Rockbridge County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Rockbridge County Virginia ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Description
Rockbridge County is located in the Western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for Natural Bridge, one of the wonders of the Western World.

Rockbridge County, Virginia Courthouse
Rockbridge County Courthouse 2 South Main Street Lexington, VA 24450 Phone: 540-463-2232

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records from 1862-1894, death records 1890-1894, marriage, probate, court and land records from 1778 and divorce records from 1833. Some records burned in 1864

Rockbridge County, Virginia 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

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

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:

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

 * Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Rockbridge County Personal Property Tax, 1782-1821," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index

Census
1890 Union Veterans


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

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Buffaloe

Rockbridge County fell within the bounds of the Strawberry Association.

Church of England
Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Rockbridge County is available online.

Presbyterian
List of people in call for Rev. John Brown, Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1753: online.

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.

Genealogy
More than 325 genealogies have been published about Rockbridge County families. To view a list, visit Rockbridge County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

See also: Virginia Compiled Genealogies

Robert J. Driver directed a project to create a bibliography of Rockbridge County compiled genealogies. Driver's publication should be used in coordination with the FamilySearch Wiki list below, in order to get the clearest picture of whether or not material has been published on your ancestor's family:
 * 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.


 * Rockbridge County, Virginia, Heritage Book, 1778-1997. Rockbridge Baths, Va.: Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society, 1997. 975.5852 H2rc
 * Cooper, Homer C. Cooper, McKemy, Ferrell/Farrell, Wooddell, Gothard, Wilson &amp; Patton Families of Augusta &amp; Rockbridge Counties, Virginia; York &amp; Adams Counties, Pennsylvania; Blount, Knox &amp; Roane Counties, Tennessee; Pocahontas, Gilmer &amp; Ritchie Counties, West Virginia; Wayne County, Kentucky; Vigo &amp; Sullivan Counties, Indiana, York County, South Carolina. Athens, Ga.: H.C. Cooper, 1969.
 * Hamann, Allen G. Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church (the "Old Stone Church"). 1992-1993. and  (Includes compiled genealogies for the Alexander, Bowyer, Brown, Campbell, Caruthers, Copper, Crawford, Cummins, Davis, Donald, Gibson, Goldsby, Goodman, Greene, Hamilton, Henry, Hileman, Hughes, Hyde, Keller, Kinnear, Lackey, Lewis, Lyle, Mackey, McClung, McCown, McCutchan, McGuffin, Richey, Shaw, Somerville, Sterrett, Straub, Stuart, Swink, Taylor, Thompson, Trevy, Wilson, Withers, and Womeldorf families; Includes Muse Cemetery Musings.)
 * Hardesty, H.H. and James S. Presgraves. Rockbridge County and Bath County: Families &amp; History; Reprinted from Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia, Chicago, Etc., 1884. Wytheville, Va.: Bookworm &amp; Silverfish, 2001.
 * Proceedings of the Rockbridge Historical Society. 10 vols. 1939-1989.

Dr. George W. Diehl published a series of newspaper articles and other material about local families:


 * Diehl, George West and A. Maxim Coppage. Rockbridge County, Virginia Notebook: Compiled from Articles by Dr. George W. Diehl as Published in the News-Gazette, Lexington, Virginia; Additional Charts and Notes Have Been Added, As Well As Surname Index. Utica, Ky.: McDowell Publications, c1982. (Includes genealogical material about the Adams, Arbuckle, Baylor, Beggs, Bell, Blair, Boggs, Borden, Bowyer, Bratton, Brown, Cabell, Calhoun, Cameron, Campbell, Carlile, Caruthers, Clark, Crawford, Davidson, Davis, Doak, Downey, Dunlap, Feemster, Gamble, Gay, Gordon, Grigsby, Hall, Hight, Hite, Kincaid, Lockridge, Long, Lyle, McClure, McCorkle, McCutcheon, McNutt, McPheeters, Mathews, Miller, Mitchell, Moffett, Montgomery, Moore, Noble, Paul, Paxton, Poage, Preston, Ruffner, Smith, Steele, Stephenson, Stuart, Tate, Trimble, Venable, Waddell, Walker, Wallace, and Warwick families.)
 * Diehl, George West and Oxford Presbyterian Church.Old Oxford and Her Families. Verona, Va.: McClure Press, 1971. (Includes compiled genealogies for the Anderson, Campbell, Cunningham, Finley, Hall, Houston, Hutton, Johnston, Lam, Leech, Miller, Montgomery, Moore, Morrison, Patterson, Saville, Steele, Tardy, Tate, and Wilson families.)

The Katherine Bushman Papers, 1961-1997 at the Library of Virginia include files about Rockbridge County families.

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.

Land and Property
A historical map is available for Rockbridge County. Hildebrand plots the locations of churches, creeks, etc. from 1778-1865. The Family History Library has a copy:.

An early settlers map showing the purchasers of the 92,100 acre grant to Benjamin Borden on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains (1739) is available. The Family History Library has a copy:.

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 ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * McClung, James Willson. Historical Significance of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: McClure Co., 1979. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: McClure Co., 1920. Available at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); - free; and World Vital Records ($).
 * Tompkins, Edmund Pendleton and Marshall William Fishwick. Rockbridge County, Virginia: An Informal History. Richmond: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1952. Available at ; 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 ; digital version at American 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 . [Identifies some Rockbridge County veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

 * - 6th Virginia Regiment (6th Company)
 * - Militia 1796 Virginia Pioneers ($)

residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.


 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at . [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
Rockbridge County men served in the 8th Regiment.


 * 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.]

Civil War

 * - 1st Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, Local Defense (Confederate). Company C (1st Rockbridge Dragoons)
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Rockbridge Grays), Company I (Liberty Hall Volunteers), and Company K (Rockbridge Rifles).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Rockbridge Rifles).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company E (Potomac Mounted Riflemen or Valley Mounted Riflemen).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Valley Regulators).
 * - 14th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A (White's Mounted Riflemen), Company C (Valley Cavalry or Rangers) and Company H (Second Rockbridge Dragoons).
 * - 20th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Companies I and K.
 * - 25th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Heck's) (Confederate). Company B (Rockbridge Guards).
 * - 26th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.
 * - 27th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) . Company E (Greenbrier Rifles aka Lewisburg Rifles) and Company H (2nd) (Rockbridge Rifles).
 * - 52nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies B1 (Fairfield McDowell Guards), E, and K.
 * - 58th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Kerr's Creek Confederates).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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)

World War I

 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at . [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.]

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia

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.


 * 1801-1805 - Rockbridge Repository (Lexington, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1898-1912 - Lexington Gazette at Chronicling America - free.

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 . [Includes a section on Lexington silversmiths.]

Private Papers

 * Virginia,

Probate Records

 * 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.

Online Probate Links
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1778 - 1792 Abstracts Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1797 - 1806 Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1806 - 1811 Images of Wills and Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1778 - 1796 Online Images of Wills, Deeds, Estates (no index). Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?

Bibliography


 * [1778, 1780] Rockbridge County, Virginia Will Book 1, 1778-1796. Original records, Rockbridge County Courthouse, Lexington, Va.; also available on microfilm at . [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 ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * [1778, 1782, 1841] Morton, Oren Frederic. A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. Staunton, Va.: [McClure Co.], 1920. 1973 reprint available at . [Includes conveyances in Borden Tract 1741-1780, early patents outside the Borden Tract, secondary land conveyances prior to 1778, tithables of 1778, taxpayers of 1782 and 1841, militia officers prior to 1816, soldiers of the Revolution, Rockbridge Artillery, soldiers of the World War, and other various lists.]
 * [1782-1810] Rockbridge County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1810 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * [1782] Douthat, James L. 1782 Rockbridge County, Virginia Tax Listing. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2012. Free online surname index and publisher's bookstore.
 * [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. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [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 (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website - free.
 * [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 . [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 ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Rockbridge County's 1787 Delinquent List appears on 22:123-125.]
 * [1789, 1801] Images of the 1789 and 1801 Personal Property Tax Lists of Rockbridge County, Virginia are available to browse online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1802-1814] Tax Digests at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Rockbridge County is included in Vol. 5.]

Birth

 * 1853-1896 - Rockbridge County Birth Index 1853-1896. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1782-1866 - Rockbridge County Marriage Index 1782-1866. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1782-1889 - Rockbridge County Marriage Index 1782-1889. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1785-1793 - Crozier, William Armstrong. Early Virginia Marriages. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1953. Digital version at - free. Includes marriages performed by Rev. John Brown 1785-1793.


 * 1851-1885 - Virginia Marriages 1851-1885 (Ancestry) ($).


 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1889-1913 - Rockbridge County Marriage Index 1889-1913. Batch at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Rockbridge County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Rockbridge Area Genealogical Society
 * Central Virginia Genealogical Association

Family History Centers

 * Lexington Virginia Family History Center

Rockbridge County, Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Rockbridge Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Rockbridge County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)