Alleghany County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Alleghany County is located on the far western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia, sharing a boundary line with West Virginia. Alleghany took its name from the mountain range on which it borders.

County Courthouse
Alleghany County Courthouse 266 West Main Street / P.O.Box 670 Covington, VA 24426-0670 Phone 540-965-1730 Alleghany County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1845, Divorce, Probate, Court and land record from 1822

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 the Alleghany Mountains.

Bible Records

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Alleghany County, Virginia, Its Resources and Industries. 1907. Available at ; online collection with index and images at Ancestry ($).

Cemeteries

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

Census Records
To access census records online, see Virginia Census.

1785
 * Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. 1972. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : C.T. Burton. Online at: FamilySearch.

1840
 * 1840 Alleghany County, Virginia Census. By James L. Douthat. Signal Mountain, Tenn : Mountain Press. Surname list.

1860
 * 1860 Alleghany County, Virginia Census. By Louise M. Perkins. Signal Mountain, Tenn : Mountain Press. Surname list.

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
 * 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * A Register of Free Negroes &amp; Mulattoes in Alleghany County, Virginia, 1855-1856. By Dorothy A. Boyd-Bragg. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 2005):307-312. Online at: American Ancestors ($).
 * Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans in Alleghany County.

Funeral Homes

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

Genealogies
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
 * See Alleghany County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles.

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
 * Alleghany County Heritage Book Committee. Alleghany County Heritage. Summersville, W.Va.: Shirley Grose &amp; Associates, c1997..
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia. Dayton, Va.: J.K. Ruebush Co., 1923. Digital version at Ancestry ($);.
 * Turk, David Scott. The Memorialists: An Antebellum History of Alleghany, Craig and Monroe counties of West Virginia, 1812-60. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, c1997..

Local Histories

 * A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia. 1923. By Oren Frederic Morton. Dayton, Virginia : J.K. Ruebush Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Ancestry ($);.
 * Alleghany County, Virginia: Its Resources and Industries. 1907. By The Chamber of Commerce of Covington, Virginia. Online at: Hathitrust;.
 * Alleghany County Heritage. c1997. By Alleghany County Heritage Book Committee. Online at: eBookDownload ($);.
 * Historical Sketch of Alleghany County, Virginia. 1902. By Hugh Maffitt McAllister. Clifton Forge Review, August-September, 1902. n.p. Available at, Online at: Ancestry ($);.
 * Michelle Dudley, "Judge Andrew Damron home, Covington, Alleghany County, Virginia," The Dameron-Damron Family Newsletter 45 (Fall 2007):2217. FamilySearch Books.
 * Pioneer Days in Alleghany County. 1902. By W.A. McAllister. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Oct., 1902), pp. 183-187 JSTOR, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jan. 1902):254-257 JSTOR.
 * The Memorialists : An Antebellum History of Alleghany, Craig and Monroe Counties of Virginia and West Virginia, 1812-60. c1997. By David Scott Turk. Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books. Online at: eBookDownload ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
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. Online at: U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Allegany County on page 133.]
 * Index to Revolutionary Pension and Bounty-Land Documents at the Library of Virginia. 2012. Compiled by C. Leon Harris. Online at: Library of Virginia.

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... Washington, D.C.: Governnment Printing Office. 973 M2Lp v. 5. Online at: Google Books,  Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Alleghany County, p. 60.

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)
 * A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia. 1923. By Oren Frederic Morton. Dayton, Virginia : J.K. Ruebush Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Google Books, Ancestry ($);.

Civil War service men from Alleghany County served in various regiments. Within a regiment, companies were often comprised of men who lived in a smaller geographical area within the county parameters. Listed below are regiments with whom men from Alleghany County served. Because Confederate units often reorganized, this list might not be complete. The following Regiments are mentioned in A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia. 1923. By Oren Frederic Morton. Dayton, Virginia : J.K. Ruebush Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Google Books, Ancestry ($);.
 * - 2nd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia, only lists the names of five men who were from Alleghany County.
 * - 10th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company I (Riverton Invincibles).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (Valley Regulators).
 * - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (1st Kanawha Regiment). Company G (Rocky Point Grays).
 * - 27th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) . Company A Light Infantry (Alleghany Roughs), Company B (Virginia Hibernians), and Company C (Alleghany Rifles).
 * - 59th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G1 (Alleghany Rifles).
 * - 60th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (3rd Regiment, Wise Legion) (Confederate). Company D (The Allegheny Rifles).

However, A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia. 1923. By Oren Frederic Morton. Dayton, Virginia : J.K. Ruebush Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Google Books, Ancestry ($); also lists additional names of Alleghany Companies such as the Alleghany Rough Artillery (Capt. John C. Carpenter's Co.), Alleghany Light Infantry (Co. A, 27th Regiment) afterwards called Alleghany Artillery, Alleghany Reserves (Co. C, 10th Battalion, Virginia Reserves), Alleghany Rifles (Co. C, 27th Regiment).

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

Other Records
Petitions


 * Virginia State Library: A Calendar of Legislative Petitions Arranged by Counties Accomac - Bedford. 1908. By H.J. Eckenrode. Richmond, Virginia: Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing. Online at: Google Books. Alleghany County petitions (1820-1861) are described on pp. 87-95.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1822-37; 1837-49; 1847-76 Indexes to Wills, Inventories, Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1833-37; 1837-49; 1849-76 Images of Wills, Inventories, Estates Virginia Pioneers ($)

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
 * 1774 Tithables, 1774, Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1998).

Birth

 * 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1896 Alleghany County, Virginia Births, 1853-96. 1999. By Beth Fridley. Provo, UT : The Generations Network, Inc. Online at: Search My Past ($), I Dream of Genealogy, Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages - Findmypast ($)
 * 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1822-1916 Alleghany County Marriage Index 1822-1916 FamilySearch.
 * 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1854-1916 Virginia Pioneers ($).
 * 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

 * Deaths are online in the Library of Virginia's Death Index of Virginia, 1853-1896, sponsored by The Virginia Genealogical Society.
 * 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index & images

Divorce

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

Family History Centers

 * Buena Vista Virginia Family History Center
 * Lexington Virginia Family History Center
 * White Sulphur Springs West Virginia Family History Center


 * Jefferson-Madison Regional Library - an affiliate library
 * Roanoke Pubic Libraries - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society, Inc.

Websites

 * Alleghany County VAGenWeb
 * Cyndi's List


 * – 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: Alleghany County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul-Sep. 1959):129-131. Online at: American Ancestors ($),.