Rockbridge County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Rockbridge County is located in the western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Natural Bridge, one of the wonders of the Western World.

County Courthouse
Rockbridge County Courthouse 20 South Randolph Street Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: 540-463-2232 Rockbridge County Website Clerk Circuit Court has birth records from 1862-1894, death records 1890-1894, marriage, probate, court and land records from 1778 and divorce records from 1833.Some records burned in 1864

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:

History Timeline



 * The county is named after Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

Bible Records

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at . [Includes a section on Lexington silversmiths.]

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Census Records
1885-1940 Indian Census Rolls
 * U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 at Ancestry ($)

1890 Union Veterans
 * Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner..
 * 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes this county.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist Early Baptist churches (with years constituted): Rockbridge County fell within the bounds of the Strawberry Association.
 * 1) Buffaloe

Church of England Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Rockbridge County is available online.

Presbyterian List of people in call for Rev. John Brown, Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1753: online.

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court
 * Indexes (1781-1958) and images (1781-1931) to Rockbridge County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, which were often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Emigration and Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 16 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Rockbridge County.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Rockbridge County Personal Property Tax, 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Rockbridge County.

Indigenous People
 * 1885-1940 U.S., Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940 at Ancestry ($)

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname 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
 * See Rockbridge County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families Dr. George W. Diehl published a series of newspaper articles and other material about local families: The Katherine Bushman Papers, 1961-1997 at the Library of Virginia include files about Rockbridge County families.
 * Driver, Robert J., Bobbie Sue Henry and Angela M. Ruley. Guide to Published Material on the History and Genealogy of Rockbridge County, Virginia and Vicinity. Lexington, Va.: Rockbridge Historical Society, 1997.
 * Rockbridge County, Virginia, Heritage Book, 1778-1997. Rockbridge Baths, Va.: Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society, 1997. 975.5852 H2rc
 * Cooper, Homer C. Cooper, McKemy, Ferrell/Farrell, Wooddell, Gothard, Wilson &amp; Patton Families of Augusta &amp; Rockbridge Counties, Virginia; York &amp; Adams Counties, Pennsylvania; Blount, Knox &amp; Roane Counties, Tennessee; Pocahontas, Gilmer &amp; Ritchie Counties, West Virginia; Wayne County, Kentucky; Vigo &amp; Sullivan Counties, Indiana, York County, South Carolina. Athens, Ga.: H.C. Cooper, 1969.
 * Hamann, Allen G. Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church (the "Old Stone Church"). 1992-1993. and  (Includes compiled genealogies for the Alexander, Bowyer, Brown, Campbell, Caruthers, Copper, Crawford, Cummins, Davis, Donald, Gibson, Goldsby, Goodman, Greene, Hamilton, Henry, Hileman, Hughes, Hyde, Keller, Kinnear, Lackey, Lewis, Lyle, Mackey, McClung, McCown, McCutchan, McGuffin, Richey, Shaw, Somerville, Sterrett, Straub, Stuart, Swink, Taylor, Thompson, Trevy, Wilson, Withers, and Womeldorf families; Includes Muse Cemetery Musings.)
 * Hardesty, H.H. and James S. Presgraves. Rockbridge County and Bath County: Families &amp; History; Reprinted from Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia, Chicago, Etc., 1884. Wytheville, Va.: Bookworm &amp; Silverfish, 2001.
 * Proceedings of the Rockbridge Historical Society. 10 vols. 1939-1989.
 * Diehl, George West and A. Maxim Coppage. Rockbridge County, Virginia Notebook: Compiled from Articles by Dr. George W. Diehl as Published in the News-Gazette, Lexington, Virginia; Additional Charts and Notes Have Been Added, As Well As Surname Index. Utica, Ky.: McDowell Publications, c1982. (Includes genealogical material about the Adams, Arbuckle, Baylor, Beggs, Bell, Blair, Boggs, Borden, Bowyer, Bratton, Brown, Cabell, Calhoun, Cameron, Campbell, Carlile, Caruthers, Clark, Crawford, Davidson, Davis, Doak, Downey, Dunlap, Feemster, Gamble, Gay, Gordon, Grigsby, Hall, Hight, Hite, Kincaid, Lockridge, Long, Lyle, McClure, McCorkle, McCutcheon, McNutt, McPheeters, Mathews, Miller, Mitchell, Moffett, Montgomery, Moore, Noble, Paul, Paxton, Poage, Preston, Ruffner, Smith, Steele, Stephenson, Stuart, Tate, Trimble, Venable, Waddell, Walker, Wallace, and Warwick families.)
 * Diehl, George West and Oxford Presbyterian Church.Old Oxford and Her Families. Verona, Va.: McClure Press, 1971. (Includes compiled genealogies for the Anderson, Campbell, Cunningham, Finley, Hall, Houston, Hutton, Johnston, Lam, Leech, Miller, Montgomery, Moore, Morrison, Patterson, Saville, Steele, Tardy, Tate, and Wilson families.)

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records A historical map is available for Rockbridge County. Hildebrand plots the locations of churches, creeks, etc. from 1778-1865. The Family History Library has a copy:. An early settlers map showing the purchasers of the 92,100 acre grant to Benjamin Borden on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains (1739) is available. The Family History Library has a copy:.

Local Histories

 * Christian, Bolivar. The Scotch-Irish Settlers in the Valley of Virginia: Alumni Address at Washington College at Lexington, Va. Lexington, Va.: The Alumni Association, 1860. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1978):121-130. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Rockbridge County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:123-125.

Military Records
French and Indian War Revolutionary War
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some Rockbridge County veterans; see place name index.
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, militia officers prior to 1816, soldiers of the Revolution, Rockbridge Artillery, soldiers of the World War, and other various lists.
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Rockbridge County on page 136.
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
 * Rockbridge County residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.

Regiments.
 * - 6th Virginia Regiment (6th Company)
 * - Militia 1796 Virginia Pioneers ($)

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. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Rockbridge County, p. 101. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Regiments. Rockbridge County men served in the 8th Regiment. Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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)
 * Muster rolls of companies from Rockbridge Co., Virginia, The Confederate Army 1861-1865.

Regiments. Civil War service men in Rockbridge 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:
 * - 1st Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, Local Defense (Confederate). Company C (1st Rockbridge Dragoons)
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Rockbridge Grays), Company I (Liberty Hall Volunteers), and Company K (Rockbridge Rifles).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Rockbridge Rifles).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company E (Potomac Mounted Riflemen or Valley Mounted Riflemen).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Valley Regulators).
 * - 14th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A (White's Mounted Riflemen), Company C (Valley Cavalry or Rangers) and Company H (Second Rockbridge Dragoons).
 * - 20th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Companies I and K.
 * - 25th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Heck's) (Confederate). Company B (Rockbridge Guards).
 * - 26th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.
 * - 27th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) . Company E (Greenbrier Rifles aka Lewisburg Rifles) and Company H (2nd) (Rockbridge Rifles).
 * - 52nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies B1 (Fairfield McDowell Guards), E, and K.
 * - 58th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Kerr's Creek Confederates).

World War I World War II
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, militia officers prior to 1816, soldiers of the Revolution, Rockbridge Artillery, soldiers of the World War, and other various lists.
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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.
 * 1801-1805 Rockbridge Repository (Lexington, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1898-1912 Lexington Gazette at Chronicling America - free.

Other Records
Private Papers
 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * Clemens, William M. Virginia Wills Before 1799: A Complete Abstract Register of All Names Mentioned in Over Six Hundred Recorded Wills, ... Copied from the Court House Records of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Loudoun, Prince William and Rockbridge Counties. Pompton Lakes, N.J.: Biblio Co., 1924. Fiche 6015628-6015629;  digital versions at Access Genealogy; Ancestry ($). Mountain Press provides online surname list.
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
 * 1778-1792 Abstracts Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1797-1806 Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1806-1811 Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1778-1796 Online Images of Wills, Deeds, Estates (no index). Virginia Pioneers ($)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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

 * 1778 Tithables of 1778. Online at: Internet Archive, Genealogy Trails.
 * 1778-1779  "Rockbridge County, Virginia Tithable Lists, 1778-79," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct. 1974):307-310; Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1975):55-58; Vol. 19, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1975):97-100. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * 1782  1782 Tax List. Online at: Genealogy Trails.
 * 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 Digital Library, - images. 1782 personal property tax list of Rockbridge County.
 * 1782-1821  Heinegg, Paul. "Rockbridge County Personal Property Tax, 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 1782-1850 Personal property tax lists, 1782-1850. Online at: - images.
 * 1782-1925 Personal property tax lists. Available on microfilm at Library of Virginia
 * 1782-1926 Land tax records. Available on microfilm at Library of Virginia
 * 1783  Personal Property Tax List, 1783, In and Around Rockbridge. Rockbridge Baths VA: Summer 1994. Vol. 1 Iss. 3 [A-C surnames]; Fall 1994. Vol. 1 Iss. 4 [C-F surnames]; Winter 1994. Vol. 2 Iss. 1 [F-G surnames]; Spring 1995. Vol. 2 Iss. 2 [G-H surnames]; Summer 1995. Vol. 2 Iss. 3 [H-J surnames]; Fall 1995. Vol. 2 Iss. 4 [J-L surnames]; Spring 1996. Vol. 3 Iss. 2 [M surnames]; Fall 1996. Vol. 3 Iss. 4 [M surnames]; Winter 1997. Vol. 4 Iss. 1 [M surnames]; Spring 1997. Vol. 4 Iss. 2 [M-R surnames]; Fall 1997. Vol. 4 Iss. 4 [R-T surnames]; Winter 1998. Vol. 5 Iss. 1 [T-V surnames]; Summer 1998. Vol. 5 Iss. 3 [W surnames].
 * 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. Rockbridge County is included in Vol. 2.
 * 1787  Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1978):121-130. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Rockbridge County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:123-125.
 * 1802-1814  Tax Digests at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 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. Rockbridge County is included in Vol. 5.
 * 1841 1841 Taxpayers. Online at: Genealogy Trails.
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive. Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, and other various lists.

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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 ($)
 * 1785-1793 Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Includes marriages performed by Rev. John Brown 1785-1793.
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1851-1885 Virginia Marriages 1851-1885 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

Family History Centers

 * Buena Vista Virginia Family History Center
 * Lexington Virginia Family History Center
 * Waynesboro Virginia Family History Center
 * Jefferson Madison Regional Library - Nelson Memorial Branch - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society
 * Central Virginia Genealogical Association

Websites

 * Rockbridge Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.


 * – 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

 * Bodie, Charles A. Rockbridge County, Virginia, Manuscripts: A Guide to Collections in the United States. Lexington, Va.: Rockbridge Historical Society, 1998. 975.5852 H23r
 * Driver, Robert J., Bobbie Sue Henry and Angela M. Ruley. Guide to Published Material on the History and Genealogy of Rockbridge County, Virginia and Vicinity. Lexington, Va.: Rockbridge Historical Society, 1997. 975.5852 D23g