Botetourt County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Botetourt County is located in the western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named after governor Lord Botetourt.

County Courthouse
Botetourt County Courthouse 20 East Back Street, A Fincastle, VI 24090 Phone: 540-473-8274 Botetourt County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1853-1870, marriage, divorce, probate, land, court and cemetery records from 1770

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 Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron de Botetourt (c1717-1770). Berkeley, formerly a Member of British Parliament, served as Virginia's Royal Governor at the time of Botetourt County's organization.

Bible Records

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Mercantile Adventures in Early Virginia, John Stewart, Tailor of Augusta and Botetourt Counties. By William C. Stewart. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1967):3-11; Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1967):61-66. Online at: American Ancestors by NEHGS ($),.
 * The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. By George Barton Cutten. 1952. Richmond, Virginia : The Dietz Press, Incorporated. Online at: Hathitrust; . Includes a section on Fincastle silversmiths.

Cemeteries

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

Census Records
1785
 * Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. 1972. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : Burton. Online at: FamilySearch Online Books, Ancestry ($).

1790 Lost, only statistics survive.

1800 Lost, only statistics survive.

1810
 * 1810 Census of Botetourt County, Virginia. 1968. By Madeline W. Crickard. Beverly, WVA: Crickard. Online at: Ancestry ($),.

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):
 * 1) Mill Creek (1804). A bicentennial history was published in 2004: Touch of History, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Dec. 2004). Another history was published in 1987: Appalachian Heritage, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Fall 1987).
 * 2) Rock Spring (1804)

Botetourt County fell within the bounds of the Strawberry Association.

Church of England See also Botetourt Parish
 * Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Botetourt County is available online.

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records Several of the original order books (which begin in 1770) do not contain handwritten prosecutors' indexes. Some of the entries were abstracted in Annals of Southwest Virginia, which serves as a partial index, see:
 * Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800. 1929. By Lewis Preston Summers, et al. Abingdon, Virginia : L.P. Summers. 2 vols., Ancestry ($).

Emigration and Immigration
During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 5 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Fincastle and Bottetout County [sic].

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Botetourt County Personal Property Tax List 1783-1822. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * Free Negroes Registered in the Clerk's Office, Botetourt County, Virginia, 1802-1836. 1993. By Dorothy A. Boyd-Rush. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co.
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans in Botetourt County.

Funeral Homes

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

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies of Surnames 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 Botetourt County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to a surname using the alphabet bar.

Compiled genealogies for multiple families
 * The Virginia Room at the Roanoke Public Library includes Surname Files. A list of families in this collection is available at the library's website.
 * The Katherine Bushman Papers, 1961-1997 at the Library of Virginia include files about Botetourt County families.
 * Heath indexed biographies of early settlers of Botetourt County in The Virginia Papers: the Draper Manuscript Collection, 5 vols. 2003-6.
 * Botetourt County, Virginia 1700s to early 1800s. Online at: Gowin, Goins Family Information.
 * Most Distinguished Characters of the American Frontier : Robert Looney (b 1692-1702 d 1770) of Augusta (now Botetourt) County, Virginia and Some of His Descendants with Histories of the Great Road, Looney's Ferry, Crow's Ferry, Anderson's Ferry, Boyd's Ferry and Beale's Bridge. c1998-2008. By Madge Looney Crane, Phillip L. Crane. Apollo, Pennsylvania : Closson Press..
 * Austin, J. William and Rebecca H.R. Austin. Related Families of Botetourt County, Virginia. Revised Edition. 1977; revised, Baltimore, Md., 2000. . Includes Austin, Burger, Firebaugh, Huff, Noffsinger, Switzer and Wilhelm families.
 * Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Virginia, Early Settlers: From the Earliest Times through 1795, in the Area that was Botetourt County in 1782, Covers Parts of Present-day Counties of Montgomery, Bath, Giles, Floyd, Alleghany, Roanoke, Craig and Monroe. Troutville, Va.: [Burton?, 1979?]..

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records An early settlers map is available for Botetourt County. The cartographer plots the locations of pioneers from 1770-1820. The FamilySearch Library has a copy:.

Grants and Patents
 * Botetourt County, Virginia Patents 1740-1803 (Partially Placed on a Map). 2004. By Hudgins. DeedMapper. Online at: Directline Software ($).
 * 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


 * Commonwealth's (Land) Grants or Patents, Botetourt County, Va., 1770-1802. By Nell Marion Nugent. n.d. : n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Online Books.
 * Sims Index to Land Grants in West Virginia. c1992. By Edgar Barr Sims. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print..

Surveys
 * Botetourt County, Virginia, First Surveys. By Pollyanna Creekmore. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar. 1964):3-13. CD available at: American Ancestors ($).

Local Histories

 * A Seed-Bed of the Republic : A Study of the Pioneers in the Upper (Southern) Valley of Virginia. c1962. By Robert Douthat Stoner, Roanoke Valley Historical Society (Roanoke, Virginia). n.p. : R.D. Stoner..
 * Botetourt Bicentennial : Souvenir Program and History Celebrating the Two Hundredth Anniversary of Botetourt County, Virginia. 1970. By Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission. Publication Committee. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Geneanet ($)
 * Botetourt County, Virginia, Early Settlers: From the Earliest Times through 1795, in the Area that was Botetourt County in 1782, Covers Parts of Present-day Counties of Montgomery, Bath, Giles, Floyd, Alleghany, Roanoke, Craig and Monroe. 1979. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : n.p. Available at.
 * Botetourt County, Virginia : Heritage Book 1770-2000. 2000. By Botetourt Heritage Book Committee (Virginia). [S.l.] : Walsworth Publishing Company..
 * Botetourt County, Virginia Information. Virginia USGenWeb Archives
 * Botetourt County History Before 1800. 1982. By J. William Austin, Jr., Rebecca H. R. Austin, Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission. Publication Committee. Fincastle, Virginia : Publication Committee, Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission..
 * Community Development in Botetourt County : 1770-1783 Part V (Kegley's Virginia Frontier). 1938. By F. B. Kegley, Southwest Virginia Historical Society. Roanoke, Virginia : Southwest Virginia Historical Society. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.
 * History of Botetourt County 1770-1783. 1903. By Lewis Preston Summers. Online at: Genealogy Trails History Group.
 * Places Near the Mountains: From the Community of Amsterdam, Virginia Up the Road to Catawba, on the Waters of the Catawba and Tinker Creeks, Along the Carolina Road as it Approached Big Lick and Other Areas, Primarily North Roanoke (Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia). 2002. By Helen R. Prillaman. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Online at: Ancestry ($), . Alternative title: Places Near the Mountains (Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia).
 * Virginia Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Historical Map of the Roanoke Historical Society Showing Botetourt County, Virginia, 1770-1820. 1965. By John R. Hildebrand, F.B. Kegley, and Roanoke Valley Historical Society. Available at . Includes historical notes and list of prominent men.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
French and Indian War
 * 1919-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. . Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some Botetourt County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.

Dunmore
 * Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Culpeper and Fincastle Payrolls and Public Service Claims, 1775: Also Known as Dunmore's War: Enlarged and Photocopied. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 2004. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1651-1776 Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). Identifies some County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.

Revolutionary War
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Augusta County on page 133.
 * Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. 1976. By Anne Lowry Worrell. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. (Originally published: Hillsville, Va.: A.L. Worrell, 1958.).
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
 * Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. c1913. By J. T. McAllister. Hot Springs, Virginia : McAllister Pub. Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive..

Regiments. Service men in Botetourt County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Botetourt County supplied soldiers for the:
 * - 7th Virginia Regiment
 * - 12th Virginia Regiment (5th and 10th Companies)

War of 1812 Botetourt County men served in the 48th and 121st Regiments.
 * 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 ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Botetourt County, p. 64.
 * Military - First Surveys 1770-1772; Veterans of War of 1812 (1899). Online at: Virginia Pioneers ($).

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)

Regiments: Civil War service men in Botetourt 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:
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry, Artillery, and Infantry) (Confederate). Company H may have been recruited in Botetourt County.
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate).
 * - 28th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Blue Ridge Rifles) and Company I (Mountain Rifles).
 * - 57th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Botetourt Guards).
 * - 60th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (3rd Regiment, Wise Legion) (Confederate). Company K (The Osceola Guards).

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
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.
 * 1800 Herald of Virginia (Fincastle, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1801 Fincastle Weekly Advertiser (Fincastle, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1821-1823 Herald of the Valley (Fincastle, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1823-1825 Mirror (Fincastle, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * Botetourt County History Before 1900 Through Newspapers. 1976. By Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission. Publication Committee. n.p. : n.p. Online at: Digital Library.

Periodicals
Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin Genealogical articles with abstracts of Botetourt County, Virginia records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The FamilySearch Library has a complete collection, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002).

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1633-1800 Wills and Estate Records Index at Library of Virginia.*Deeds - General Index 1770-1889; Index to Deeds and Estates 1824-1829 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
 * 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Deeds - General Index 1770-1889; Index to Deeds and Estates 1824-1829 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Digital Images of Botetourt County Wills; 1824-1829; 1829-1838. See names of Testators. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. 1976. By Anne Lowry Worrell. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. (Originally published: Hillsville, Va.: A.L. Worrell, 1958.).
 * Probate - Images of Wills 1824-1829; 1829-1838 Virginia Pioneers ($)

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

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1770-1789 Botetourt County, Virginia Lists of Tithables, 1770-1789. Original records, Botetourt County Courthouse, Fincastle, Virginia; also available on microfilm at.
 * 1770-1771 Botetourt County, Virginia, Tithables, 1770-1771. By Pollyanna Creekmore. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):51-56; Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1966):109-122. CD available at: American Ancestors ($),.
 * 1770-1777 Botetourt County, Virginia, Its Men, 1770-1777. 1949. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : C.T. Burton. Online at: Digital Library. Contains names of tithable men in Botetourt Co., 1770-1777. Includes delinquent lists.
 * 1770-1773 New River Tithables, 1770-1773. 1972. By Mary B. Kegley. Wytheville, Virginia : M.B. Kegley. Available at.
 * 1782 Tithables, 1782. Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Summer 1995). Online at: Ancestry ($),.
 * 1782 Land Tax List, 1782. Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 3, Nos. 1-2 (1974).
 * Pre-1783 County Delinquents List, Pre-Revolutionary War Period. Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Aug. 2003). Available at.
 * 1783 Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783. Online at: Revolutionary War Service.
 * 1783-1822 Botetourt County Personal Property Tax List 1783-1822. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 1783-1851 Personal property tax lists, 1783-1851.  - images.
 * 1784 1784 Personal Property Tax List online at Genealogy Trails.
 * 1784 1784 Botetourt County, Virginia Tax Listing. 2012. By James L. Douthat. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press. Free online surname index at Mountain Press.
 * 1784 Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940. By Augusta B. Fothergill and John Mark Naugle. Reprint, Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978. . Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, - images. Includes personal property tax list of Botetourt County.
 * 1786 1786 Personal Property Tax List online at Genealogy Trails.
 * 1787 The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. c1987. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Botetourt County is included in Vol. 1.
 * 1794 1794 Botetourt County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List. Online at: New River Notes.
 * 1800 Botetourt County, Virginia 1800 Tax List. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1965):105-110; Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1965):154-158; Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):11-17. Online at: American Ancestors by NEHGS ($),.
 * 1815 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 1997-2000. By Roger D. Ward. Athens, Georgia : Iberian Pub. Co. 6 vols. Available at . The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Botetourt County is included in Vol. 5.
 * 1852 Taxable Property of Botetourt, 1852. Roanoke Historical Society Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Winter 1969).

Birth

 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1850s Botetourt County Birth Register (VAGenWeb). Transcript and images. Digital version at FamilySearch PDF.
 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1885-1896 Botetourt County, Virginia Births, 1885-96. 2000.By Beth Fridley, comp. Provo, UT : The Generations Network, Inc. Online at: Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages. Online at: Findmypast ($).
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1770-1803 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1770-1853 Botetourt Co. VA, Marriages 1770-1803. Online at: VAGenWeb (grooms), VAGenWeb (brides).
 * 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 & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. 1976. (Originally published: Hillsville, Virginia : A.L. Worrell, 1958.) By Anne Lowry Worrell. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. Available at.

Death
Deaths are online in the Library of Virginia's Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, sponsored by The Virginia Genealogical Society.
 * 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1853-1870 Botetourt County Death Records. Online at: VAGenWeb.
 * 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Pembroke Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Roanoke Virginia FamilySearch Center


 * Montgomery Floyd Regional Library, Blacksburg - an affiliate library
 * Montgomery Floyd Regional Library, Christiansburg - an affiliate library

Libraries
Botetourt County Historical Society 1 West Main Street P O Box 468 Fincastle, Virginia 24090 540-473-8394

Websites

 * Botetourt County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Cyndi's List
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)


 * – 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: Botetourt County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1961):131-134. Online at: American Ancestors ($).