The Federal Census of 1860 for Buchanan County, Virginia

Debbie S. Dehart's transcription of the Buchanan County, Virginia 1860 Federal Census.

175 pages plus every-name index.

Buchanan County was formed in 1858, named for the current United States president, and taken from portions of Russell and Tazewell counties. In 1880 a parcel was taken from Buchanan to form part of newly-created Dickenson County.

Buchanan County records have suffered from a series of disasters; first, a fire in 1862 destroyed the courthouse; then, in April, 1885, a second fire destroyed the courthouse again, together with all the records to that time. Finally, many records were damaged or destroyed by the flood which rampaged through the county in 1977. Thus, the Federal Census presents a very complete picture of this late-formed county on the eve of the War Between the States.

The records are clear, although the No. 2 pencil with which the census-takers recorded their data on the sheets require careful reading in faint areas. The author has also incorporated valuable non-census information in this work, including data on births, deaths, marriages, and parents of many of the families enumerated. This helps to present a more complete picture of the persons in the list rather than the bare bones presented in the census. It also points up important inter-family relationships which existed throughout the county and area.

The order of the data is: Identification Number/Family Number; Name (Last, First, Middle)(Maiden Name); Age; Sex; Husband, Wife, Daughter, Son; Occupation; Value of Real Estate owned; Value of Personal Property owned; State of Birth; County of Birth; Marriage Date; Marriage Place; Parents of the couple being enumerated; Widow/widower, if applicable; Date of birth; Date of death; Notes.