Tazewell County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Tazewell County lies in the southwest Appalachian area of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named in honor of Senator Henry Tazewell who made the motion to create the county.

County Courthouse
Tazewell County Courthouse 135 Court Street, #300 Tazewell, VA 24651-1081 Phone: 276-385-1563 Tazewell County Website Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1853-1870, marriage probate and land records from 1800 and court records from 1832

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 Henry Tazewell (1753-1799), a Revolutionary War Captain and Virginia politician.

Bible Records

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

Biographies

 * Brock, R.A. Virginia and Virginians: Tazewell County: Eminent Virginians, 1606-1888. Richmond, Va.: H.H. Hardesty, 1888. 1998 reprint: . Online index is available.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Stevenson, John J. "Notes on the Quinnimont Coal Group in Mercer Co. of West Virginia and Tazewell Co. of Virginia Notes on the Quinnimont Coal Group in Mercer Co. of West Virginia and Tazewell Co. of Virginia," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 19, No. 109 (Jun.-Dec. 1881):498-505. Available at JSTOR ($).

Cemeteries

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

Census Records
1790 Lost

1800 Lost

1810 Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.

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. Includes Tazewell County.

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 ($).

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Quaker Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):
 * Bluestone Monthly Meeting (1781-1783)

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records

Chancery Court
 * Indexed images to Tazewell County, Virginia Chancery Records 1800-1920 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, which were often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

County Court
 * "Tazewell County, Virginia, Order Book 1800-1810, Selected Entries," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1971):61-70; Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):121. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

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
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Tazewell 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 Tazewell 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
 * Gose, George B. Pioneers of the Virginia Bluegrass (and Their Descendants). Radford, Va.: Commonwealth Press, n.d. Available.
 * Harman, John Newton. Annals of Tazewell County, Virginia, From 1800 to 1922. 2 vols. 1922-1925. Digital version at Ancestry ($); . Includes genealogies of many early Tazewell County families: Baldwin, Bandy, Barns, Bowen, Chapman, Copenhaver, Coulling, Crockett, Gillespie, Gose, Graham, Graybeal, Greever, Hankins, Harman, Higginbotham, Holmes, Hopkins, Linkous, Litz, Lockhart, Moss, Maxwell, Martin, May, Mays, Moore, McGuire, Peery, Sparks, Stras, Thompson, Ward, Whitley, Williams, Witten, Wohlford-Mustard, Yost, Young, and others.
 * Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. Archives of the Pioneers of Tazewell County, Virginia. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1973. ; Free Lookups Available!

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Grants and Patents
 * Anderson. 699 patents dated 1782-1912 in what is now Russell and Tazewell Counties, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. 2007. Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.
 * Sims, Edgar Barr. Sims Index to Land Grants in West Virginia. [Springfield, Virginia]: Genealogical Books in Print, c1992. Available at . Includes Tazewell County, Virginia.

Local Histories

 * Bickley, George W.L. and J. Allen Neal. History of the Settlement and Indian Wars of Tazewell County, Virginia. Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Print. Co., 1974. Available at.
 * Bundy, Nellie White. Sketches of Tazewell County, Virginia's Early History. Virginia?: Historic Crab Orchard Museum, 1976. Available at.
 * Harman, John Newton. Annals of Tazewell County, Virginia from 1800 to 1922 in Two Volumes. Richmond: W.C. Hill Print. Co., 1922-1925. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Pendleton, William C. History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia, 1748-1920. 4 parts. Richmond, Va.: W.C. Hill Printing Co., 1920. ; digital versions at Ancestry ($), Google Books, FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
Revolutionary War War of 1812
 * Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Includes Tazewell 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, Tazewell 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.
 * Tazewell County, Virginia Soldiers who served in the 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, Tazewell County, p. 106. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Regiments. Tazewell County men served in the 112th 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)

Regiments. Civil War service men in Tazewell 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:
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry, Artillery, and Infantry) (Confederate). Company G probably recruited in Tazewell County.
 * - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company H (Tazewell Troop)
 * - 13th Battalion, Virginia Reserves (Confederate). Company B.
 * - 14th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Company K
 * - 16th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Companies C, F, and I.
 * - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Bowen's Virginia Mounted Riflemen) (Confederate). Company F, Company H, and Company I.
 * - 23rd Battalion, Virginia Infantry Reserves (Confederate). Company C and Company D.
 * - 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company C (McDowell Partisan Rangers) and Company E.
 * - 37th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Dunn's Battalion, Partisan Rangers) (Confederate). Company K.
 * - 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Floyd Guard), Company G (West Augusta Rifles), Company H (Tazewell Rangers), and Company K (Tazewell Boys).
 * - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C.
 * - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company L.

World War I World War II
 * Virginia War History Commission. Virginia World War memorial records, county of Tazewell, 1928-1964
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers
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 the Virginia Gazette and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia.
 * 1887-1922 Clinch Valley News at Chronicling America - free.
 * 2010-present Richlands News-Press at Genealogy Bank ($).

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1832 Images of Wills and Estates. 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
Online Tax Indexes and Records

Bibliography
 * 1801-1820 Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. Archives of the Pioneers of Tazewell County, Virginia. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, c1973..
 * 1802 Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1802 Tazewell County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * 1810Schreiner-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 . The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax lists. Tazewell County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.
 * 1810 Tazewell County, Virginia, 1810 [Personal Property] Tax List. [Signal Mountain, Tennessee?: Mountain Press?, n.d.] Available at.
 * 1810 Tax list, 1810, Southwest Virginian. Norton VA: Feb 1981. Vol. 4 Iss. 19.
 * 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. Tazewell County is included in Vol. 5.

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
 * Compiled Tazewell Co. Birth Index at VAGenWeb

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 ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1800-1949 Compiled Tazewell County Marriage Index at VAGenWeb
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Marriages - Bonds 1801-1845;1845-1853. Virginia Pioneers ($)

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

 * Bristol Virginia Family History Center
 * Pembroke Virginia Family History Center
 * Roanoke Virginia Family History Center


 * Washington County Public Library - Glade Spring Branch - an affiliate library
 * F.B. Kegley Library - an affiliate library
 * Smyth County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Tazewell County Public Library 310 East Main Street PO Box 929 Tazewell, VA 24651 Phone: (276) 988-2541 Fax: (276) 988-5980 Website

Websites

 * VAGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * 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: Tazewell County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1979):218-220. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).