Craig County, Virginia Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: New Castle
Organized: 21 Mar 1851[1]
Parent County(s): Botetourt, Giles, Roanoke, Monroe (WV)[2]
Neighboring Counties
AlleghanyBotetourtGilesMontgomeryMonroe (WV)Roanoke
See County Maps
Courthouse
VirginiaCraigCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Location of Craig County Virginia.png

County Information

Description

Craig County is located in the western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with West Virginia. Craig County was named for Robert Craig, a 19th-century Virginia congressman.[3]

County Courthouse

Craig County Courthouse
182 Main Street, Suite 4
New Castle, VA 24127
Phone: 540-864-6141
Craig County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1864-1896, marriage, divorce, probate and court and land records from 1851[4]

Craig County, Virginia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1864 1851 1864 1851 1851 1851 1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912.
General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

  • 1863-1864 Deed Book A and most loose papers were destroyed in December 1863 and June 1864. After the record loss, deeds were re-recorded in Deed Books B and C. Bound volumes of court orders and wills still exist.[6]
  • Lost census: 1890

Visit the Library of Virginia's website to determine exactly what records have been lost and their Lost Records Localities Database to find additional resources.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes

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:[8]

Towns
Unincorporated communities


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Craig County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 3,553
1870 2,942 −17.2%
1880 3,794 29.0%
1890 3,835 1.1%
1900 4,293 11.9%
1910 4,711 9.7%
1920 4,100 −13.0%
1930 3,562 −13.1%
1940 3,769 5.8%
1950 3,452 −8.4%
1960 3,356 −2.8%
1970 3,524 5.0%
1980 3,948 12.0%
1990 4,372 10.7%
2000 5,091 16.4%
2010 5,190 1.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1785

  • Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. 1972. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : C.T. Burton. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). All or part of present-day county of Craig is included.

1890 Union Veterans

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

  • Library of Virginia's Chancery Record Index includes digital images of Craig County chancery records for the years 1853-1912. Index can be used to search for records up until 1942 - see online catalog or Archives Research Services for availability.

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families

  • Groseclose, Wanda W. In the Shadows of Our Ancestors, Descendants of Thomas Abbott and Twenty-six Connected Pioneer Families of Craig County, Virginia: including Brickey, Britts, Brizendine, Caldwell, Carper, Craft, Crawford, Crowder, Damewood, Duncan, Elmore, Fisher, Francisco, Greenway, Huffman, Hutchison, Jones, Lafon, Lee, Leffel, Looney, Lucas, Lugar, Paitsel, Reynolds and Sarver. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2004. FS Catalog Collection 929.273 Ab29g v. 1
  • Keeney, Roscoe C. Census, Craig Co., Virginia, 1860 Annotated. Charleston, W. Va.: R.C. Keeney, 199-?. FS Catalog Collection 975.5795 X2k 1860

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

  • Craig County Virginia. 1907. By New Castle, Virginia. Roanoke, VA : Stone. Online at: Hathitrust.
  • Folk-Songs of Virginia. 1949. By Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. Durham, NC : Duke University Press. Online at: Hathitrust.
  • Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. 2007. By William F. Boogher. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co. Online at: Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
  • History of Virginia - Vol VI Virginia Biography. 1924. By The American Historical Society. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.

Clifton Forge (Independent City)Covington (Independent City)Roanoke (Independent City)Salem (Independent City)Roanoke CountyMontgomery CountyGiles CountyBotetourt CountyAlleghany CountyMonroe CountyVA CRAIG.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

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, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Craig County, p. 68.61

Civil War

Regiments. Civil War service men in Craig 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:

- 28th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Craig Rifles) and Company D (Craig Mountain Boys).[9]
- 54th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (The Roanoke Guards).[10]

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

For statewide probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.

Vital Records

For additional indexes, databases, and details, see Virginia Vital Records.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Craig County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Craig County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Craig County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.

Websites

  • FamilySearch Catalog – 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: Craig County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1964):26-27. FS Library; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

References

  1. Newberry
  2. Newberry
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_County,_Virginia
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. Lost Records Localities: Counties and Cities with Missing Records, 4-5, in Library of Virginia (accessed 4 April 2014).
  7. Newberry
  8. Wikipedia contributors, "Craig_ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 10 January 2020.
  9. Frank E. Fields, 28th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1985). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 15.
  10. George L. Sherwood and Jeffrey C. Weaver, 54th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 91.