Giles County Obituaries and Death Records

Giles County obituary and death records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Pearisburg and through Virginia's statewide vital records system, providing access to death documentation for researchers and family members in this New River Valley county in Southwest Virginia.

Giles County Circuit Court Clerk

The Giles County Circuit Court Clerk in Pearisburg holds land records, probate records, and marriage records dating back to 1806 when the county was formed from Montgomery, Monroe, and Tazewell counties. Records before 1806 for Giles County families are found in those parent county files at the Library of Virginia.

Giles County sits along the New River Gorge area. Estate files at the circuit court document deaths through the probate process. These files are public records and can be reviewed at the courthouse in Pearisburg. The clerk's office can assist with searches by name or approximate year.

Giles County Death Certificates

Certified death certificates for Giles County deaths from 1912 to the present are available through the New River Health District or the Virginia Department of Health. The fee is $12 per copy. Under Code of Virginia Title 32.1, deaths within the past 25 years are restricted to immediate family members.

Order from VDH at (804) 662-6200 or at vdh.virginia.gov/vital-records. For in-person requests, the New River Health District office serves Giles County. Bring valid photo ID and documentation of your family relationship if the death was within the last 25 years.

The screenshot below shows the VDH vital records portal, the primary source for certified Giles County death certificates.

Virginia's Office of Vital Records handles all Giles County death certificate requests for deaths from June 1912 to the present date.

Historical Death Records for Giles County

Giles County death registers from 1853 to 1896 are on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. The county was formed in 1806, so registers begin from 1853 when Virginia first required registration. The LVA death guide at lva-virginia.libguides.com/bmd/death explains what is available for Giles County by time period.

The statewide 1897-1911 gap affects Giles County. Local church records and cemetery surveys are the best alternatives for that period. New River Valley churches kept burial registers, and many local cemeteries have been surveyed and indexed by genealogical volunteers. Mountain Baptist and Methodist churches in the area are particularly well documented.

The Henley Index at lva-virginia.libguides.com/henley covers Virginia newspaper obituary notices from 1736 to 1982, including Southwest Virginia and New River Valley regional coverage. Giles County families appear in this index particularly through Radford and Christiansburg area papers.

Online Tools for Giles County Obituary Research

Find It Virginia at finditva.com provides free access to Giles County death records from 1912 to the present. A Virginia library card is required to log in. Search by name and county to find death index entries before ordering a certified copy from VDH.

The Virginia Genealogical Society obituary database at virginiagenealogy.org/obits indexes obituaries from Virginia newspapers. Giles County families appear in this database, particularly through New River Valley area papers. The database is free to search and covers multiple generations.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture at virginiahistory.org holds family papers and compiled genealogies for Southwest Virginia families. Giles County families with roots in the New River Valley appear in VMHC collections along with those from the parent counties of Montgomery and Tazewell.

The screenshot below shows the Find It Virginia portal, which provides free access to Giles County death records from 1912 forward.

Find It Virginia is the primary free online resource for searching Giles County death records with a Virginia public library card.

Public Access Rights

Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act at Code of Virginia Section 2.2-3700, death records older than 25 years are public. Giles County Circuit Court records including probate files and deed books are open to the public and can be reviewed at the courthouse in Pearisburg.

Genealogy Resources for Giles County

Giles County genealogy often involves tracing families with roots in Montgomery, Monroe, and Tazewell counties. The Library of Virginia at lva.virginia.gov holds Giles County deed books, will books, and court records along with the parent county materials. The LVA collections index at lva.virginia.gov/collections/cri identifies what is available for the county.

Giles County Public Library provides access to Ancestry Library Edition for cardholders. New River Valley genealogical groups maintain cemetery indexes and church record transcriptions for the area. The Virginia Museum of History and Culture at virginiahistory.org supplements local resources with statewide family collections.

Cities Near Giles County

There are no qualifying independent cities directly adjacent to Giles County. Radford is the nearest qualifying city in the New River Valley area.

Nearby Counties

Giles County borders Craig, Montgomery, Bland, and Tazewell counties in the New River Valley region.