Craig County, Virginia Genealogy
Guide to Craig County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.
| Craig County, Virginia | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | 1851 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | New Castle |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Craig County Virginia History
- 3 Craig County Virginia Genealogy Places/Localities
- 4 Craig County Virginia Genealogy Resources
- 4.1 Research Guides
- 4.2 African Americans
- 4.3 Bible Records
- 4.4 Cemeteries
- 5 Craig County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- 6 Craig County Virginia Genealogy Websites
- 7 Craig County Virginia Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
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[1].
Craig County Virginia Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Craig County Courthouse
P.O. Box 185
303 Main Street
New Castle, VA 24127-0185
Phone: 540-864-6141
Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1864-1896,
marriage, divorce, probate and court and land records from 1851[2]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1864 | 1851 | 1864 | 1851 | 1851 | 1851 | 1810 |
General compliance year is unknown. | ||||||
Craig County Virginia History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1851 Craig County was created 21 March 1851 from Botetourt, Giles, Roanoke and Monroe (West Virginia) Counties.
County seat: New Castle.[2]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
After the record loss, deeds were re-recorded in Deed Books B and C. Bound volumes of court orders and wills still exist.[4]
- Lost census: 1890
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Craig County Virginia Genealogy Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
Craig County Virginia Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Craig County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1964):26-27. FHL; online at American Ancestors ($).
African Americans[edit | edit source]
- 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
- Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Craig County.
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| VAGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| VAGenWeb Archives | ||
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Virginia Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- 1800-1986 - Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — index
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1860 | 3,553 | — |
| 1870 | 2,942 | −17.2% |
| 1880 | 3,794 | 29.0% |
| 1890 | 3,835 | 1.1% |
| 1900 | 4,293 | 11.9% |
| 1910 | 4,711 | 9.7% |
| 1920 | 4,100 | −13.0% |
| 1930 | 3,562 | −13.1% |
| 1940 | 3,769 | 5.8% |
| 1950 | 3,452 | −8.4% |
| 1960 | 3,356 | −2.8% |
| 1970 | 3,524 | 5.0% |
| 1980 | 3,948 | 12.0% |
| 1990 | 4,372 | 10.7% |
| 2000 | 5,091 | 16.4% |
| 2010 | 5,190 | 1.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
1785
- Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. 1972. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : C.T. Burton. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). All or part of present-day county of Craig is included.
1890 Union Veterans
- Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. c1994. By Ronald Ray Turner. Online at: Prince William County Virginia, FHL Collection; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Court[edit | edit source]
- Acts and Joint Resolutions Passed by the General Assembly of the State of Virginia during the Session 1895-96. 1895. Richmond, VA : J.H. O'Bannon Superintendent of Public Printing. Online at: Google Books.
- 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.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
- See Craig County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a few +Published books and articles.
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. FHL Collection 929.273 Ab29g v. 1
- Keeney, Roscoe C. Census, Craig Co., Virginia, 1860 Annotated. Charleston, W. Va.: R.C. Keeney, 199-?. FHL Collection 975.5795 X2k 1860
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- 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: Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- History of Virginia - Vol VI Virginia Biography. 1924. By The American Historical Society. Online at: Google Books
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
War of 1812[edit | edit source]
- 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: Google Books,Internet Archive, also at FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Craig County, p. 68.61
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Craig County, Virginia Genealogy 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 Craig County, Virginia Genealogy:
- - 28th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Craig Rifles) and Company D (Craig Mountain Boys).[6]
- - 54th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (The Roanoke Guards).[7]
Records and histories are available, including:
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War, Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
- 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
- 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Virginia, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
Miscellaneous Records[edit | edit source]
- 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
- Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Craig County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Indexes to Craig County, Virginia Genealogy births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Most records can also be ordered electronically online as well. Courtesy: FamilySearch. See also How to order Virginia Vital Records
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1853-1866 - Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1864-1896 Craig County Birth Index 1864-1896. Batch C868743 at FamilySearch.[8]
- 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Craig County, Virginia Births, 1853-96. 1999. By Beth Fridley. Provo, UT, USA : The Generations Network, Inc. Online at: Ancestry ($).
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($).
- 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 Ancestry ($).
- 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
- 1853-1935 - Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1865-1937 Craig County Marriage Index 1865-1937. Batch M868743 at FamilySearch.
- 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Craig County, Virginia Deaths, 1853-96. 2001. By Beth Fridley. Provo, UT, USA : The Generations Network, Inc. Online at: Ancestry ($).
Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]
 |
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Craig County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History 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 family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Craig County Virginia Genealogy Websites[edit | edit source]
- Craig Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- Craig County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Cyndi's List
Craig County Virginia Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_County,_Virginia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Craig County, Virginia. Page 712 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Craig County, Virginia . Page 710-723 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 715-720.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lost Records Localities: Counties and Cities with Missing Records, 4-5, in Library of Virginia (accessed 4 April 2014).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Craig_ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 10 January 2020.
- ↑ Frank E. Fields, 28th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1985). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 15.
- ↑ George L. Sherwood and Jeffrey C. Weaver, 54th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1993). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 91.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/3/37/Igivirginia.pdf.
