Scott County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Scott County is located along the Tennessee border in the corner of southwest Virginia and was named after General Winfield Scott.

County Courthouse
Scott County Courthouse 202 West Jackson Street Gate City, VA 24251 Phone: 276-386-3801 Scott County Website Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1853-1895, death records 1853-1892, marriage divorce, probate, court and land records from 1815

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:

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
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 Scott County.]

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 ($). Includes this county.

1900
 * Scott County Census name index for 1900, courtesy of the Scott County Historical Society.

1910
 * Scott County Census name index for 1910, courtesy of the Scott County Historical Society.

1920
 * Scott County Census name index for 1920, courtesy of the Scott County Historical Society.

1930
 * Scott County Census name index for 1920, courtesy of the Scott County Historical Society.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
 * Copper Creek (pre-1800), Nickelsville, Va. Minutes begin in 1807. They have been published: . Membership Lists 1807-1853 are online.

Quaker Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):
 * Maple Spring Monthly Meeting (1807-1813)

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search digital images of Scott County chancery records for the years 1816-1912. Indexed information and originals are available through 1942 - see online catalog or contact Archives Research Services for availability.

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
 * Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Va.: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at.
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Scott County.

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 Scott 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
 * Addington, Hugh M. Encomium for Scott County Virginia. Nickelsville, Va.: Service Printery, 1951. Includes 675 Scott County family names, list of achievements, sample genealogies.

Local Histories

 * Addington, Robert M. History of Scott County, Virginia. Kingsport, Tenn.: Kingsport Press, 1932. Available at (original edition and 1979 reprint); digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Scott County, Virginia Veterans' Memorials

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Chataigne's Gazetteer and Business Directory for Scott County, Virginia, 1888- 89.


 * Historic Scott County Place Names
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War War of 1812 Civil War
 * Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. [Includes Scott 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 version at Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Scott 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.
 * 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, Scott County, p. 103. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
 * 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)
 * Scott County, Virginia Veterans' Memorials

Regiments. Civil War service men in Scott 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:
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company K probably recruited in Scott County.
 * - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Bowen's Virginia Mounted Riflemen) (Confederate). Company A.
 * - 25th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A, Company B, Company C, and Company D.
 * - 37th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Davis Rifle Guards).
 * - 48th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Clinch Mountain Boomers), Company I (Stock Creek Greys), and Company K (Osborne Ford Independents).
 * - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Lee Rifles).
 * - 64th Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry (Confederate). Companies D1, D2, and E2.

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

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

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and 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. Scott 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.]
 * 1816 Kincaid, Bathsheba. "Scott County, Virginia Tax Book for 1816," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall 1985):179-181..
 * 1818 1818 Scott County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.

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 at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1815-1829 Scott County Marriages 1815-1829 (VAGenWeb) - free
 * 1830-1839 Scott County Marriages 1830-1839 (VAGenWeb) - free
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1871-1896 Deaths in Scott County, published on the Scott County Historical Society website - free.
 * 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

 * Bristol Virginia Family History Center
 * Kingsport Tennessee Family History Center
 * Washington County Public Library - Main Library - an affiliate library
 * Washington County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Scott County Historical Society, Inc. 137 East Jackson Street, Box 5 Gate City, VA 24251 Website

Websites

 * Scott County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * References for Southwest Virginia (Southwest Virginia Project)
 * Scott County Virginia Genealogical Research Site (VAGenWeb). Part of the USGenWeb Project.
 * Cyndi's List
 * Scott County Virginia Faces and Places


 * – 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: Scott County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1978):133-136. Available at ; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).