Buchanan County, Virginia Genealogy

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



Description
Buchanan County is located in the southwestern area of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the only county to border West Virginia and Kentucky. The county was named after the 15th U.S. President, James Buchanan.

County Courthouse
Buchanan County Courthouse 1012 Walnut Street P.O. Box 929 Grundy, VA 24614 Phone: 276-935-6567 Buchanan County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1885.

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 was named after President James Buchanan (1791-1868), who was in office at the time of the county's formation.

Bible Records

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

Cemeteries

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

Census Records
1860 Agricultural Census
 * The 1860 Agriculture Ceneus [sic] of Buchanan County, Virginia. 1992. By Jeffrey C. Weaver. Clintwood, Virginia : Mullins Printing. Available at.

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Funeral Homes

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

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Buchanan County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a few published books and Articles.

Compiled genealogies for multiple families
 * Atkins, Oscar T. Buchanan County, Virginia, Families 1860. Williamson, West Virginia: East Kentucky/Southern W.Va. Family Records, 1997. ["Taken in part from the federal census of Buchanan County, Virginia, for 1860, ... and from tax lists, from other census records, marriage records, and from the library and files of the compiler."--T.p.]
 * Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Some Sandy Basin Characters. 1962; reprint, Clintwood, Va.: Hettie Sutherland, 1985.
 * Early Southwest Virginia Families: Families of Kelly, Smyth, Buchanan, Clark and Related Families of Edmondson, Keys, Beattie, Ryburn, McDonald. 1960. By Elizabeth Kelly Allison. Ann Arbor, MI : Edwards Brothers, Inc. Online at: Hathitrust.

Local Histories

 * Looking Back One Hundred Years, a Brief Story of Buchanan County and Its People. 1979. By Hannibal Albert Compton. Knightstown, Indiana : Bookmark..
 * The Forests of Buchanan County, Virginia. 1918. By W. G. Schwab. Charlottesville, Virginia : Office of State Forester, University of Virginia. Online at: Hathitrust, Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
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... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Buchanan County, p. 65.

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)

Civil War service men in Buchanan 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:
 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (State Line) (Confederate)
 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry) (Confederate). Company D, likely Company I.
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (State Line) (Confederate)
 * - 7th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 14th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Companies C, F, G, H, and I
 * - 21st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Bowen's Virginia Mounted Riflemen) (Confederate). Company B.
 * - 29th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F.
 * - 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company C and Company E.
 * - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 64th Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry (Confederate). Company F2.
 * - French's Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)

World War II
 * 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

Probate Records

 * 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)

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

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

 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($).
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index ; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * Deaths are online in the Library of Virginia's Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, sponsored by The Virginia Genealogical Society.
 * 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Early Deaths, Buchanan County, Virginia, 1858-1896. 1990. By Jesse Stewart. Grundy, Virginia : J. Stewart. Available at.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Family History Centers

 * Bristol Virginia Family History Center
 * Pembroke Virginia Family History Center
 * Smyth County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Washington County Public Library - multiple locations - an affiliate library.

Websites

 * Buchanan Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Cyndi's List


 * – 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

 * A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Buchanan County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1962):81-82. CD available at: American Ancestors ($).