Rockbridge County, Virginia Genealogy

United States   Virginia    Rockbridge County

Southwest Virginia county.





History


The county is named after Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

Parent County
1777--Rockbridge County was created 20 October 1777 from Augusta and Botetourt Counties. County seat: Lexington

Record Loss

 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Research Guides

 * Bodie, Charles A. Rockbridge County, Virginia, Manuscripts: A Guide to Collections in the United States. Lexington, Va.: Rockbridge Historical Society, 1998. 975.5852 H23r
 * Driver, Robert J., Bobbie Sue Henry and Angela M. Ruley. Guide to Published Material on the History and Genealogy of Rockbridge County, Virginia and Vicinity. Lexington, Va.: Rockbridge Historical Society, 1997. 975.5852 D23g

African American

 * Heinegg, Paul. "Rockbridge County Personal Property Tax, 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Census
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 county.]

Court
Chancery Court


 * Indexes (1781-1958) and images (1781-1931) to Rockbridge County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, which were often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

DNA
DNA has been collected for purported descendants of the following Rockbridge County, Virginia residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Conner] Multiple descendants of Dennis Alexander Conner, b. c1750 of Botetourt County, Virginia, d. c1820 Rockbridge County, Virginia. Y-DNA 33 and 37 Marker Tests, one is from FTDNA (Kit 103324). Genetic signatures available online (labelled A-2 and C-46), courtesy: The Conner DNA Project, World Families Network.
 * [McClure] Multiple descendants of Halbert McClure, b. 1685 Raphoe Parish, County Donegal, Ireland, d. 1754 near Timber Ridge, Augusta (now Rockbridge) County, Virginia. Y-DNA 12, 25, and 67 Marker Tests, FTDNA (Kits 25104, 33804, 62193, 137959). Genetic signatures available online (labelled Lineage 1 Halbert McClure (son of James) 1685 N. Ire-1754 Va Branch: MA-1, M-9, M-22, M-29, M-33), courtesy: The McClure DNA Project, World Families Network.

Genealogy
More than 25 genealogies have been published about Rockbridge County families. To view a list, visit Rockbridge County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 16 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Rockbridge County.

Local Histories

 * Christian, Bolivar. The Scotch-Irish Settlers in the Valley of Virginia: Alumni Address at Washington College at Lexington, Va. Lexington, Va.: The Alumni Association, 1860. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * McClung, James Willson. Historical Significance of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: McClure Co., 1979. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: McClure Co., 1920. Available at FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($); BYU Family History Archives; and World Vital Records ($).
 * Tompkins, Edmund Pendleton and Marshall William Fishwick. Rockbridge County, Virginia: An Informal History. Richmond: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1952. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1978):121-130. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Rockbridge County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:123-125.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Rockbridge County veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at FHL. [Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, militia officers prior to 1816, soldiers of the Revolution, Rockbridge Artillery, soldiers of the World War, and other various lists.]
 * 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, Rockbridge 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, Rockbridge County, p. 101. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

World War I

 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at FHL. [Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, militia officers prior to 1816, soldiers of the Revolution, Rockbridge Artillery, soldiers of the World War, and other various lists.]

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. In addition, 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 this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Occupations

 * Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Lexington silversmiths.]

Probate

 * Clemens, William M. Virginia Wills Before 1799: A Complete Abstract Register of All Names Mentioned in Over Six Hundred Recorded Wills, ... Copied from the Court House Records of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, Loudoun, Prince William and Rockbridge Counties. Pompton Lakes, N.J.: Biblio Co., 1924. Fiche 6015628-6015629; digital versions at Access Genealogy; Ancestry ($); and Heritage Quest Online ($). Free online surname index and 2004 reprint purchase details at Mountain Press website.

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1778, 1780] Rockbridge County, Virginia Will Book 1, 1778-1796. Original records, Rockbridge County Courthouse, Lexington, Va.; also available on microfilm at FHL. [Includes 1778 List of Tithables on pp. 24-29; 1780 List of [Tax] Delinquents on p. 107.]
 * [1778-1779] "Rockbridge County, Virginia Tithable Lists, 1778-79," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct. 1974):307-310; Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1975):55-58; Vol. 19, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1975):97-100. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [1778, 1782, 1841] Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at FHL. [Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, militia officers prior to 1816, soldiers of the Revolution, Rockbridge Artillery, soldiers of the World War, and other various lists.]
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available at FHL. [1782 personal property tax list of Rockbridge County.]
 * [1782-1821] Heinegg, Paul. "Rockbridge County Personal Property Tax, 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1783] Personal Property Tax List, 1783, In and Around Rockbridge. Rockbridge Baths VA: Summer 1994. Vol. 1 Iss. 3 [A-C surnames]; Fall 1994. Vol. 1 Iss. 4 [C-F surnames]; Winter 1994. Vol. 2 Iss. 1 [F-G surnames]; Spring 1995. Vol. 2 Iss. 2 [G-H surnames]; Summer 1995. Vol. 2 Iss. 3 [H-J surnames]; Fall 1995. Vol. 2 Iss. 4 [J-L surnames]; Spring 1996. Vol. 3 Iss. 2 [M surnames]; Fall 1996. Vol. 3 Iss. 4 [M surnames]; Winter 1997. Vol. 4 Iss. 1 [M surnames]; Spring 1997. Vol. 4 Iss. 2 [M-R surnames]; Fall 1997. Vol. 4 Iss. 4 [R-T surnames]; Winter 1998. Vol. 5 Iss. 1 [T-V surnames]; Summer 1998. Vol. 5 Iss. 3 [W surnames].
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Rockbridge County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * [1787] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1978):121-130. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Rockbridge County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:123-125.]
 * [1789, 1801] Images of the 1789 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Rockbridge County, Virginia are available to browse online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [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. Rockbridge County is included in Vol. 5.]

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