Edited by
Avery J. Parker
· Virginia Genealogy
· Continuously operated research hub (1997-origin site)
Formed 1838
Parent county / earlier Botetourt / Montgomery area
Roanoke County, Virginia — formed 1838. Research hub notes below; verify at Library of Virginia.
History notes
Roanoke County, Virginia. Roanoke County surrounds Roanoke and Salem independent cities—always separate city vs county series by year.
Verify holdings at Library of Virginia. For independent cities nearby, search city series separately.
Newspapers
Title-by-title year ranges below are digitized holdings listed below (digitized issues), not always the full publication span.
Open each title to confirm gaps. Mastheads and successors change often.
Search Virginia Chronicle and Chronicling America for local and regional titles covering Roanoke County. Confirm each title’s run dates before assuming continuous coverage.
Roanoke County public library / local history desk
library
· Roanoke
Start with the county public library local history desk or Virginia room for Roanoke. Hours and catalog portals change—verify before visiting. Pair with Library of Virginia catalogs and Virginia Chronicle for newspapers.
Search for active historical and genealogical societies serving Roanoke County. Names and websites change; VAGenWeb and Library of Virginia society lists are good discovery points.
Virginia brick walls are often jurisdiction problems.
When a deed, probate, or vital is missing here, try the parent district for the
event year and neighboring counties for kin who lived across the line—not a
substitute for later statewide birth/death registration.
Formed 1838
Parent / earlier jurisdiction
Botetourt / Montgomery area — check district-era records before this county existed
(districts guide).
Formation, place-names, and series notes on this hub will cite standard Virginia references.
Always verify at the repository—fires and thin series vary by book and decade.
State encyclopedia / published historical essays — search for Roanoke County topics.
County formation & boundaries
Virginia county formation and independent-city research — verify in Library of Virginia guides (this county formed 1838).
See also the
counties & formation guide when published.
Place-names & communities
Virginia place-names, former communities, and watercourses (local histories + GNIS).