> 1890 Union Veterans Turner, Ronald Ray. <a href="http://www.pwcvabooks.com/documents/VirginiaCivilWarVets.doc">Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890</a>. Available online, courtesy: <a href="http://www.pwcvabooks.com/index.htm">Prince William County Virginia</a> website. [Includes residents of this county.] </li></ul> Church Court Chancery Court Indexes (1855-1925) and images (1855-1912) to Wise County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through <a href="http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/chancery/">Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index</a>. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information. </li></ul> Genealogy More than 25 genealogies have been published about Wise County families. To view a list, visit <a href="Wise County, Virginia Genealogy">Wise County, Virginia Genealogy</a>. Land Local Histories Johnson, Charles A. A Narrative History of Wise County, Virginia. Norton, Va.: Norton Press, 1938. Reprint edition, The Overmountain Press, 1988. <span class="fck_mw_template"> ; digital version at <a href="http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=30038">Ancestry</a> ($); and <a href="http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdva3017_wise">World Vital Records</a> ($). <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/Wise_County_Virginia.html?id=6RyGQfOhl18C">Google Books</a> page. </li>Wise County: Her Industries, Resources and Prominent Men. Norton, Va.: n.p., 1920. <span class="fck_mw_template"> ; digital version at <a href="http://search.ancestryinstitution.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=10410">Ancestry</a> ($). </li></ul> Maps Military 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. <span class="fck_mw_template"> 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=t7oqAAAAMAAJ">Google Books</a> and <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/listpensionerso02buregoog">Internet Archive</a>. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Wise County, p. 107. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.] </li></ul> Civil War Virginia, Civil War <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1932382">Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865</a> Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers 1861-1865 Virginia, The Civil War in Wise County, Virginia: 1861-1865. Wise, VA: Wise County Historical Society, 2004. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/civil-war-in-wise-county-virginia-1861-1865/oclc/55613219&amp;referer=brief_results">WorldCat</a> page. Gobble, Lillian and Rhonda Robertson. Between Brothers: Civil War Soldiers of Wise &amp; Dickenson County [Virginia]. [Big Stone Gap, Va.: L. Gobble &amp; R. Robertson, 200-?]. <span class="fck_mw_template"> </li></ul> Naturalization  Virginia <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1877093">Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929</a> Newspapers The Big Stone Gap Post, Big Stone Gap, VA, 1892-1928. (<a href="http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88061179/">Chronicling America</a> at the Library of Congress) </li><li>The Big Stone Post, Big Stone Gap., VA, 1890-1892. (<a href="http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87060150/">Chronicling America</a> at the Library of Congress) </li><li><a href="http://www.cvtimes.com/">Clinch Valley Times</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.thecoalfieldprogress.com/">The Coalfield Progress, The Dickenson Star, and The Post</a> </li><li>Meade, Angie Bell. A Collection of Obituaries and Other Published Death Notices: Mostly of Russell, Scott and Wise Counties of Virginia, a Few Other Counties, Some Out-of-state: Most Collections Before 1940. Wise, Va.: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), [2000?]. <span class="fck_mw_template"> </li><li><a href="http://www.newspaperobituaries.net/virginia/wise-county-obituaries.htm">Wise County, Virginia Obituaries</a> (NewspaperObituaries.net) </li></ul> Private Papers  Virginia, <a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1932510">Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007</a><a href="https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/show#uri=http://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1932510">Probate</a> Research Guides <ul><li>"A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Wise County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1980):204-206. Available at <a href="http://www.americanancestors.org/search.aspx?Ca=098&amp;Da=285">New England Ancestors</a> ($). </li></ul> Taxation <a href="Virginia Tax Lists">How can Virginia tax lists help me?</a> <ul><li>[1857] Weaver, Jeffrey C. <a href="http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/wise1857.htm">The 1857 Wise County, Virginia Land Tax List (Surnames A through M only)</a>, available online, courtesy: <a href="http://www.newrivernotes.com/">New River Notes</a>. </li></ul> Vital Records <span class="fck_mw_template"> Birth <ul><li>Wise Co., Va., Births, 1867-1871, MSS., James Taylor Adams Collection, Box 68. St. Louis, Mo.: R.R. Seibel and D.A. Griffith, 1971. Microfilmed reproduction: <span class="fck_mw_template"> </li></ul> Death <ul><li>Kilgore, Paul and Fred Harry King Funeral Home. Death Records, Fred H. King Funeral Home, 1927-1935. Wise, Va.: Wise County Historical Society (Va.), [1999?]. <span class="fck_mw_template"> </li><li>Robertson, Rhonda. The Wise County, Virginia Death Register 1856-1894. [Wise, Virginia]: Wise County Historical Society (VA), [200-?]. <span class="fck_mw_template"> </li></ul>

Societies and Libraries

 * Wise County Historical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * Lumbee Indians and Goins Family: Wise County, VA Early Records
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)
 * Wise Co., VA (RootsWeb)
 * Wise Co., VA Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Wise County Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Wise County, Virginia (government, tourism, etc.)
 * Wise County, Virginia (Wikipedia)
 * Wise County, Virginia History, Genealogy (New River Notes)
 * Wise County, Virginia Genealogical Research Site (VA GenWeb)
 * Wise County, Virginia Genealogy Links (GenealogyLinks.net)
 * Wise County, Virginia Genealogy Trails
 * Cyndi's List
 * Learning How to Edit our Wiki Sites
 * Wise County Family History Hall of Fame "May we preserve their memories &amp; Contributions!"
 * Help us find Historians and Genealogist
 * Help us find Historians and Genealogist