Alleghany County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Description
Alleghany County is located on the far western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia and took its name from the mountain range on which it borders. It was formed by act of Virginia Legislature on January 5, 1822 from parts of Botetourt, Bath, and Monroe counties. The County seat is the City of Covington.

Alleghany County Virginia Courthouse
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Alleghany County Courthouse P.O.Box 670 266 West Main Street Covington, VA 24426-0670 Phone 540-965-1730

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1845 Divorce, Probate, Court and land recrord from 1822

Alleghany County Virginia History


The county was named after the Alleghany Mountains.

Parent County
1822--Allegany County was created 5 January 1822 from Bath, Botetourt and Monroe Counties. Monroe County is now in West Virginia. County seat: Covington

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, visit "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995)

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

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Alleghany County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul-Sep. 1959):129-131. Available at and American Ancestors ($).

African Americans

 * Freedmen's Bureau
 * Boyd-Bragg, Dorothy A. "A Register of Free Negroes &amp; Mulattoes in Alleghany County, Virginia, 1855-1856," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 2005):307-312. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).

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

Census
To access census records online, see Virginia Census.

1785

 * Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Va., 1785 Enumeration. Troutville, Va.: Burton?, 1972. Available at and, each with links to digital version. [All or part of present-day county of Alleghany is included.]

1840

 * Douthat, James L. 1840 Alleghany County, Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.

1860

 * Perkins, Louise M. 1860 Alleghany County, Virginia Census. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website.

1890 Union Veterans

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

Genealogy
Several genealogies have been published about Alleghany County families. To view a list, visit Alleghany County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Local Histories

 * Alleghany County, Virginia: Its Resources and Industries. 1907. Digital version at Google Books (full-view).
 * McAllister, Hugh Maffitt. Historical Sketch of Alleghany County, Virginia. Richmond: n.p., 1910. Available at ; online collection with index and images at Ancestry ($).
 * McAllister, W.A. "Pioneer Days in Alleghany County," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Oct., 1902), pp. 183-187; Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jan. 1902):254-257. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
 * Morton, Oren Frederic. A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia. Dayton, Va.: J.K. Ruebush Co., 1923. Available at and ; online collection with index and images at Ancestry ($).

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. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Allegany County on page 133.]

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, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Alleghany County, p. 60.]

Civil War
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, by Oren Frederic Morton


 * - 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,  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)

Civil War Sources


 * 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 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * Morton, Oren F., A Centennial History of Alleghany County, Virginia, (J. K. Ruebush Company, 1923). (pp. 156-172),

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia

Occupations

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

Petitions

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

Probate Records

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

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


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

Birth

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

Marriage

 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1822-1916 - Alleghany County Marriage Index 1822-1916. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1854-1916 - Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Alleghany County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Alleghany Highlands Genealogical Society, Inc.

Alleghany County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Cyndi's List
 * Alleghany County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)