Wythe County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Wythe County





History


The county was named after George Wythe (1726-1806), Virginia signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Parent County
1789--Wythe County was created 1 December 1789 from Montgomery County. County seat: Wytheville

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Wythe County Personal Property Tax List 1802-1820," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives. [Includes information from Wythe County.]

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 Wythe County.]

1890 Union Veterans


 * Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this Wythe County.]

Court

 * Kegley, Mary B. Abstracts of Court Orders of Wythe County, Virginia [1790-1850]. 5 vols. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 1996-2000. Available at FHL.

Genealogy
More than 100 genealogies have been published about Wythe County families. To view a list, visit Wythe County, Virginia Genealogy.

Land
Deeds


 * Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1800 Tax Lists &amp; Abstracts of Deeds (1796-1800) of Wythe County, Virginia. [Springfield, Virginia: N. Schreiner-Yantis], 1971.

Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 976 patents dated 1750-1883 in what is now Wythe County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. 2009. [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 FHL. [Includes Wythe County, Virginia.]

Local Histories

 * Boyd, Charles Rufus. Resources of South-west Virginia: Showing the Mineral Deposits of Iron, Coal, Zinc, Copper and Lead, also the Staples of the Various Counties, Methods of Transportation Access, Etc. New York : J. Wiley, 1881. Available at FHL.
 * Kegley, Mary B. and F.B. Kegley. Early Adventurers on the Western Waters. 5 vols. Orange, Va.: Green Publishers, 1980, 1982 and Wytheville, Va.: Kegley Books, 1995, 1998. Available at FHL.

Maps

 * Hildebrand, John R., F.B. Kegley, Mary B. Kegley and Roanoke Valley Historical Society (Roanoke, Va.) A Settlement Map of Wythe County, Virginia: Giving the Names and Locations of Many of the Early Adventurers in the Territory - From 1745 to 1858. [Roanoke, Virginia]: Roanoke Valley Historical Society, 1974. Available at FHL.

Revolutionary War

 * Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. [Includes Smyth 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, Smyth 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." 973 M24ur; 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, Wythe County, p. 107. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War

 * Douthat, James L. Wythe County, VA, Civil War Records, 1861-1865. 1986. Available at FHL.

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.

Occupations

 * Kegley, Mary B. The Lost Children of Wythe County, Virginia, 1790-1878: Poor School Children, Orphans and Apprentices from County Records. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 1995. Available at FHL.

Periodicals
Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Wythe County, Virginia records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001.

Poor

 * Kegley, Mary B. The Lost Children of Wythe County, Virginia, 1790-1878: Poor School Children, Orphans and Apprentices from County Records. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 1995. Available at FHL.

Private Papers

 * [Carter] Family Records of James Turner Walker and Mourning Carter [ca. 1795-1922]. MSS., microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [Graham] Graham Family Bible Records, 1800-1894. Original records, microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [Raper] Raper Family Bible Records, 1796-1813. Original records, microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [Shepperd] Prosser--Sheppard Family Bible Records, 1795-1901. MSS., microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Wythe County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1981):49-51. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1770-1773] Kegley, Mary B. New River Tithables, 1770-1773. Wytheville, Virginia: M.B. Kegley, 1972. Available at FHL.
 * [1793-1850] Wythe County, Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists, 1793-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.
 * [1793] Personal property tax list, 1793, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin. Johnson City TN: 1977. Vol. 6 Iss. 2.
 * [1793] Weaver, Jeffrey C. The 1793 Wythe County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1793] Images of the 1793 Personal Property Tax List of Wythe County, Virginia are available to browse online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1793] Weaver, Jeffrey C. 1793 Wythe County, Virginia Land Tax List, available online, courtesy: New River Notes.
 * [1793-1800] Murphy, Malita Warden and James L. Douthat. Wythe County, Va. Tax List, 1793-1800. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 1985. Available at FHL.
 * [1800] Indexed images of the 1800 Personal Property Tax List of Wythe County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1800 Tax Lists &amp; Abstracts of Deeds (1796-1800) of Wythe County, Virginia. [Springfield, Virginia: N. Schreiner-Yantis], 1971. Available at FHL.
 * [1802-1820] Heinegg, Paul. "Wythe County Personal Property Tax List 1802-1820," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [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. Wythe 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 FHL. [The source for this publication is a private collection of 1815 tax assessment tickets for the First District of Virginia. The tickets include 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.]

Vital Records
Birth


 * Fowler, Deborah Thompson. Wythe County, Virginia, Vital Records: Births 1853-1859. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2004. Available at FHL.
 * Kegley, Mary B. and Jean Porter Desmaris. Birth Records of Wythe County, Virginia, 1865-1872. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2005. Available at FHL.
 * Desmaris, Jean Porter. Wythe County, Virginia, Vital Records, Births, 1873-1879. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2004. Available at FHL.
 * Moore, Jeraldyne A. Wythe County, Virginia, Vital Records, Births, 1882-1884, Deaths, 1881-1884, 1886, 1888. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2004. Available at FHL.
 * Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association. Wythe County, Virginia, Vital Records, Births 1891-1895. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2005. Available at FHL.

Marriage


 * Hoch, Beverly Repass, Mary B. Kegley, and Janie Dillon. Wythe County, Virginia, Marriages: 1790-1880. 3 vols. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2006-2007. Available at FHL.

Divorce


 * Kegley, Mary B. Divorces of Wythe County, Virginia, 1816-1886. Wytheville, Va.: Kegley Books, 2004. Available at FHL.

Death


 * Moore, Jeraldyne A. and Mary B. Kegley. Wythe County, Virginia, Vital Records, Deaths. [1853-1894] 2 vols. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2004. Available at FHL.
 * Moore, Jeraldyne A. Wythe County, Virginia, Vital Records, Births, 1882-1884, Deaths, 1881-1884, 1886, 1888. Wytheville, Virginia: Wythe County Genealogical and Historical Association, 2004. Available at FHL.
 * Luck, Joyce Shelton. Wythe County, Virginia Annotated Death Records. Chester, Virginia: J.S. Luck, 2008. 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
 * RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)