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Population in 1880-White 5661, colored 33; total 5694.
County Seat: Grundy, Population, 123
Vote of county November 2d, 1886, Democrats 269, Republicans 349.
Value of real estate, 1886: $285,990.24
Value of Personal property: $108,742.00
Tax on real estate: $ 1,143.95
Tax on personal property: $ 434.97
Captation Tax - White 928; colored 3.
Buchanan was formed in 1858 from Russell and Tazewell and named in honor of President Buchanan. It is on the western slope of the Dividing Ridge of the Alleghany Mountains, which separate it from McDowell County, W.Va., and Russell and Tazewell counties, Virginia. Dickenson, the greater portion of which was taken from this county in 1880, bounds it on the south and the State of Kentucky on the west. This is a very rough and mountainous county, and there being no internal improvements, very inaccessible. The Big Sandy river bounds its extreme northern limits and waters the county by its Louisa and New Garden forks. But little of the land is under cultivation, the census of 1880 reporting but 22,330 of 1,040,881 acres that at that time formed its area. A considerable quantityu of corn and some rye, oats and wheat is raised. The vegetable and orchard productions are sufficient for home consumption, while those of the dairy are the source of considerable revenue. The land on the hills is well suited for the raising of horses, cattle of all kinds and sheep. The minerals are iron, salt and coal, and the timber pine, oak, walnut, hickory and chestnut. The area of the county is 2,294 square miles or 1,468,145 acres [seriously in error], and the average assessed value is 19 cents per acre.
Postoffices
Bear Wallow
Davenport
Golden Spring - M. L. Graham
Grundy - Miss Jennie T. Ratcliff
Shack's Mills - A. B. Wade
Courts
The Circuit Court of the sixteenth circuit meets at Grundy (C.H.) Tuesday after the first Monday in March, August and November.
Judge: John A. Kelly
Clerk: Joseph Hibbits
The County Court meets at the C.H. on the third Monday in each month. Quarterly terms: March, June, August and November
Judge: ______ ______
Clerk: Joseph Hibbits
County Officers
Sheriff: T. R. Watkins
Surveyor: Jacob Baldwin
Treasurer: John M. Ratliff
Commissioners of Revenue: John W. Elswick and James H. Ramey
Commonwealth's Attorney: F. H. Evans
Supervisors
K. H. Justus, Henry Looney, J. N. Lane
Justices of the Peace
Gabriel Davis, Larkin L. Osborn, Jacob Deel, Wm. R. Smith, John B. Justus, Dorsey McClanahan, James A. Chaney, Lazarus Hale, Thos. Woosley, Wm. P. Vance, James G. Nickels.
Constables
John W. Neikirk, John H. Dixon, Leftridge Justus
Attorneys at Law
Beavers, Alexander - Grundy
Evans, F. H. - Grundy
Finney, E. - Shack's Mills
Coach and Wagon Makers
Davis, Gabriel - Shack's Mills
Davis, Robert - Grundy
Wesley, Thomas - Shack's Mills
Dentists
Waldron, J. W. - Grundy
Druggists
Charles James - Grundy
General Merchants
Charles James - Grundy
Goff, Alfred & Elswick - Davenport
Goff, Elswick & Ramey - Grundy
Lockhart & Jackson - Davenport
McNeil, William - Shack's Mills
Rakes, D. C., Lane & Co. - Shack's Mills
Ratliff, T. W. & Co. - Shack's Mills
Wallace, M. L. - Shack's Mills
Watkins, J. N. & Ratliff - Grundy
Hotels
Davis, Wesley - Shack's Mills
Sandy Hotel, James H. Peery - Grundy
Land Agents
Waldron, J. W. - Grundy
Davis, Thomas - Shack's Mills
Mills - Corn
Childress, J. J. & Co. - Grundy
Ratliff, Silas - Davenport
Saunders, G. W. - Golden Springs
Smythe, W. R. - Golden Springs
Mills--Corn and Flour
Ball, Noah - Davenport
Compton, Marshall - Davenport
Deskins, Munsey - Shack's Mills
Elswick, John - Grundy
Fuller, Thomas - Grundy
Looney, Joseph - Mahone
McClanahan, David - Grundy
McClanahan, Dorsey - Grundy
McGuire & Son - Shack's Mills
Rakes, David C. - Shack's Mills
Ratliff, Jacob - Shack's Mills
Ratcliff, Silas - Grundy
Stalard, John W. - Davenport
Vandikes, Henry - Shack's Mills
Ward, John - Shack's Mills
Mills - Saw
Belcher, John - Grundy
Belcher, M. - Grundy
Elswick, Lewis - Grundy
Elswick, Joseph - Grundy
Elswick, Thompson L. - Grundy
Meadows, Meshack - Shack's Mills
Rakes, D. C. - Shack's Mills
Ratliff, S. B. - Davenport
Rowe, M. E. - Grundy
Millwrights
Cline, Michael - Davenport
Rakes, D. C. - Shack's Mills
Mines - Coal
Smith, C. W. - Grundy
Deskins, Jefferson - Shack's Mills
Rakes, D. C. - Shack's Mills
Wade, A. B. - Shack's Mills
Mines - Iron
Ratliff, Alexander - Shack's Mills
Newspapers
Virginia Vidette (Republican), Alexander Beavers, Editor - Grundy
Physicians
Johnson, J. J. - Davenport
Mabe, D. B. - Davenport
Mays, John - Shack's Mills
Waldron, J. W. - Grundy
Saddlers and Harnessmakers
Lane, J. N. - Shack's Mills
Schools
Gillespie, Ella, Miss - Grundy
There are thirty-seven white public schools in this county. Superintendent, Sparrell Ratliff - Grundy
Tanners
Boyle, Robert - Davenport
Griffith, William - Shack's Mills
Lane, J. N. - Shack's Mills
Wool Dealers
Charles, James - Grundy
Principal Farmers
Davenport - F. M. Breeding, Sampson Presley, David Davenport, W. Barnett, Henry Womple, James Stollard, John Stollard, G. W. Tiller, J. P. Lambard, Jacob Lester, J. H. Duty, Joel F. Duty, E. K. Boyd, J. N. Boyd, Harvey Presley, John G. Bell
Golden Spring -- James Gibson, Japhet Gibson, C. Vandyke, J. M. Graham, W. R. Graham, D. D. Davis, H. McClanahan, D. P. Wooseley, B. W. Compton, A. Woolford, G. Compton, Clinton Stacy, John Cox, WIlliam H. McClanahan, David Matney, John McClanahan, Wm. R. Smyth, C. A. Lester, Floyd McClanahan, H. Perkins, Wm. Romans, G. W. Sanders, James Gibson, J. W. Keen.
Grundy - Daniel Looney, William Looney, Silas Ratcliff, J. N. Watkins, Thomas W. Ratcliff, Joseph Hibbitts, Jacob Baldwin, James A. Clevenger, Robert Yates, John R. Yates, H. T. Smith, J. G. Keen, John M. Ratcliff, D. C. Rakes, A. J. Charles, Harry Charles, John E. Elswick, Lewis Elswick, Jos. Looney, Henry Epling, Richard Lee, Jacob Lester, Green Charles, Ephraim Hackney, Moses Belcher, Hiles Elswick, James M. Ramey, David McClanahan, William H. Fuller, John Rowe.
Shack's Mills - A. B. Ratliff, Rufus Wade, Alex Ratliff, James Jackson, James Kelly, D. C. Rakes, John Messick, R. W. Clinton, James W. Ratcliff, W. A. Ratcliff, J. M. Ratcliff, John M. Ratcliff, John S. Ratcliff, John W. Dixon, DeWitt Honaker, John Wade, J. Deskins, P. Deskins, Richard Deskins.