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Roanoke County History and Information

County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |
????? County Virginia Map

Roanoke County was named for the Roanoke River. The name is an Indian word meaning shell money. The county was formed from Botetourt County in 1838, and part of Montgomery County was added later. Its area is 248 square miles, and the county seat is Salem. The population is 85,778 according to the 2000 census. See Extended History for More information.

The Official County Website is located at http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/ . Cities, Towns and Communities include Vinton, Bent Mountain, Bonsack, Bradshaw, Catawba, Cave Spring, Glenvar, Hollins and Masons Cove

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Click Here to Search Virginia Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records!
Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Roanoke County Court Records

See Also Virginia Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Roanoke County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1838, Land Records from 1838, Probate Records from 1838 and Court Records from 1838 and is located at the County Courthouse on Second Floor, Room 200, 305 East Main Street, Salem, VA 24153 and/or P. O. Box 1126, Salem, VA 24153; (540) 387-6205.

Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a constitutional official that is elected by the voters of Roanoke County. The Clerk is charged with responsibilities that include judicial and non-judicial duties.

The Clerk provides administrative support for Circuit Court by preparing, recording, and maintaining court orders, subpoenas, and pleadings. The Clerk's Office also manages juries, disposal of evidence, collection of criminal fines and costs. Inquiries concerning the Court's procedures and policies and the records should be directed to the Clerk's Office, which serves as a repository for the Court's records.

Non-judicial duties include the authority to probate wills, grant administration of estates, appoint guardians, issue marriage licenses. The Clerk acts as the Register of Deeds by recording all deeds, deeds of trust, real estate liens, releases and powers of attorney.

The Clerk acts as the county archivist by maintaining records of the Court, real estate, probate and numerous other county records. Records management is an immense and critical responsibility of the Clerk's Office due to the volume and types of records.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850, Virginia County Records, Volume VI, Volume VII and Volume IX

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Roanoke County, Virginia Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Virginia Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
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Click Here to Search Virginia Birth, Marriage & Death Records!
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Roanoke County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Virginia

  Vital Statistics include the official recordation of marriages, births, and deaths. Bible records, cemetery records, and church records are private sources that may supplement the official records.

A law requiring the systematic statewide recording of births and deaths was passed by the General Assembly on April 11 1853. Every commissioner of revenue registered births and deaths in his district annually and forwarded the information to the clerk of court, who then supplied the information to the state Auditor of Public Accounts. This law continued in effect until 1896. The Auditor turned the lists over to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in 1918 and the registers were later transferred to the state archives. The Library of Virginia has copies of surviving birth and death records for the period 1853 to 1896 and marriage records prior to 1936.

Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records is located at The Shops at Willow Lawn, 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 275, Richmond, VA 23220; Ph: (804) 662-6200. The mailing address is VDH, Office of Vital Records, and Health Statistics, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, Virginia, 23218-1000. They have the following records:

  • Births and Deaths: 1853-1896 and June 1912 to present. Birth cards are no longer available. Only the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk and Richmond have records between 1896 and June 14, 1912.
  • Marriage Records: 1853 to the present. If the records are not available from the State office, they should be available from the Clerk of Court in county where the marriage license was issued.
  • Divorce Records: 1918 to the present. If the records are not available from the State office, they should be available from the Clerk of Court in county where the marriage license was issued.
  • Ordering Vital Records Online- You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

Birth records are public information 100 years after the date of the event; death, marriage, and divorce records, 50 years after the event. Due to limited resources they are unable to conduct geneology searches. Contact the Library of Virginia for assistance at http://www.lva.lib.va.us/.

For all birth records, please allow 10 business days. All marriage records, death records, divorce records, non-automated birth records and documents requiring amendments, please allow a delivery time of 4 to 6 weeks. Marriage and divorce records are available at the Circuit Court in which the event took place. Recent death records are available at the local health department where the death certificate was filed. You can also Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering HERE

The fee to search for a birth, Marriage or Death certificate is $12.00, which includes one certified copy of the certificate or a "Certificate of Failure to Find." Make checks and money orders should be made payable to "State Health Department ". Please do not send cash. Credit Cards may be uses by using VitalChek services. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to:Vital Records, VDH, Office of Vital Records, and Health Statistics, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, Virginia, 23218-1000 . You can download an application online for Birth, Death, Marriage or Divorce Certificates. You can also Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering HERE

There are a few online databases for Marriage Records which include: Virginia Marriages, 1740-1850, Virginia Marriages to 1800, Virginia Marriages before 1824 and Virginia Marriages, 1851-1929

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Click Here to Search Virginia Voter Lists & Census Records!
Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Roanoke County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Virginia

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Roanoke County, Virginia are 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Roanoke County, Virginia are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Roanoke County, Virginia Census Books at Amazon.com
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Roanoke County Maps & Atlases

 

Virginia Antique Maps & Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Virginia and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Virginia showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Virginia showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps.

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Maps. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Click Here to Search Virginia Military Records!
Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

Roanoke County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Virginia

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American. Read more detailed information on Virginia Military Records and the various wars.

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Roanoke County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Virginia's tax records are a rich—and largely untapped—resource. During the Colonial period, there were three basic forms of taxation: the quitrent, the parish levy, and the poll tax.

The quitrent was a land tax that had its roots in English manorial society where “the land obligations due the manor, such as plowing and haying the lord's land, were computed to an annual money payment. Upon payment, the obligations were `quit' for the year.” Those living south of the Rappahannock River paid a quitrent to the Crown. An original, incomplete list of land owners for the region in 1704 is in the Public Record Office in London and has been published several times, not always reliably.

Residents of the Northern Neck, between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers, paid quitrents to the agents of Lord Fairfax. Many original rent rolls of the Fairfax proprietary are housed at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Extant original rent rolls and facsimiles for Virginia are available at The Library of Virginia.

The parish levy was an annual tax paid by all tithables for support of their ministers, maintenance of the parishes' glebe lands (the parsonage and lands producing income for the parish), and support of the poor of the parish.

The poll tax, except for a brief period from 1645 to 1648, was the main source of revenue for the colony of Virginia. The annual poll tax was computed by dividing the total expenses of the colony and individual counties by the total number of tithables. The result was levied on each tithable.

Tithables were variously defined during the colonial period. The first definition, in 1624, was “every male head above sixteen years of age.” All agricultural workers were added in 1629. In 1643 all males and black females aged sixteen or over were tithables. Imported male servants of any age were added in 1649.

The definition of “tithable” was rewritten in 1658. Tithables included free males aged sixteen or over, imported blacks of either sex, imported white male servants, and Indian servants of either sex; white women employed in agriculture were added in 1662. Complaints from planters with increasing numbers of indentured servants and slaves led to a revision in 1680 that declared Virginia-born male slaves taxable at age twelve and imported male servants taxable at age fourteen; nonwhite women and free males remained taxable at age sixteen.

The laws of Virginia were revised in 1705. From then until 1782, all males and nonwhite females aged sixteen or over were tithables. Wives of free nonwhite males were added in 1723.

Virginia's tax system changed after the Revolutionary War to include taxing land and personal property in 1782, with further revision in 1787. The bulk of those tax lists prior to 1850 survive and are available on microfilm at The Library of Virginia.

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Roanoke County, Virginia Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Roanoke County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Virginia Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Roanoke Valley Historical Society Museum and Library, One Market Square, P.O. Box 1904, Roanoke, VA 24011, (540) 342-5770
  • Salem Historical Society, Box 201, Salem, VA 24153
  • Local Virginia Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
  • The Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-8000; 804-692-3500
  • Virginia Genealogical Society, 5001 West Broad Street, Suite 115, Richmond, Virginia 23230-3023; Telephone (804) 285-8954
    Please note that because of our close proximity to the Library of Virginia and the Virginia Historical Society, the Virginia Genealogical Society does not maintain a research facility or surname material.
  • Virginia Historical Society, 428 North Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23220, Phone: 804.358.4901
    Mail: P.O.Box 7311, 23221-0311;Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-5 / Sunday 1-5 (galleries only)
  • Virginia Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
  • Virginia Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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Click Here to Search Virginia Obituary Records!
This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

Roanoke County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Virginia

There are many churches and cemeteries in Roanoke County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Roanoke County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Unlike New England, colonial Virginia left few early church records. The first Virginians were members of the Church of England, or Anglican church, which became the Episcopal Church in 1786. Early parish registers are incomplete and challenging to use. Parish boundaries changed rapidly and are hard to pinpoint.

Since colonial times, many religious groups have established congregations in Virginia, including Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Quaker or Friends, to name a few. Except for the Quakers, few of these groups kept records containing such genealogical information as birth, marriage, and death dates. A number of church vestry books and registers have been published and are available at The Library of Virginia and the FHL.

The list of published tombstone inscriptions for Virginia, if a comprehensive list existed, would be lengthy. The DAR has compiled an extensive collection of Virginia tombstone inscriptions. The collection, along with other cemetery record publications, can be found at the DAR Library in Washington, D.C., The Library of Virginia, the Virginia Historical Society, and the FHL.

Cemetery interment registers and gravestone inscriptions may often be sources of useful information for Virginia researchers. The state government does not have a long, uninterrupted, centralized file of birth and death records that are readily accessible to researchers. Wars, floods, and fires have destroyed the vital record of many of Virginia's counties. Oftentimes, information found in cemetery records and on gravestones cannot be found anywhere else. When looking for a specific cemetery in Virginia, you may wish to start with the following comprehensive resource.

Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Click Here to Search Virginia Family Tree Records!
The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Roanoke County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Roanoke County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

Named for Lord Botetourt, a royal Governor of Virginia, Botetourt County was formed in 1769 with boundaries extending west to the Mississippi River. Roanoke County was formed from a portion of this land in 1838.

By the 1740s, the first Scotch-Irish and German settlers reached the upper Roanoke Valley by traveling from Pennslyvania through the Shenandoah Valley. They were joined by Tidewater Virginians of English ancestry who journeyed up the valleys of the James and Roanoke rivers.

Roanoke’s earliest era of pioneer settlement produced two major military and political leaders. General Andrew Lewis and Col. William Fleming headed troops from Virginia who defeated the Shawnee at the Battle of Point Pleasant on the Ohio River in 1774. Both Lewis and Fleming then served as western Virginia leaders in the cause of the American Revolution.

The county today (population 80,000) is the mostly affluent surburban area surrounding the City of Roanoke. It includes the Town of Vinton as well as Hollins, home of prestigious Hollins College for women, and historic Bonsack.

Roanoke County’s name comes from the Indian word "Rawrenock", which means wampum. These were white shell beads worn by native Americans. This explanation was handed down from Captain John Smith, who wrote about the origins of Roanoke Island in North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound.

Many of the county’s areas are named for its mountain peaks. One of the most unusual names is Twelve O’ Clock Knob. The Mountain got its name because slaves west of Salem could look at it and tell it was time for lunch when the sun was at a point over the mountain’s 2,707-foot peak.

Another of Roanoke County’s natural resources, underground springs, sparked names for many areas. These include Virginia Etna Springs, site of a former water bottling plant, and Botetourt Springs Resort. Begun in the 1820s, the resort became the nucleus of Hollins College. Another important spring was Big Cook Spring in Bonsack, an area heavily damaged by the Civil War.

Two blanket factories were located in Bonsack during the War between the States. Legend has it that one blanket factory was burned to the ground by the Yankees. However, the second was spared because its owner, with fingers crossed, promised not to sell blankets to the nearby Confederate merchants down the road in Roanoke City.

East of Vinton lies Bonsack, the home of Jim Bonsack. He quit Roanoke College to work on a competition for the first cigarette rolling machine. Young Bonsack won $75,000 competition prize, patented his invention in 1880 at the age of 22, made a fortune and spawned a national industry.

Roanoke County’s pioneering spirit extends to modern times. The county was the first in the state to have curbside recycling. It also has been nationally recognized for governmental cooperation, quality of life and support of the Explore Park.

Explore, a unique recreational and educational experience, is the county’s tourism focus. It opened in 1994, after the National Park Sevice completed a road to the area. This Park is located in East County near Vinton. Explore includes a frontier settlement, North American wilderness zoological park and environmental education center. This park will be completed in various phases with a major emphasis on environmental preservation.

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