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.

Description
Botetourt County is located in the Western portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named after popular governor Lord Botetourt, who was regarded as the best of governors.

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

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: Botetourt County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1961):131-134. Online at: American Ancestors ($).

African American

 * Botetourt County Personal Property Tax List 1783-1822. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.


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

Cemeteries

 * 1800-1986 -

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

 * Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. 1972. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : Burton. Online at: FamilySearch Online Books, Ancestry ($).

1790
Lost, only statistics survive.

1800
Lost, only statistics survive.

1810

 * 1810 Census of Botetourt County, Virginia. 1968. By Madeline W. Crickard. Beverly, WVA: Crickard. Online at: Ancestry ($),.

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
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:


 * Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800. 1929. By Lewis Preston Summers, et al. Abingdon, Virginia : L.P. Summers. 2 vols., Ancestry ($).

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


 * Botetourt County, Virginia 1700s to early 1800s. Online at: Gowin, Goins Family Information.


 * Most Distinguished Characters of the American Frontier : Robert Looney (b 1692-1702 d 1770) of Augusta (now Botetourt) County, Virginia and Some of His Descendants with Histories of the Great Road, Looney's Ferry, Crow's Ferry, Anderson's Ferry, Boyd's Ferry and Beale's Bridge. c1998-2008. By Madge Looney Crane, Phillip L. Crane. Apollo, Pennsylvania : Closson Press..


 * The descendants of John Little of Botetourt and Rockbridge Counties, Virginia. Online at: Ancestry ($).


 * William Cross of Botecourt Co., Va., and His Descendants, 1733-1932. Online at: Ancestry ($).

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


 * Botetourt County, Virginia Patents 1740-1803 (Partially Placed on a Map). 2004. By Hudgins. DeedMapper. Online at: Directline Software ($).
 * 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


 * Commonwealth's (Land) Grants or Patents, Botetourt County, Va., 1770-1802. By Nell Marion Nugent. n.d. : n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Online Books.


 * Sims Index to Land Grants in West Virginia. c1992. By Edgar Barr Sims. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print..

Surveys


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

Local Histories

 * A Seed-Bed of the Republic : A Study of the Pioneers in the Upper (Southern) Valley of Virginia. c1962. By Robert Douthat Stoner, Roanoke Valley Historical Society (Roanoke, Virginia). n.p. : R.D. Stoner..
 * Botetourt Bicentennial : Souvenir Program and History Celebrating the Two Hundredth Anniversary of Botetourt County, Virginia. 1970. By Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission. Publication Committee. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Geneanet ($)
 * Botetourt County, Virginia, Early Settlers: From the Earliest Times through 1795, in the Area that was Botetourt County in 1782, Covers Parts of Present-day Counties of Montgomery, Bath, Giles, Floyd, Alleghany, Roanoke, Craig and Monroe. 1979. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : n.p. Available at.
 * Botetourt County, Virginia : Heritage Book 1770-2000. 2000. By Botetourt Heritage Book Committee (Virginia). [S.l.] : Walsworth Publishing Company..
 * Botetourt County, Virginia Information. Virginia USGenWeb Archives
 * Botetourt County History Before 1800. 1982. By J. William Austin, Jr., Rebecca H. R. Austin, Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission. Publication Committee. Fincastle, Virginia : Publication Committee, Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission..
 * Community Development in Botetourt County : 1770-1783 Part V (Kegley's Virginia Frontier). 1938. By F. B. Kegley, Southwest Virginia Historical Society. Roanoke, Virginia : Southwest Virginia Historical Society. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.
 * History of Botetourt County 1770-1783. 1903. By Lewis Preston Summers. Online at: Genealogy Trails History Group.
 * Places Near the Mountains: From the Community of Amsterdam, Virginia Up the Road to Catawba, on the Waters of the Catawba and Tinker Creeks, Along the Carolina Road as it Approached Big Lick and Other Areas, Primarily North Roanoke (Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia). 2002. By Helen R. Prillaman. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Online at: Ancestry($), . Alternative title: Places Near the Mountains (Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia).

Maps

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

French and Indian War

 * Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. . 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. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. By William Armstrong Crozier. 1954. Baltimore : Southern Book Co. Online at: Internet Archive, Hathitrust, 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:


 * 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, Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Augusta County on page 133.
 * Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. 1976. By Anne Lowry Worrell. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. (Originally published: Hillsville, Va.: A.L. Worrell, 1958.).
 * 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. Online at: Ancestry. . Virginia section begins on page 238.
 * Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. c1913. By J. T. McAllister. Hot Springs, Virginia : McAllister Pub. Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books;.

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... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Botetourt County, p. 64.
 * Military - First Surveys 1770-1772; Veterans of War of 1812 (1899). Online at: 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 Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 -

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 ($).
 * 1823-1825 - Mirror (Fincastle, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * Botetourt County History Before 1900 Through Newspapers. 1976. By Botetourt County American Bicentennial Commission. Publication Committee. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Occupations

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

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

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

Online Probate links


 * 1639 – 1850 - Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850. Online at: Ancestry ($)

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.
 * 1770-1771 - Botetourt County, Virginia, Tithables, 1770-1771. By Pollyanna Creekmore. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):51-56; Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1966):109-122. CD available at: American Ancestors ($),.
 * 1770-1777 - Botetourt County, Virginia, Its Men, 1770-1777. 1949. By Charles T. Burton. Troutville, Virginia : C.T. Burton. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Contains names of tithable men in Botetourt Co., 1770-1777. Includes delinquent lists.
 * 1770-1773 - New River Tithables, 1770-1773. 1972. By Mary B. Kegley. Wytheville, Virginia : M.B. Kegley. Available at.
 * 1782 - Tithables, 1782. Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Summer 1995). Online at: Ancestry ($),.
 * 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 - Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783. Online at: Revolutionary War Service.
 * 1783-1810 - Botetourt County Personal Property Tax Lists 1783-1810 (images). Online at: Binns Genealogy ($). See Tax List Club.
 * 1783-1822 - Botetourt County Personal Property Tax List 1783-1822. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
 * 1784 - 1784 Personal Property Tax List online at Genealogy Trails.
 * 1784 - 1784 Botetourt County, Virginia Tax Listing. 2012. By James L. Douthat. Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press. Mountain Press ($). Free online surname index.
 * 1784 - Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940. By Augusta B. Fothergill and John Mark Naugle. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, . Includes personal property tax list of Botetourt County.
 * 1786 - 1786 Personal Property Tax List online at Genealogy Trails.
 * 1787 - 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. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. c1987. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Botetourt County is included in Vol. 1.
 * 1789 - 1789 Personal Property Tax List of Botetourt County, Virginia. Online at: Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 1794 - 1794 Botetourt County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List. Online at: New River Notes.
 * 1799 - 1799 Personal Property Tax List of Botetourt County, Virginia. Online at: Binns Genealogy ($).
 * 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. Online at: American Ancestors ($),.
 * 1815 - 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 1997-2000. By Roger D. Ward. Athens, Georgia : Iberian Pub. Co. 6 vols. 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.
 * 1853-1866 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885-1896 - Botetourt County, Virginia Births, 1885-96. 2000.By Beth Fridley, comp. Provo, UT : The Generations Network, Inc. Online at: Ancestry ($).
 * 1912-1913 -

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 Ancestry ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages. Online at: FindMyPast ($).
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 Ancestry ($).
 * 1770-1803 - Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1770-1853 - Botetourt Co. VA, Marriages 1770-1803. Online at: VAGenWeb (grooms), VAGenWeb (brides).
 * 1770-1853 - Botetourt County Marriage Index 1770-1853. Batch.
 * 1787-1853 - Botetourt County Marriage Index 1787-1853. Batch.
 * 1853-1913 - Botetourt County Marriage Index 1853-1913. Batch.
 * 1936-1988 -
 * Early Marriages, Wills, and Some Revolutionary War Records: Botetourt County, Virginia. 1976. (Originally published: Hillsville, Virginia : A.L. Worrell, 1958.) By Anne Lowry Worrell. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Pub. Co. Available at.

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 -

Death

 * 1853-1870 - Botetourt County Death Records. Online at: VAGenWeb.
 * 1853-1870 - Botetourt County Death Index 1853-1870. Batch.
 * 1912-1987 -

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 ($)
 * Virginia Pioneers ($)