Craig County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Craig County is located in the Western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a border with West Virginia. Craig was formed in 1851 from parts of six neighboring counties. Craig County was named for Robert Craig, a 19th-century Virginia congressman. New Castle is the County seat.

Craig County Virginia Courthouse
Craig County Courthouse P.O. Box 185 303 Main Street New Castle, VA 24127-0185 Phone: 540-864-6141

Clerk Circuit Court has birth records 1864-1896, marriage, divorce, probate and court and land records from 1851

Parent County
1851--Craig County was created 21 March 1851 from Botetourt, Giles, Roanoke and Monroe (West Virginia) Counties. County seat: New Castle.

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.

Record Loss
1863 and 1864 Deed Book A and most loose papers were destroyed in December 1863 and June 1864.

After the record loss, deeds were re-recorded in Deed Books B and C. Bound volumes of court orders and wills still exist.


 * Lost census: 1890

Neighboring Counties
Alleghany | Botetourt | Giles | Monroe County, West Virginia | Montgomery | Roanoke

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Craig County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1964):26-27. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African Americans

 * Freedmen's

Cemeteries
For a detailed list, including addresses, phone numbers, and external links, see Craig County, Virginia Cemeteries.

The following is a list of cemeteries in Craig County:

Census
1785


 * Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. Troutville, Va.: Burton?, 1972. Available at ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [All of part of present-day county of Craig is included.]

1890 Union Veterans


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

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.: Government Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Craig County, p. 68.61]

Civil War

 * - 28th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Craig Rifles) and Company D (Craig Mountain Boys).
 * - 54th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company K (The Roanoke Guards).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 -
 * 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.

Birth

 * 1853-1896 - Fridley, Beth. Craig County, Virginia Births, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * 1864-1896 - Craig County Birth Index 1864-1896. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1865-1937 - Craig County Marriage Index 1865-1937. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1853-1896 - Fridley, Beth, comp. Craig County, Virginia Deaths, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001. Available at Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Craig County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Craig Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Craig County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List