Alleghany County, North Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Alleghany County, North Carolina ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Alleghany County is located in the North-West portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Virginia. It was named for an Indian tribe, and the name is derived from "a corruption of the Delaware Indian name for the Allegheny River and is said to have meant "a fine stream".

County Courthouse
Alleghany County Courthouse Main Street PO Box 186 Sparta, NC 28675 Phone: 336-372-4342 Clerk Superior Court has birth death records from 1914 Court records from 1869 &amp; land records from 1860  Alleghany County Register of Deeds 348 S. Main Street, County Adm. Bldg. Sparta, NC 28675 Telephone: 336.372.4342 Fax: 336.372.2061 Website  Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 61 Sparta, NC 28675 Telephone: (336) 372-3900

History
In 1776 settlers in what would eventually become Tennessee successfully petitioned North Carolina to recognize the Washington District. The District included all of modern Tennessee except two small settlements (North-of-Holston, Fincastle County, and Pendleton, Washington County) in the far northeast that were considered part of Virginia at the time. Washington (old) County was created from Washington District by North Carolina in 1777 as the western county of North Carolina.

In August 1784 delegates from Washington and two other western North Carolina counties which had split off from Washington (all now in Tennessee), declared their Independence from North Carolina because of perceived neglect, and misuse by North Carolina’s legislature. By May 1785 they had petitioned to be admitted to the United States as the new State of Franklin. The Franklin statehood request was denied. By 1789 the hopes for a State of Franklin faded. North Carolina refused to recognize several counties created by Franklin out of Washington County.

North Carolina was admitted to the Union in 1789 and ceded her western counties to the United States. The United States made these western counties into the Southwest Territory. In 1792 North Carolina divided Washington (old) County and annexed some of its land that would later become Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga counties in North Carolina to Wilkes County, North Carolina. In 1796 the remainder of Washington County became part of the new State of Tennessee.

North Carolina created Ashe County out of Wilkes County in 1799, and in 1859 erected Alleghany County out of Ashe County.

For a detailed assessment of Alleghany records and their availability, see:


 * Alleghany County (U.S. GenWeb Archives)

Parent County
1859--Alleghany County was created in 1859 from the eastern part of Ashe County. County seat: Sparta

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating North Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
Some records were lost in a 1932 courthouse fire. For more information on extant records, see the following:


 * Alleghany County (U.S. GenWeb Archives)

Townships
Alleghany County currently has seven townships:


 * Cherry Lane
 * Cranberry
 * Gap Civil
 * Glade Creek
 * Piney Creek
 * Prathers Creek
 * Whitehead

Populated Places

 * Sparta (county seat): official site | Wikipedia

Neighboring Counties

 * Ashe (west)
 * Grayson County, Virginia (north)
 * Surry (east)
 * Wilkes (south)

Cemeteries

 * Alleghany County Cemetery Records North Carolina (Interment.net)

Census

 * Census (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Census Records (GenWeb)

Church

 * Alleghany County Churches (GenWeb)

Court

 * Court (U.S. GenWeb Archives)

Land

 * Deeds (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Land Records (GenWeb)

Military

 * Military (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Military Records (GenWeb)

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and 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)
 * 1885 - 1953 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * - 4th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company B.
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Detailed Men, Company F
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company B
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company F

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Newspapers (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Alleghany North Carolina GenWeb Obituaries
 * Obituaries (U.S. GenWeb Archives)

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1660 - 1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1663 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1665 - 1998 - North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1735 - 1970 - at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1760 - 1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images


 * (GenWeb)
 * Wills &amp; Estates (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Alleghany County NC Loose Estates Index, 1663-1979

Births

 * 1800 - 2000 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1866 - 1964 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Alleghany County Birth Records

Marriages

 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1861 - 1922 - Alleghany County Marriage Index 1861-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Marriages (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * 1763 - 1868 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1762 - 1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1759 - 1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Deaths

 * 1898 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1906 - 1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1908 - 2004 - North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1909 - 1975 - North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1931 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Alleghany County, North Carolina GenWeb
 * Deaths

Divorce

 * 1926 - 1975 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Yearbooks

 * Alleghany County students at NC colleges - a list via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index

Societies and Libraries
Alleghany Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 817 Sparta 28675

Alleghany Historical Museum 7 North Main Street Sparta, NC. Telephone Number: 336-372-2115 Website Free Admission.

Websites

 * Alleghany County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Alleghany County, North Carolina (New River Notes)
 * Alleghany County, North Carolina (Wikipedia)
 * Alleghany County, North Carolina GenWeb (NCGenWeb)
 * Alleghany County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives (U.S. GenWeb Archives)