Rockbridge County was formed on 1 March 1778 from parts of Augusta and Botetourt counties. Its name came from the Natural Bridge which is located in that region. In 1785 that portion of Rockbridge west of the top of Camp Mountain was returned to Botetourt; in 1888 a small part of Botetourt was transferred to Rockbridge's administration.
Settlement of the county's area had begun as early as 1737 with a mixture of Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and German settlers. Records for these early groups can be found in the courthouses in Staunton and Fincastle.
ROCKBRIDGE CO., VA 1810 CENSUS (including the towns of Lexington and the community of Springfield) transcribed by John Vogt.2013, 10 1/2 x 8 1/2, x, 35 pages. This is the first surviving
census for Rockbridge, since both the 1790 and 1800 censuses have been lost. The transcription is in the order of the original document for easy reference, with an accompanying index of all names.
Rockbridge was an important and populous county in the foothills of western Virginia and it was situated astride the main thoroughfare westward, the Great Valley Road. The town of Lexington, with a population over 700, was a major western center in the early 1800s and boasted two academies, the Ann Smith Academy for Young Ladies, and the Washington Academy (Formerly Liberty Hall) for Young Men.
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA DEATH REGISTERS, 1853-1870, 1912-1917
by Angela M. Ruley. vi, 504 pages, index. Contains abstracts which include name of deceased, age, parents
and/or spouse's name. date of death, county of birth of all parties mentioned, cause of death, person reporting
death to the authorities, and the latter's relationship to the deceased. A wealth of personal genealogical
information as well as social history of the county can be gleaned from these valuable records. In the case of
the earlier period, many of the elder deceased were born in the latter half of the eighteenth century!
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY MARRIAGES, 1778-1850
Dorthie and Edwin Kirkpatrick. 1985, ix, 443 pages, index, figures, map. Rockbridge County's creation in 1778
from portions of Augusta and Botetourt counties was part of a flurry of new county organizations and older
county subdivisions during the Revolutionary period. Despite the war, the frontier was moving inexorably
westward, and the new county of Rockbridge represented an area now more densely settled and requiring its
own polity. 4,785 marriages have been extracted directly from courthouse records as well as from newspaper
and other published sources; these references include parents' name, bondsmen, ministers' names and their
denominations.
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY BIRTHS, 1853-1877
Dorthie and Edwin Kirkpatrick. "These books are excellent examples of the use of computer programs to further the causes of genealogical
researching and to present the results in a readable and useable manner. Any person with Rockbridge County,
VA ancestors will cherish these books and any library would be proud to possess them." [review, Orange
County, Ca. Genealogical Society Quarterly 26, No. 4 (Dec 1989): 149. two volume set, 1988, viii, 734 pages,
index. Drawing upon the official Birth Register No. 1, 1853-1877, the authors have abstracted vital data for
over 10,900 persons born in the county during this period. Each record includes: name of child, date of birth;
race, sex, alive/dead; place of birth and parents; parent's occupation and legal place of residence; and the
person reporting the birth to authorities. This data will prove invaluable for accurately locating an ancestor
in Rockbridge County.
For more records pertaining to ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA see also:
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Rockbridge Co. 1815 Directory of Landowners
by Roger G. Ward. 2005. 43 pages, map, 5 1/2X8 1/2.
For a full description of the 1815 LAND DIRECTORY Records and a listing of available counties, see:
Individual County Booklets, 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners
[Vd89] $8.00
Rockbridge Co. Revolutionary Public Claims
transcribed by Janice L. Abercrombie and Richard Slatten.. 2005. 24 pages, 5 1/2X8 1/2.
For a full description of the Virginia Revolutionary Public Claims and a listing of available counties, see:
Revolutionary "Publick" Claims series
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