Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Wythe County, with the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps; it doesn't mean every year in between survives.
Land and deeds
- Deed Book1790–1903
- General Index to Deeds1790–1907
- General Index to Surveys1790–1910
- Land Entry Book1790–1923
- Record of Surveys1790–1910
- FOR DEEDS, WILLS, ETC1810–1845
- Plat Book1839–1966
- Deeds of Trust1891–1902
- Release Deed Book1891–1919
Wills
- General Index to Wills1790–1911
- Will Book1790–1906
- FOR DEEDS, WILLS, ETC1810–1845
- Circuit Court Will Book1833–1903
Estates and guardianships
- Administrators' Bonds1910–1920
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Records1790–1853
- Marriage Register1790–1934
- Miscellaneous Marriage Records1790–1905
- Marriages1818–1905
- Register of Births1853–1872
- Register of Deaths1853–1870
- Register of Children of Colored Persons Whose Parents Have Ceased To Cohabitate but the Father Recognizes the Children as His Own1866
- Register of Colored Persons Cohabitating as Husband and Wife1866
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1790–1865
- NO ORDERS FOR THE PERIOD1791–1794
- Pleas1809–1831
- Pleas Book1812–1845
- Chancery Order Book1831–1910
- Law Orders1831–1903
- Complete Chancery Records1832–1847
- Law Order Book1865–1870
Military and pensions
- Battalion Court1797–1813
- Confederate Veterans Records1861–1865
Bonds and oaths
- Officials' Bond Book1897–1945
County government and the poor
- Board of Supervisors' Order Book1870–1918
- Index to Board of Supervisors' Order Book1870–1923
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Library of Virginia note: Reel 90 is not available through interlibrary loan.
Source: Library of Virginia, County and City Records on Microfilm. Reels marked for interlibrary loan can be borrowed through your local library.
Where to find the records
- Wythe County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the circuit court clerk's office, and any online record search the county offers.
- The circuit court clerk's office
Virginia's deed, will and marriage books are usually kept by the clerk of the circuit court for the county or city, though many older records have been moved to the Library of Virginia. Call before you visit; hours and access to older volumes vary.
- Library of Virginia: Wythe County records on microfilmfree
Every filmed volume with its years and reel number. Use the reels in Richmond; many can be borrowed through interlibrary loan.
- Library of Virginia: Chancery Records Indexfree
Search equity court suits by name. They're rich in family detail: estate divisions, heirs and land disputes. Many localities' suits are scanned and free to view.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Virginia, Wythe" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Montgomery County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Montgomery County
Later formed partly from Wythe County: Bland County, Grayson County, Pulaski County, Smyth County, Tazewell County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1789, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Start with the deed and will books: they name relatives, neighbors and land. Then try the court order books, which mention almost everyone in the county sooner or later, as witnesses, jurors, road workers or parties to a suit.