Botetourt County, Virginia Genealogy

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

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Description
Botetourt County is located in the Western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was created by an Act of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769. It is named after popular governor Lord Botetourt, who was regarded as the best of Governors and best of men. Fincastle is the County seat.

Botetourt County Virginia Courthouse
Botetourt County Courthouse Box 219 Fincastle, Virginia 24090 Phone: 540-473-8274 Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1853-1870, marriage, divorce, probate, land, court and cemetery records from 1770

Botetourt County Virginia History


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.

Parent County
7 November 1769: Botetourt County was created from Augusta County. County seat: Fincastle

Boundary Changes
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.

Variant Spellings

 * Bottetourt
 * Bottetout

Record Loss
1970 Pre-1830 chancery papers, and pre-1854 judgements were water-damaged during a courthouse fire on 15 December 1970.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Botetourt County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1961):131-134. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American

 * Boyd-Rush, Dorothy A. Free Negroes Registered in the Clerk's Office, Botetourt County, Virginia, 1802-1836. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1993.


 * Heinegg, Paul. "Botetourt County Personal Property Tax List 1783-1822," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Cemeteries
For a more detailed list, including addresses and external links, see Botetourt County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Botetourt County:

1785

 * Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. Troutville, Va.: Burton?, 1972. ▲ digital version Ancestry ($).

1790
Lost, only statistics survive.

1800
Lost, only statistics survive.

1810

 * 1810 Census of Botetourt County, Virginia. Beverly, W. Va.: Crickard, 1968?. Available at ; ▲ digital version Ancestry ($).

1890 Union Veterans

 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.

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
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:


 * Summers, Lewis Preston et al. Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800. 2 vols. Abingdon, Va.: L.P. Summers, 1929. Reprint:

Genealogy
More than 75 genealogies have been published about Botetourt County families. To view a list, visit Botetourt County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

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].

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

Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 362 Botetourt County, Virginia Patents 1740-1803 (Partially 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
 * Nugent, Nell M. Commonwealth's (Land) Grants or Patents, Botetourt County, Va., 1770-1802. n.d. Available at.
 * Sims, Edgar Barr. Sims Index to Land Grants in West Virginia. [Springfield, Virginia]: Genealogical Books in Print, c1992. Available at . [Includes Botetourt County, Virginia.]

Surveys


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

Local Histories

 * 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, Virginia: 1979?. Available at.
 * Prillaman, Helen R. 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 Aproached Big Lick and Other Areas, Primarily North Roanoke [Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia]. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). Alternative title: Places Near the Mountains [Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia].

Maps

 * Hildebrand, John R., F.B. Kegley, and Roanoke Valley Historical Society. Historical Map of the Roanoke Historical Society Showing Botetourt County, Virginia, 1770-1820. 1965. Available at . [Includes historical notes and list of prominent men.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Botetourt County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]

Dunmore's War

 * 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. Available at.
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Botetourt County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War
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)

Additional resources:

Botetourt residents recommended for military commissions during the 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. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Bottetourt County on pages 133-134.]
 * 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 ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]
 * Worrell, Anne Lowry. Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976 (Originally published: Hillsville, Va.: A.L. Worrell, 1958. ; digital version at World Vital Records ($)

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... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Botetourt County, p. 64.]
 * Military - First Surveys 1770-1772; Veterans of War of 1812 (1899) Virginia Pioneers ($)

Civil War

 * - 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).

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 — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization
 Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 

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 ($).
 * 1823-1825 - Mirror (Fincastle, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).

Occupations

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

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 Family History 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

 * Worrell, Anne Lowry. Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976 (Originally published: Hillsville, Va.: A.L. Worrell, 1958. Available at . Digital version available at World Vital Records ($)
 * Digital Images of Botetourt County Wills; 1824-1829; 1829-1838. See names of Testators. Virginia Pioneers
 * Deeds - General Index 1770-1889; Index to Deeds and Estates 1824-1829 Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Probate - Images of Wills 1824-1829; 1829-1838 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Online Probate links


 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * 1770-1789 - Botetourt County, Virginia Lists of Tithables, 1770-1789. Original records, Botetourt County Courthouse, Fincastle, Virginia; also available on microfilm at.
 * 1770-1777 - Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Virginia, Its Men, 1770-1777. Troutville, Virginia: C.T. Burton, [197-?]. Available at . Contains names of tithable men in Botetourt Co., 1770-1777. Includes delinquent lists.
 * 1770-1771 - Creekmore, Pollyanna. "Botetourt County, Virginia, Tithables, 1770-1771," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):51-56; Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1966):109-122. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * 1770-1773 - Kegley, Mary B. New River Tithables, 1770-1773. Wytheville, Virginia: M.B. Kegley, 1972. Available at.
 * 1782 - Tithables, 1782, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Summer 1995). ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1782 - Land Tax List, 1782, Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin, Vol. 3, Nos. 1-2 (1974).
 * Pre-1783 - County Delinquents List, Pre-Revoluntionary War Period, Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Aug. 2003). Available at.
 * 1783-1810 Botetourt County Personal Property Tax Lists 1783-1810 (images); digital version in Tax List Club at Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1783-1822 - Heinegg, Paul. "Botetourt County Personal Property Tax List 1783-1822," Free African Americans.com, available online. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 1784 - Douthat, James L. 1784 Botetourt County, Virginia Tax Listing. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2012. Free online surname index and publisher's bookstore.
 * 1784 - Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . 1784 personal property tax list of Botetourt County.
 * 1787 - Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Online at FamilySearch - free; . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Botetourt County is included in Vol. 1.
 * 1789 - Indexed images of the 1789 Personal Property Tax List of Botetourt County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1799 - Images of the 1799 Personal Property Tax List of Botetourt County, Virginia are available to browse online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1800 - "Botetourt County, Virginia 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1965):105-110; Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1965):154-158; Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1966):11-17. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * 1815 - Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. 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

 * 1850s - Botetourt County Birth Register (VAGenWeb). Transcript and images.
 * 1853-1870 - Botetourt Birth Index 1853-1870. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1885-1896 - Fridley, Beth, comp. Botetourt County, Virginia Births, 1885-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * Worrell, Anne Lowry. Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976 (Originally published: Hillsville, Va.: A.L. Worrell, 1958. Available at . Digital version available at World Vital Records ($).
 * 1770-1803 - Virginia Pioneers ($) Index
 * 1770-1853 - Botetourt Co. VA, Marriages 1770-1803. Sorted by groom; sorted by bride (VAGenWeb).
 * 1770-1853 - Botetourt County Marriage Index 1770-1853. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1787-1853 - Botetourt County Marriage Index 1787-1853. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1853-1913 - Botetourt County Marriage Index 1853-1913. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1853-1870 - Botetourt County Death Records (VAGenWeb). Transcripts.
 * 1853-1870 - Botetourt County Death Index 1853-1870. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

Botetourt County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Botetourt County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Botetourt County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)