Clarke County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Description
Clarke County is located in the Northern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and included in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Clarke County was named for revolutionary war hero, George Rogers Clark.

Clarke County Virginia Courthouse
Clarke County Courthouse P.O. Box 189 102 N. Church Street Berryville, Virginia 22611-0189 Phone: 540-995-5116

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1836

Clarke County Virginia History


The county was named after George Rogers Clark (1751-1818), a prominent military officer in the Revolutionary War.

Parent County
1836--Clarke County was created 8 March 1836 from Frederick County. County seat: Berryville

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

 * Clark

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.


 * Lost census: 1890

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:

Research Guides

 * A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Clarke County. By John Frederick Dorman. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1964):23. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).


 * Finding Your People in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. 1998. By Rebecca H. and Rebecca A. Ebert Good. Bowie, MD : Heritage Books, 4th ed.

African Americans

 * 1865-1872 Freedmen's
 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Clarke County.

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 - at FamilySearch — index

Census
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, ;.

Baptist

 * Berryville Baptist Church Cemetery Records. By Nancy Chappelear. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):66-68. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * Berryville Baptist Church Records, 1841-1860. . Includes meeting minutes and membership lists.

Church of England
See also Frederick Parish


 * Old Chapel and the Parish in Clarke County, Virginia: A History from the Founding of Frederick Parish, 1738 to the Centenary of Christ Church, Millwood, 1932. 1932. By Benjamin Duvall Chambers. Washington, DC : W. F. Roberts Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library,  Ancestry ($).

Funeral Homes

 * 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Genealogy
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Clarke County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 50 + published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

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

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants : A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. n.p.: n.p., c1909. FamilySearch Digital Library; ; ; digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]
 * MacDonald, Rose Mortinier Eilzey. Clarke County, A Daughter of Frederick: A History of Early Families and Homes. Berryville, Va.: Blue Ridge Press, 1943..
 * Mann, Charles Harrison. Liberty Hill: The Story of a House and Its People. Washington, D.C.: A.S. Pratt &amp; Sons, 1977..
 * Myers, Lorraine F., Stuart E. Brown and Eileen M. Chappel. Some Old Families of Clarke County, Virginia. Berryville, Va.: Virginia Book Co., 1994.
 * O'Dell, Cecil. Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia. Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Pub. Co., 1995. . One of the most impressively researched one-place studies in the United States. In a review, Dorman stated "Comprehensive studies such as this appear only rarely. This volume should be in every Virginia genealogical collection."

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Dunn. 165 patents dated 1734-1790 in what is now Clarke and Frederick Counties, Virginia 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 product.]

Local Histories

 * Clarke County, a Daughter of Frederick: A History of Early Families and Homes. 1979. By Rose Mortimer Ellzey MacDonald. Berryville, VA : Blue Ridge Press. Original edition and supplement available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Historical Collections Of Virginia. 1845. By Henry Howe. Charleston, SC : William R. Babcock.1852 reprint online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books.
 * History of Clarke County, Virginia and Its Connection with the War Between the States : With Illustrations of Colonial Homes and of Confederate Officers. c1914. By Thomas Daniel Gold. Berryville, VA : C.R. Hughes. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books.
 * History of the Lower Shenandoah Valley Counties of Frederick, Berkeley, Jefferson and Clarke: Their Early Settlement and Progress to the Present Time, Geological Features, a Description of Their Historic and Interesting Localities, Cities, Towns and Villages, Portraits of Some of the Prominent Men, and Biographies of Many of the Representative Citizens. 1890. By J. E. Norris. Chicago, IL : A. Warner & Co., Publishers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books.
 * Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants : A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. c1909. By T. K. Cartmell. Winchester, VA : The Eddy Press Corp. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($); World Vital Records ($).

Maps

 * Clarke County. 1990. By Eugene M. Scheel. Warrenton, VA : Piedmont Press. Available at . Features include "old roads, mills, stores, plantations, churches, ruins, cemeteries, battles, historic sites, early stream names and boundaries."

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. Washington : Blair and Rives. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books; . See Virginia, Western District, Clark County [sic] on page 134.

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, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Clarke County, p. 68.

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).


 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Nelson Rifles), Company I (Clarke Rifles)
 * - 6th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D (Clarke Cavalry).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company K.
 * - 23rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D.

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865
 * 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
 * Clarke County Virginia Confederate Pension Rolls, Veterans and Widows

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Clarke County.


 * July 17-18, 1864 Cool Spring, also known as Island Ford, Parkers Ford, Snickers Ferry, or Castleman’s Ferry
 * September 3-4, 1864 Berryville [13]


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861 and 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia

Newspapers
Online Newspapers


 * 1899-1910 - Clarke Courier at Chronicling America - free.

Occupations

 * The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. 1952. By George Barton Cutten. Richmond, Virginia : The Dietz Press, Incorporated. Online at: Hathitrust;.

Probate Records

 * 1826-1845; 1845-1852 Images of Wills and Inventories. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1845-1852 Indexes to Wills and Inventories. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Birth

 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Clarke County, Virginia Births, 1878-96. 1999. By Beth Fridley. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage

 * 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
 * 1836-1933 Clarke County Marriage Index 1836-1933. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1853-1935 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Clarke County, Virginia Deaths, 1853-96. 1999. By Beth Fridley. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, Available at Ancestry ($).

Family History Centers
Clarke County Historical Association - P.O.Box 306, 32 E Main St., Berryville, VA 22611--URL: www.clarkehistory.org--has searchable online catalog on website. Open Thurs-Sat 11-4--540-955-2600--archives@clarkehistory.org

Clarke County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Clarke County, Virginia USGENWEB
 * Clarke County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Clarke County Historical Association
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List