Bland County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Bland County is located in the Southwest portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with West Virginia. Bland County was named after Richard Bland, a leader of Colonial Virginia.

County Courthouse
Bland County Courthouse 612 Main Street, Suite 104 Bland, VA 24315 Phone: 540-688-4562 Bland County Website

Clerk Circuit court has marriage, probate and land records 1861, and divorce records from 1900.

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 was named after Richard Bland (1710-1776), Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775.

Bible Records

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

Cemeteries

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

Court Records
Chancery Court
 * Indexed images of Bland County, Virginia Chancery Records 1874-1928 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. The online indexes continues from 1928 through 1938, but at present does not include images. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * 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 in Bland County.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Genealogies
See also: Virginia Compiled Genealogies
 * See Bland County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies, for a few published books and articles.

Local Histories

 * History of Bland County, Virginia. c1961. By Bland County Centennial Corporation. Radford, Virginia : Bland County Centennial Corporation..
 * Little Walkers Creek : A History of the Land and Its People. c2005. By Rebecca Cox Sowers. Franklin, Tennessee : American History Imprints..

Military Records
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... 1883. Washington, DC : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Bland County, p. 64.

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)
 * History of Bland County, Virginia. c1961. By Bland County Centennial Corporation. Radford, Virginia : Bland County Centennial Corporation. . Includes names of units from this county and a roster of the men who served in these units on pages 259-277.

Regiments: Civil War service men in Bland 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:
 * - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company F (Bland Rangers)
 * - 36th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate).
 * - 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Sharpshooters).
 * - 47th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B.
 * - 51st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (or K).

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

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
 * 1890 Bland County, Virginia Property Tax Records. 2004. By Denise A. Smith. Signal Mountain, TN : Mountain Press. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1896 Bland County, Virginia Births: 1861-96. 2000. By Beth Fridley. Provo, UT : The Generations Network, Inc. Online at: Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages Online at: FindMyPast ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index

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 — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Family History Centers

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


 * FB Kegley Library, Wytheville - an affiliate library
 * Smyth County Public Library, Marion - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Bland Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * 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: Bland County. By John Frederick Dorman. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1961):77-78. CD available at: New England Ancestors ($).