Smyth County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Smyth County is in the southwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Alexander Smyth, a general during the War of 1812.

County Courthouse
Smyth County Courthouse 109 West Main Street Marion, VA 24354 Phone: 276-782-4047 Smyth County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1832

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:

Bible Records

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

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

Cemeteries

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

Census 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 Smyth County.]

1890 Union Veterans
 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
 * St. Clair's Bottom (1791), Chilhowie, Va. Membership lists (beginning in 1791) and a history were published in the Appalachian Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Dec. 2005). Originally fell within the bounds of Washington County, Virginia.

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index can be used to search digital images of Smyth County chancery records for the years 1833-1913.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * See Virginia_Cohabitation_Records for links to online records.See also transcription on New River Notes - free.
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 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 of Smyth County.

Funeral Homes

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

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 * See Smyth County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Presgraves, Jim. Smyth County Families and History. Wytheville, Va.: Presgraves, [1974]. Available at Virginia Historical Society.

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. [Includes Smyth County.]
 * Presgraves, James S. Smyth County Families and History. Wytheville, Va.: J. Presgraves, 1974.
 * Sheffey, John P. General Resources and Advantages of Smyth County: In the Most Attractive Section of Appalachian Virginia. n.p.: n.p., 1907. ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Wilson, Goodridge. Smyth County, History and Traditions. Kingsport, Tenn.: Kingsport Press, 1932. 547258 Item 2;  975.5723 H2w 1976 reprint; Sturgill, Kenneth Lee. A Complete Researchers Index to "Smyth County History and Traditions." Marion, VA: K. L. Sturgill, 1986. Index:  975.5723 H2w index and  6103880; digital version at Ancestry ($); World Vital Records ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War War of 1812 Civil 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 version at 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." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
 * 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, Smyth County, p. 104. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
 * 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)

Regiments. Civil War service men in Smyth 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:
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry) (Confederate), Company A.
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Smyth Blues).
 * - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A (Smyth Dragoons)
 * - 13th Battalion, Virginia Reserves (Confederate). Companies A and D.
 * - 21st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 23rd Battalion, Virginia Infantry Reserves (Confederate). Company A (The Smyth County Sharpshooters), Company E, and Company F.
 * - 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 48th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Smyth Rifle Greys).
 * - 50th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Smyth Grays) and Company L.
 * - 63rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (McMahon's) (Confederate). Companies H and K.
 * - Marion Home Guard from Smyth County composed of about fifty men between the ages of 45-72 was organized in April 1861 according to information found on page 209 of the preceding reference.

Civil War Battles The following Civil War battles were fought in Smyth County.
 * October 2, 1864 Saltville I [14] [14]
 * December 17-18, 1864 Marion [15] [15]
 * December 20-21, 1864 Saltville II [16] [16]
 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

World War I World War II
 * Virginia War History Commission. Virginia World War memorial records, county of Smyth, 1926-1952
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1832-1844 Smyth County, Virginia Index to Will Book A, 1832-1844 (New River Notes) - free
 * 1832-1913 General Index to Wills. VirginiaPioneers ($)

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

Bibliography
 * 1832-1850 Land Tax Books of Smyth County, Virginia, 1832-1850. Original records, Smyth County Courthouse, Marion, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at.
 * 1832-1850 Personal Property Tax Lists of Smyth County, Virginia, 1832-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va., microfilmed reproduction available at.
 * 1832 Personal Property Tax List, 1832, Virginia Appalachian Notes. Roanoke VA: Nov 1985. Vol. 9 Iss. 4; online at Roanoke Public Library - free.
 * 1832-1863 Tax Digests Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1838 The 1838 Smyth County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.
 * 1838 The 1838 Smyth County, Virginia Free Persons of Color Personal Property Tax List; index online at New River Notes - free.

Birth
Beth Fridley has published abstracts of the following Smyth County birth records online at Ancestry: The original records covering 1853-1896 and an index covering 1853-1917 are available on microfilm at the.
 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Smyth County, Virginia Births, 1875-78 [database on-line]. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Smyth County, Virginia Births, 1879-84 [database on-line]. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Smyth County, Virginia Births, 1885-96 [database on-line]. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1832-1850 Smyth County Marriage Licenses 1832-1850 (New River Notes) - free. List may be arranged alphabetically by clicking on 'groom' or 'bride' column headings.
 * 1853-1861 Smyth County Marriage Records 1853-1861 (New River Notes) - free.
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1853-1917 Smyth County, Virginia Death Registers 1853-1896 and Index 1853-1917. Original records, Smyth County Courthouse, Marion, Va., microfilmed reproduction at.
 * 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 — index & images

Family History Centers

 * Bristol Virginia Family History Center


 * Smyth County Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Washington County Public Library - Glade Spring Branch - an affiliate library
 * Washington County Public Library - Main Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Smyth County Genealogical Society Website
 * Smyth-Bland Regional Library Website

Websites

 * Smyth Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * 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: Smyth County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1978):213-215. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).