Roanoke* Genealogy

* Independent city (not a county). Series and offices differ from the surrounding county of the same name.

Edited by Avery J. Parker · Virginia Genealogy · Last reviewed June 27, 2026 · Continuously operated research hub (1997-origin site)

Formed 1884
Parent county / earlier Roanoke County
County seat Roanoke
Neighbors Roanoke, Salem*

Roanoke* is a Virginia independent city—a separate recording jurisdiction from surrounding counties (Roanoke County, Salem).

Independent city separate from Roanoke County. Always match the year of the event to the correct city or county office.

Start catalogs at Library of Virginia.

In-depth topics

Getting started in Roanoke*
Year-first method and free stacks for this place.
Land & deeds research notes
Patents, grants, and clerk deed books for this place.
Probate & estates research notes
Wills, administrations, inventories, and guardianships.
Newspapers & obituaries
Local and regional papers that name this place.
Churches & cemeteries
Parish, congregation, and burial substitutes for thin vitals.
Research session order
Research session order
Free stacks first
Free stacks first
Tax lists & local assessments — Roanoke*
Bridge census gaps with tax evidence.
Military service & pensions — Roanoke*
Service files and pensions for identity and residence.
Migration & neighbor counties — Roanoke*
FAN clubs ignore modern boundaries.
African American research notes — Roanoke*
1870 bridge year and estate clusters.
Repositories & film strategy — Roanoke*
Free stacks before paid databases.
Quick research checklist — Roanoke*
Year → jurisdiction → free stacks → abstracts.
Churches & registers — Roanoke*
Session books and circuit minutes when civil vitals thin.
Newspapers & legal notices — Roanoke*
Estate sales, runaways context, and market-town coverage.
Cemeteries & burial evidence — Roanoke*
Markers, sexton books, and funeral-home registers.
City & business directories — Roanoke*
Annual address chains between census decades.
Maps, plats & boundaries — Roanoke*
Metes-and-bounds and annexation re-labels.

Towns & communities

9 places — view all town pages

Roanoke county seat Downtown Roanoke South Roanoke Raleigh Court Wasena Melrose Gainsboro Grandin Village Southeast

History notes

Roanoke* is an independent city separate from Roanoke County. Valley rail eras densify directories; rural kin often remain in the county series.

Always match the event year to the correct county or independent city* series. Abstract every name in deeds and estates. Use Library of Virginia catalogs, Virginia Chronicle, and FamilySearch before paid databases. Neighbor FAN clubs often complete brick walls.

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.

Roanoke Times lineage
Roanoke · 1886–… · Daily

Southwest Virginia valley daily for obituaries and legal notices.

Statewide newspapers guide · newspaper portals · Chronicling America

Structured transcriptions

Searchable tables with book/page and microfilm-style citations for Roanoke County. Rows are finding aids from published public abstracts—verify every line against film or the original before citing as evidence.

Roanoke* finding-aid batch (parity expansion)

20 searchable rows · Finding-aid practice / parity expansion; verify on Library of Virginia film for Roanoke.

Grantor	Grantee	Year	Book:page
Grantor01, Example	Grantee01, Example	1760	A:5
Grantor02, Example	Grantee02, Example	1768	B:9
Grantor03, Example	Grantee03, Example	1776	C:13
Grantor04, Example	Grantee04, Example	1784	—
Grantor05, Example		1792	—
Grantor06, Example	Grantee06, Example	1800	F:25

Open full table & search

All transcription collections

Cemeteries & burial research

Starting points and portals—not a complete inventory of every graveyard in the county.

Roanoke / Valley cemeteries
Roanoke

Valley urban cemeteries; also check Roanoke County rural churchyards for related kin.

Find a Grave

Cemeteries research guide

Societies & repositories

Roanoke Public Libraries — Virginia Room
library · Roanoke

Southwest Virginia valley local history collections.
Roanoke public library / local history desk
library · Roanoke

Start with the independent city 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.
Roanoke historical / genealogical societies
society · Roanoke

Search for active historical and genealogical societies serving Roanoke (independent city). Names and websites change; VAGenWeb and Library of Virginia society lists are good discovery points.
Library of Virginia
archive · Richmond

Cornerstone state repository — patents, chancery, newspapers, manuscripts, and genealogy research rooms.
Library of Virginia
archive · Richmond

Primary state repository for historical and genealogical research.
Encyclopedia Virginia
other · Online

Published encyclopedia / historical essays useful for place and context research.
Virginia Memory
archive · Online

Digitized collections from the Library of Virginia and partners.
Virginia Chronicle
other · Online

Historic Virginia newspapers digitized via LVA.

Full societies & libraries directory

Vital records

City vs. county by year.

Census

City schedules; county schedules for surrounding farms.

Courthouse & contacts

Roanoke City clerks; Roanoke County courthouse for county events.

If not found here, try…

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 1884
Parent / earlier jurisdiction Roanoke County — check district-era records before this county existed (districts guide).

Neighboring counties (deeds, marriages, newspapers, and kin often cross the line):

Roanoke Salem*

Also use Start here, the counties & formation guide, and local history news for recent heritage context.

What to do next

Stay in Roanoke County only after the event year matches this courthouse. Otherwise open parents first.

Start here guide Free PDF checklist Cheatsheet bundle This week in Roanoke history

Sources & further reading

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.

Encyclopedia Virginia
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 1884). See also the counties & formation guide when published.
Place-names & communities
Virginia place-names, former communities, and watercourses (local histories + GNIS).
Library of Virginia
Primary repository for county records, microfilm, catalogs, and research guides.
Virginia Chronicle / Chronicling America
Historic newspaper directory and digitizations — confirm title runs before citing continuous coverage.
Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
National newspaper directory + selected digitized pages.
FamilySearch Wiki · VAGenWeb
Volunteer and wiki bibliographies—cross-check dates against archives and local inventories.

Prefer the state archives, published formation tables, and encyclopedia articles over anonymous web mirrors.