Scott County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

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

Scott County, Virginia Courthouse
Scott County Courthouse Scott Circuit Court 202 West Jackson Street Suite 102 Gate City, VA 24251 Phone: 276-386-3801 Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1853-1895, death records 1853-1892, marriage divorce, probate, court and land records from 1815

Parent County
1814--Scott County was organized 24 November 1814 from Lee, Russell, and Washington Counties. County seat: Gate City

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.


 * Lost census: 1890

Scott County, Virginia Places/Localities

 * Gate City (County Seat)
 * Weber City
 * Duffield
 * Nicklesville
 * Midway

Populated Places and Communities
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:

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 ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American
Freedmen's

Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Va.: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at ; digital version at

Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Scott County.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index

Census
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." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.

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.

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
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.

Genealogy
More than 40 genealogies have been published about Scott County families. To view a list, visit Scott County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

See also: Virginia Compiled Genealogies


 * Addington, Hugh M. Encomium for Scott County Virginia. Nickelsville, Va.: Service Printery, 1951. Digital version at - free. 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 ($) and World Vital Records ($).
 * Chataigne's Gazetteer and Business Directory for Scott County, Virginia, 1888- 89.

Maps

 * Historic Scott County Place Names

General Information

 * Scott County, Virginia Veterans' Memorials

Revolutionary 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 versions at U.S. Census Bureau and 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 from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

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, Scott County, p. 103. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * - 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.

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Private Papers
Virginia,

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [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 — index and images
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1815-1829 - Scott County Marriages 1815-1829 (VAGenWeb) - free


 * 1830-1839 - Scott County Marriages 1830-1839 (VAGenWeb) - free


 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1853-1870 - Scott County Death Index 1853-1870. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1871-1896 - Deaths in Scott County, published on the Scott County Historical Society website - free.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Scott County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Scott County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Scott County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Scott County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * References for Southwest Virginia (Southwest Virginia Project)
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)
 * Scott County Virginia Genealogical Research Site (VAGenWeb). Part of the USGenWeb Project.
 * Cyndi's List
 * Scott County Virginia Faces and Places
 * Scott County Virginia Faces and Places