Roanoke County, VirginiaEdit This Page
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Virginia Roanoke County
Guide to Roanoke County Virginia genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.
| Roanoke County, Virginia | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location in the state of Virginia | |
 Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1838 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Salem |
| Courthouse | |
Roanoke County, Virginia Courthouse
Roanoke County Courthouse
P.O. Box 1126
Second Floor, Room 200
305 East Main Street
Salem, VA 24153
Phone: 540-387-6205
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce,
probate, court and land records from 1838[1]
| | |||||
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1853 | 1838 | 1853 | 1840 | 1838 | 1838 |
Roanoke County, Virginia History
The county is named after the Roanoke River.[2]
Parent County
1838--Roanoke County was created 30 March 1838 from Botetourt and Montgomery Counties.
County seat: Salem [3]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
- Lost census: 1890
Roanoke County, Virginia Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Roanoke County, Virginia Genealogy Resources
African American
Roanoke County, Virginia cohabitation records are available online.
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 Roanoke County - cemetery transcriptions - USGenWeb
Census
For tips on accessing Roanoke County, Virginia census records online, see: Virginia Census.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 5,499 | ||
| 1850 | 8,477 | 54.2% | |
| 1860 | 8,048 | −5.1% | |
| 1870 | 9,350 | 16.2% | |
| 1880 | 13,105 | 40.2% | |
| 1890 | 30,101 | 129.7% | |
| 1900 | 15,837 | −47.4% | |
| 1910 | 19,623 | 23.9% | |
| 1920 | 22,395 | 14.1% | |
| 1930 | 35,289 | 57.6% | |
| 1940 | 42,897 | 21.6% | |
| 1950 | 41,486 | −3.3% | |
| 1960 | 61,693 | 48.7% | |
| 1970 | 67,339 | 9.2% | |
| 1980 | 72,945 | 8.3% | |
| 1990 | 79,332 | 8.8% | |
| 2000 | 85,778 | 8.1% | |
1785
- Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. Troutville, Va.: Burton?, 1972. FHL Collection; digital version at Ancestry ($). [All of part of present-day county of Roanoke is included.]
1840
- Douthat, James L. 1840 Mountain Empire of Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2001. FHL Collection 975.5 X2d 1840. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. [Includes Roanoke County.]
1890 Union Veterans
- Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]
Church Records
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
Roanoke County fell within the bounds of the New River Association.
Court
Genealogy
Several genealogies have been published about Roanoke County families. To view a list, visit Roanoke County, Virginia Genealogy.
Land and Property
Early settlers maps are available for Roanoke County. Hildebrand plots the locations of pioneers from original land grants, farm owners (1825-1875), etc. The Family History Library has copies: FHL Map 975.5792 E7hi, FHL Map 975.5792 E7hj, and FHL Map 975.5792 E7h.
Grants and Patents
Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.
- Hudgins. 231 patents dated 1742-1855 in what is now Roanoke County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. 2005. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]
Local Histories
- Jack, George S. History of Roanoke County. Roanoke, Va.: Stone, c1912. FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books.
- McCauley, William. History of Roanoke County, Salem, Roanoke City, Virginia, and Representative Citizens, 1734-1900. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1902. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
- Prillaman, Helen R. Places Near the Mountains: From the Community of Amsterdam, Virginia Up the Road to Catawba, on the Waters of the Catawba and Tinker Creeks, along the Carolina Road as it Aproached Big Lick and Other Areas, Primarily North Roanoke [Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia]. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
- Roanoke, Story of County and City. unknown: unknown, 1942. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
- Salem and the Roanoke Valley: A Circular of Information, Location, Railroad Facilities, Business Interests, Manufacturing Prospects, Water Power, Mineral wealth, Fertile Lands, Healthful Climate, Social, Moral, Religious and Educational Advantages. Salem, Va.: Times-Register Power Press Print, 1884. FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($).
Maps
Military
Revolutionary War
- 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 version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Book 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Roanoke County on page 136.]
War of 1812
- 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, Roanoke County, pp. 100-101. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
Civil War
Regiments. Service men in Roanoke 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 Roanoke County, Virginia:
- - 14th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company F (2nd) and Company G (Border Rangers).[5]
- - 25th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company F.[6]
- - 28th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company F (Botetourt Springs Rifles) and Company K (Roanoke Grays).[7]
- - 42nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Dixie Grays).[8]
- - 54th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (The Roanoke Guards).[9]
Newspapers
The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Roanoke County, Virginia newspapers.
Occupations
- Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Salem silversmiths.]
Probate Records
Research Guides
- "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Roanoke County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):285-286. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
Taxation
- [1882] Big Lick District Personal Property Tax List, 1882, Virginia Appalachian Notes. Roanoke VA: Nov 1982. Vol. 6 Iss. 4.
Vital Records
Indexes to Roanoke County, Virginia births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Courtesy: FamilySearch - free.
Birth
Marriage
- 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
- 1838-1853 - Roanoke County, Virginia Marriages 1838-1853 (VAGenWeb) - free.
- 1838-1843 - Roanoke County, Virginia, Marriages 1838-1843 (New River Notes) - free.
Death
Vital Record Substitutes
 |
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church History and Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Roanoke County, Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Family History Centers
Roanoke County, Virginia Genealogy Websites
- Roanoke Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- Family History Library Catalog
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Richmond County, Virginia. Page 720 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia Contributors, "Roanoke County, Virginia," in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_County,_Virginia, accessed 13 January 2012.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale, A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia (Pitt and Dickinson, 1894), 349. Digital version at Google Books.
- ↑ Robert J. Driver, 14th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1988). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 47.
- ↑ Dobbie E. Lambert, 25th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1994). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 106.
- ↑ Frank E. Fields, 28th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1985). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 15.
- ↑ John Chapla, 42nd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1983). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 5.
- ↑ George L. Sherwood and Jeffrey C. Weaver, 54th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 91.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/3/37/Igivirginia.pdf.
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