Lee County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Lee County





Parent County
1792--Lee County was created 25 October 1792 from Russell County. County seat: Jonesville

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1800, 1810, 1890

Neighboring Counties

 * Bell County, Kentucky
 * Claiborne County, Tennessee
 * Hancock County, Tennessee
 * Harlan County, Kentucky
 * Scott
 * Wise

African American

 * 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 Lee County.]

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

1790 - See Parent County.

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

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

1830


 * Simmons, Don. Lee County, Virginia, Census of 1830. [Virginia?]: D. Simmons, 1976. Available at FHL; digital version at World Vital 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 Lee County.]

1890 Union Veterans' Census


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

Family Histories
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]

General


 * Bicentennial Book Committee et al. Bicentennial History of Lee County, Virginia 1792-1992. n.p.: Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society and Don Mills, 1992. 975.5735 H2b
 * Laningham, Anne Wynn and Hattie Byrd Muncy Bales. Early Settlers of Lee County, Virginia and Adjacent Counties. 2 vols. Greensboro, N.C.: Media, Inc., 1977. 975.5735 D2L v. 1
 * Lockwood, Frances B. and Hattie Byrd Muncy Bales. Annotations, Corrections and Additions to Early Settlers of Lee County, Virginia and Adjacent Counties. 1978. 975.5735 D2L v. 2 supp

Bibliography


 * [Ball] Hoskins, William Woodson. John Ball of Lee County, Virginia and His Descendants: Bell County, Kentucky - Harlan County, Kentucky. Radford, Va.: Commonwealth Press, 1975. 929.273 B21h
 * [Garrett] Garrett, Hester Elizabeth. A Book of Garretts. Supplement Number Three: This Book Has Corrected and Added Information on Descendants of John and Susannah Garrott of Amelia County, Virginia. It Has Also Some Information on Garretts of Lee County, Va. and of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania ...Utica, Ky.: McDowell Publications, 1983. 929.273 G192g supp. 3
 * [Spencer] Kelly, Margaret J. Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors: An Examination of Genealogical Records Concerning Joseph Spencer of Lee County, Virginia. Arvada, Colo.: M.J. Spencer, 2004. 921.73 Sp33k
 * [Sybert] Michaels, Elizabeth Henderson and John Henry Sybert. The Sybert Family of Lee County, Virginia. Morganton, N.C.: E.L. Michaels, 1992. 929.273 Sy14m

Local Histories

 * Historical Facts of Lee County, Virginia. Pennington Gap, Va.: Pennington High School, 1930. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Revolutionary War

 * Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FHL. [Includes Lee 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, Lee County on page 135.]

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, Lee County, p. 87. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

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.

Periodicals
Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Lee 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.

Private Papers

 * Bell, Annie W.B. Southwest Virginia Historical Records: Family Bible Records of the People Living in Lee County, Virginia Adjoining Historical Cumberland Gap, Tennessee One Year Before the Civil War Began, During which the Families were Separated, Many Never to Meet Again, as Taken from the 1860 Census of the United States ... 195-?. FHL US/CAN Access Services Window 6015650-6015655.

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?

The original Lee County Personal Property Tax Lists are held at the Library of Virginia. The Family History Library has acquired microfilms the Library of Virginia made for the years 1795-1850: FHL US/CAN Films 2024603-2024604.

The original Lee County Land Tax Lists are held at the Library of Virginia. The Family History Library does not have microfilm copies of these records, but has acquired abstracts for select years published in genealogical journals.

Lee County is also fortunate in being part of the First Tax District whose detailed 1815 records survive in the Kincade Private Papers. The Family History Library has acquired a microfilm copies of these records from the Library of Virginia: FHL US/CAN Film 1993745 Item 1 and FHL US/CAN Film 1993745 Item 2. These records were also abstracted, published, and indexed by Kegley (see below).


 * [1799] Indexed images of the 1799 Personal Property Tax List of Lee County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1799] Indexed images of the 1799 Land Tax List of Lee County, Virginia is available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1806] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1806 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Summer 1986):129-130; Vol. 5, No. 3 (Fall 1986):195-198. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 5 (1986).
 * [1807] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1807 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Fall 1986):198-199; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter 1986):263-267. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 5 (1986).
 * [1809] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1809 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Spring 1987):33-34; Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1987):120-123; Vol. 6, No. 3 (Fall 1987):191-192. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 6 (1987).
 * [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. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 R4s. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Lee County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
 * [1810] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1810 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 1987):120-123; Vol. 6, No. 3 (Fall 1987):192-193; Vol. 6, No. 4 (Winter 1987):276-277; Vol. 7, No. 1 (Spring 1988):61-62; Vol. 7, No. 3 (Fall 1988):190-192. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 6 (1987) ff.
 * [1812] Kincaid, Bathsheba W. "Lee County, Virginia 1812 Land Tax Book," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Fall 1989):169-175. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 8 (1989).
 * [1815] Kincaid, Bathsheba. "Lee County, Virginia Tax Book for 1815," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Fall 1985):175-176. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 4 (1985).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. FHL US/CAN Book 975 E4w v. 5. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Lee 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: FHL US/CAN Book 975.57R4k and FHL US/CAN Book 975.57R4k supp. [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.]

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)