Giles County, VirginiaEdit This Page
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Virginia Giles County
Giles County, Virginia genealogy and family history research page. Guide to Giles County (established 1806) genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.
| Giles County, Virginia | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location in the state of Virginia | |
 Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1806 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Pearisburg |
| Courthouse | |
Contents
|
County Courthouse
Giles County Courthouse
501 Wenonah Ave
P O Box 502
Pearisburg, Va 24134
Phone: 540-626-7075
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1806,
birth and death records 185801896
divorce, probate court and land records.[1]
| | |||||
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1853 | 1806 | 1853 | 1810 | 1806 | 1806 |
History
The county was named after Virginia Senator William B. Giles (1762-1830), who later served as the Virginia's Governor.
Parent County
1806--Giles County was created 16 January 1806 from Montgomery, Monroe County (West Virginia), Tazewell and Wythe Counties.
County seat: Pearisburg [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
- Lost census: 1890
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
African American
Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
Heinegg, Paul. "Giles County Register of Free Negroes, 1816-1864," Free African Americans.com, available online.
- Kegley, Mary B. Free People of Colour: Free Negroes, Indians, Portuguese and Freed Slaves. Wytheville, Virginia: Kegley Books, 2003. Available at FamilySearch Books Online FHL (Includes information from Giles County.)
Bible Records
Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:
- Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 - browse collection at FamilySearch; free.
Additional Bible records include:
Cemeteries
- Tombstone Transcription Project Giles County - cemetery transcriptions - USGenWeb
Census
For tips on accessing Giles County, Virginia census records online, see: Virginia Census.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 3,745 | ||
| 1820 | 4,521 | 20.7% | |
| 1830 | 5,274 | 16.7% | |
| 1840 | 5,307 | 0.6% | |
| 1850 | 6,570 | 23.8% | |
| 1860 | 6,883 | 4.8% | |
| 1870 | 5,875 | −14.6% | |
| 1880 | 8,794 | 49.7% | |
| 1890 | 9,090 | 3.4% | |
| 1900 | 10,793 | 18.7% | |
| 1910 | 11,623 | 7.7% | |
| 1920 | 11,901 | 2.4% | |
| 1930 | 12,804 | 7.6% | |
| 1940 | 14,635 | 14.3% | |
| 1950 | 18,956 | 29.5% | |
| 1960 | 17,219 | −9.2% | |
| 1970 | 16,741 | −2.8% | |
| 1980 | 17,810 | 6.4% | |
| 1990 | 16,366 | −8.1% | |
| 2000 | 16,657 | 1.8% | |
1810
- Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1810 Census of Giles County, Virginia. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1970. Available at FHL.
- 1810 Census of Giles County, Virginia. Beverly, W. Va.: Crickard, 1979. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
1840
- Douthat, James L. 1840 Mountain Empire of Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL Collection 975.5 X2d 1840. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. [Includes Giles County.]
1860
- Davis, Charley L. Giles County, Virginia 1860 Census Annotated: Family Histories - Births - Marriages - Deaths. Virginia?: C.L. Davis, 1991. Available at FHL.
Church Records
Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
Giles County fell within the bounds of the New River Association and the Greenbrier Association.
Court Records
Chancery Court
Indexes (1807-1936) and images (1807-1929) to Giles County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.
Genealogy
More than 25 genealogies have been published about Giles County families. To view a list, visit Giles County, Virginia Genealogy.
Land and Property
Local Histories
- Friend, Robert C. Giles County, 1806-1956: A History. Pearisburg, Va.: Giles County Chamber of Commerce, 1956?. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
- Johnston, David E. A History of Middle New River Settlements and Contiguous Territory. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1988. Available at FHL.
Maps
Military
Revolutionary War
- Kegley, Mary B. Revolutionary War Pension Applications of Southwest Virginia Soldiers. n.p.: M.B. Kegley, 1997. Available at FHL. [Includes Giles 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: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Giles County on page 134.]
- 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." FHL Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]
War of 1812
Giles County men served in the 86th Regiment.[4]
- 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. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Giles County, p. 81. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
Civil War
Regiments. Service men in Giles County, Virginia 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 in Giles County, Virginia:
- - 7th Battalion, Virginia Infantry, Local Defense (1st Nitre Battalion) (Confederate). Company D (The Mountain Boomers).[5]
- - 23rd Battalion, Virginia Infantry Reserves (Confederate). Company G.[6]
- - 24th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (New River Rifles).[7]
- - 32nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies A, B, G, and K.[8]
- - 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Witcher's Battalion, Virginia Mounted Rifles) (Confederate). Company K.[9]
Records and histories are available, including:
- Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865
- Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers 1861-1865
Naturalization
- Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929
Newspapers
The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Giles County, Virginia newspapers.
Private Papers
- French, David. Day Book, v. 2, 1835-1837. Original records, Giles County Courthouse, Pearisburg, Va.; also available on microfilm at FHL. [Book seems to be an account or ledger book for a private business or store. David French may have been the secretary or owner. Name and location of store or business was not given.]
Probate Records
Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?
- [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. Giles County is included in Vol. 5.]
- [1815] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. 1815 Tax List of Giles County, Virginia: Abstracts of 300 Deeds and Surveys, 1806-1830; Detailed Map of Area Covered by Tax Collector. Springfield, Va.: N. Schreiner-Yantis, 1971. Available at FHL.
Vital Records
Indexes to Giles County, Virginia births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Courtesy: FamilySearch - free.
Marriage
- 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
Vital Record Substitutes
 |
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Societies and Libraries
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
- Cyndi's List
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References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Giles County, Virginia. Page 714 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 349, 421. Digital version at Google Books.
- ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 90. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
- ↑ David F. Riggs, 7th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1982). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 3.
- ↑ J.L. Scott, 23rd Battalion Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1991). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 79.
- ↑ Ralph White Gunn, 24th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1987). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 34.
- ↑ Les Jensen, 32nd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1990). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 70.
- ↑ Scott C. Cole, 34th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 94.
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