Alleghany County Obituary Records

Alleghany County death records and obituaries are held by the Circuit Court Clerk in Covington, the Alleghany Health District, and the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond. This page covers the main sources for finding Alleghany County obituary records, how to request certified death certificates, and what historical collections are available for older research.

Alleghany County Circuit Court Clerk

The Alleghany County Circuit Court Clerk maintains probate files, will books, deed books, and historical court records. When researching older Alleghany County death records, the probate files are a starting point. Estate inventories and will books often record the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the names of heirs. These records go back to the county's formation and cover deaths long before state death registration began.

Death registers from 1853 to 1896 are on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. For Alleghany County, these registers document deaths from that era with fields for name, race, sex, date and place of death, cause of death, age, and birthplace. After 1896 and until 1912, there is a gap in statewide registration. During that period, the county did not systematically record deaths. Death certificates from June 14, 1912 forward are held by the VDH Office of Vital Records.

The court's courthouse is in Covington, which is an independent city that serves as the county seat. Both Alleghany County and the City of Covington share the Circuit Court for the 25th Judicial Circuit.

Alleghany Death Certificates

Certified Alleghany County death certificates are available through the Virginia Department of Health. The cost is $12 per copy under Code of Virginia Title 32.1, Chapter 7. Deaths within the past 25 years are restricted to immediate family members. Deaths older than 25 years are public records. You need to provide the full name of the deceased, the approximate date or year of death, and a valid ID.

The Alleghany Health District serves Alleghany County as well as the cities of Covington and Clifton Forge. You can request certified death certificates at the local health department rather than driving to Richmond. The local VDH office is located in Covington. Call (540) 965-5144 for hours and current services. Not all local health offices issue certified copies, so confirm before you go.

The VDH Richmond office at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227 processes all types of vital record requests. Phone is (804) 662-6200. The online ordering portal at vdh.virginia.gov/vital-records lets you order, pay, and track requests from home.

The Virginia Department of Health vital records portal processes death certificate orders for Alleghany County and all Virginia localities.

The portal shows current fees, accepted payment types, and estimated processing times for certified copies of Alleghany County death certificates.

Alleghany Obituary and Historical Death Records

The Library of Virginia holds the core historical collections for Alleghany County death research. Death registers on microfilm from 1853 to 1896 are available and can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan. The Library also holds death certificates on microfilm from 1912 to 1939. The Library's death records guide at lva-virginia.libguides.com/bmd/death explains what years are covered and how to request materials.

The Henley Marriage and Obituary Index covers Virginia newspaper obituary notices from 1736 through 1982. Alleghany County papers and regional newspapers from the Covington and Bath areas are included in this index. The index is searchable through the Library of Virginia's online catalog. It can turn up obituaries for Alleghany County residents that predate formal death registration and fill gaps in the 1897 to 1911 period.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture at virginiahistory.org holds family papers, Bible records, and manuscript collections that may include Alleghany County family deaths. The museum's research library accepts walk-in researchers and staff can assist with specific inquiries. This is a good option when you are looking for deaths that predate 1853 or when the cause is unclear from registers alone.

The Library of Virginia death records guide details the microfilm collections available for Alleghany County obituary and death certificate research.

The guide covers the 1853 to 1896 death registers, microfilm certificates through 1939, and access to Ancestry through the Find It Virginia program.

Search Alleghany Death Records Online

Find It Virginia at finditva.com provides free access to Virginia death records from 1912 to the present through Ancestry.com. You need a Virginia public library card to use this service. With that card you can search the Ancestry database of Virginia vital records and download digital copies of death certificates at no charge. This works well for Alleghany County deaths from 1912 onward.

The Virginia Genealogy website at virginiagenealogy.org/obits lists statewide obituary resources including newspaper indexes and regional archives. Obituary notices from Covington-area papers may appear in these collections. The site also links to volunteer-transcribed obituary databases that cover rural Virginia counties like Alleghany.

Under Virginia FOIA Section 2.2-3700, death records older than 25 years are public and may be obtained by any person. Requests for newer records require proof of immediate family status. The Freedom of Information Advisory Council at (804) 698-1810 can help if a request is denied without proper cause.

The Library of Virginia's main collections index at lva.virginia.gov/collections/cri is a useful starting point for finding specific Alleghany County records held in Richmond.

Cities Near Alleghany County

Covington is an independent city that serves as the county seat for Alleghany County. Death records for Covington are handled through the shared 25th Circuit Court and the Alleghany Health District.

Nearby Counties

Alleghany County sits in western Virginia near the West Virginia border. Several counties border it in the Allegheny Highlands region.