Greenbrier County, West Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; West Virginia &gt; Greenbrier County



Parent County
1777--Greenbrier County was created 20 October 1777 from Botetourt and Montgomery Counties (Virginia). County seat: Lewisburg

Variant Spellings

 * Greenbriar

Neighboring Counties

 * Alleghany County, Virginia
 * Bath County, Virginia
 * Fayette
 * Monroe
 * Nicholas
 * Pocahontas
 * Summers
 * Webster

Census
For tips on accessing census records online, see Virginia Census.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1820-1850 - Exist, available online and in print:


 * Shuck, Larry G. The Federal Censuses for Greenbrier County, Virginia, 1820, 1830, 1840 and 1850. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1990. Available at FHL.

Church
German Reformed


 * Braun, Johannes, Klaus Wust and Joseph H. Meyerhoeffer. Shenandoah Valley Family Data, 1799-1813: From the Memorandum Book of Pastor Johannes Braun. Edinburg, Va.: Shenandoah History Publishers, 1978. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 K2bjo.

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1976):199-208. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Greenbrier County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on pp. 126-127.]

French and Indian War

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

Revolutionary War

 * 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 et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Greenbrier County on page 134.]
 * 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." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

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 FHL. [Includes a section on Lewisburg silversmiths.]

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1780s-1815] Shuck, Larry G. Greenbrier County (West) Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists: 1782/3, 1786/8, 1792, 1796, 1799, 1805 &amp; 1815. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1990. Available at FHL.
 * [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 FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Greenbrier County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1788] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1976):199-208. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records identify migrants who left the county and often their intended destinations. Greenbrier County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on pp. 126-127.]
 * [1791] Indexed images of the 1791 Personal Property Tax List of Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia) are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1803] Images of the 1803 Personal Property Tax List of Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia) are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1810] Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Greenbrier County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Greenbrier County is included in Vol. 5.]

Vital Records
Birth


 * Shuck, Larry G. Greenbrier County Birth Records, 1853-1899: In Two Volumes; Extracted from County Birth Registers. 2 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1995. Available at FHL.

Death


 * Shuck, Larry G. Greenbrier County Death Records, 1853-1901. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1993. Available at FHL.

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