Clarke County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Clarke County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Clarke County was named for Revolutionary War hero, George Rogers Clark. The county is located in the northern area of the Commonwealth of Virginia and is included in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.

County Courthouse
Clarke County Courthouse 104 North Church Street Berryville, VA 22611-0612 Phone: 540-955-5128 Clarke County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1836

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline


The county was named after George Rogers Clark (1751-1818), a prominent military officer in the Revolutionary War.

Bible Records

 * 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. 1952. By George Barton Cutten. Richmond, Virginia : The Dietz Press, Incorporated. Online at: Hathitrust;.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Census Records
1890 Union Veterans
 * Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner. .  Includes residents of this county.
 * 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes residents of this county.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist
 * Berryville Baptist Church Cemetery Records. By Nancy Chappelear. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):66-68. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * Berryville Baptist Church Records, 1841-1860. . Includes meeting minutes and membership lists.

Church of England See also Frederick Parish
 * Old Chapel and the Parish in Clarke County, Virginia: A History from the Founding of Frederick Parish, 1738 to the Centenary of Christ Church, Millwood, 1932. 1932. By Benjamin Duvall Chambers. Washington, DC : W. F. Roberts Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library,  Ancestry ($).

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Clarke County.

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 * See Clarke County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants : A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. n.p.: n.p., c1909. FamilySearch Digital Library; ; ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]
 * MacDonald, Rose Mortinier Eilzey. Clarke County, A Daughter of Frederick: A History of Early Families and Homes. Berryville, Va.: Blue Ridge Press, 1943..
 * Mann, Charles Harrison. Liberty Hill: The Story of a House and Its People. Washington, D.C.: A.S. Pratt &amp; Sons, 1977..
 * Myers, Lorraine F., Stuart E. Brown and Eileen M. Chappel. Some Old Families of Clarke County, Virginia. Berryville, Va.: Virginia Book Co., 1994.
 * O'Dell, Cecil. Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia. Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Pub. Co., 1995. . One of the most impressively researched one-place studies in the United States. In a review, Dorman stated "Comprehensive studies such as this appear only rarely. This volume should be in every Virginia genealogical collection."

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Grants and Patents
 * Dunn. 165 patents dated 1734-1790 in what is now Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2004. [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

 * Clarke County, a Daughter of Frederick: A History of Early Families and Homes. 1979. By Rose Mortimer Ellzey MacDonald. Berryville, VA : Blue Ridge Press. Original edition and supplement available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Historical Collections Of Virginia. 1845. By Henry Howe. Charleston, SC : William R. Babcock.1852 reprint online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books.
 * History of Clarke County, Virginia and Its Connection with the War Between the States : With Illustrations of Colonial Homes and of Confederate Officers. c1914. By Thomas Daniel Gold. Berryville, VA : C.R. Hughes. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books.
 * History of the Lower Shenandoah Valley Counties of Frederick, Berkeley, Jefferson and Clarke: Their Early Settlement and Progress to the Present Time, Geological Features, a Description of Their Historic and Interesting Localities, Cities, Towns and Villages, Portraits of Some of the Prominent Men, and Biographies of Many of the Representative Citizens. 1890. By J. E. Norris. Chicago, IL : A. Warner & Co., Publishers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books.
 * Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants : A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. c1909. By T. K. Cartmell. Winchester, VA : The Eddy Press Corp. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($); World Vital Records ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Clarke County. 1990. By Eugene M. Scheel. Warrenton, VA : Piedmont Press. Available at . Features include "old roads, mills, stores, plantations, churches, ruins, cemeteries, battles, historic sites, early stream names and boundaries."
 * FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
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. Washington : Blair and Rives. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books; . See Virginia, Western District, Clark County [sic] on page 134.

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... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Clarke County, p. 68.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * Clarke County Virginia Confederate Pension Rolls, Veterans and Widows

Regiments. Civil War service men in Clarke County 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 here:
 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Nelson Rifles), Company I (Clarke Rifles)
 * - 6th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D (Clarke Cavalry).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company K.
 * - 23rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D.

Civil War Battle The following Civil War battles were fought in Clarke County.
 * July 17-18, 1864 Cool Spring, also known as Island Ford, Parkers Ford, Snickers Ferry, or Castleman’s Ferry
 * September 3-4, 1864 Berryville [13]
 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861 and 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

 * 1899-1910 Clarke Courier at Chronicling America - free.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1826-1845; 1845-1852 Images of Wills and Inventories. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1845-1852 Indexes to Wills and Inventories. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Clarke County, Virginia Births, 1878-96. 1999. By Beth Fridley. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($).
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index ; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images
 * Clarke County, Virginia Deaths, 1853-96. 1999. By Beth Fridley. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, Available at Ancestry ($).

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

Family History Centers

 * Ashburn Virginia Family History Center
 * Front Royal Virginia Family History Center
 * Harpers Ferry West Virginia Charles Town Family History Center
 * Winchester Virginia Family History Center


 * Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County - an affiliate library

Libraries
Clarke County Historical Association P.O.Box 306, 32 E Main St. Berryville, VA 22611 URL: www.clarkehistory.org - has searchable online catalog on website.&nbsp 540-955-2600 archives@clarkehistory.org

Websites

 * Clarke County Historical Association
 * Cyndi's List


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

 * A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Clarke County. By John Frederick Dorman. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1964):23. ; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * Finding Your People in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. 1998. By Rebecca H. and Rebecca A. Ebert Good. Bowie, MD : Heritage Books, 4th ed.