Search Montgomery County Obituary Records

Montgomery County obituary and death records are kept at the Circuit Court Clerk's office in Christiansburg and through the Virginia Department of Health. This guide covers where to find death certificates, historical death registers, newspaper obituaries, and online resources for Montgomery County deaths.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk

The Montgomery County Circuit Court Clerk is located in Christiansburg and maintains court and probate records for the county. These files include will books, estate inventories, and administrator accounts that document deaths in Montgomery County going back to the late 1700s. The clerk's office is the main local source for older death-related records.

Montgomery County includes the town of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, giving the area a larger and more transient population than many rural Virginia counties. The clerk's office handles a full range of probate and estate matters for residents throughout the county. For formal death certificates from 1912 onward, requests go to the state vital records system or the local health department.

Montgomery County Death Certificates

The Virginia Department of Health has maintained death certificates for Montgomery County since June 14, 1912. A certified death certificate costs $12 per copy. The main state office is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227, phone (804) 662-6200. You can also get copies at any local Virginia health department, including the New River Health District which serves Montgomery County.

Under Code of Virginia Title 32.1, Chapter 7, death records are available to the public 25 years after the date of death. Before that, only immediate family can get certified copies. Immediate family includes parents, spouses, children, siblings, and grandparents. You need a valid photo ID and a signed application.

Virginia's online vital records system lets you apply, pay, and track your request without visiting in person. Death certificates can be issued for any Virginia death regardless of which county or city health department you contact.

Montgomery County Obituary Research

Newspaper obituaries for Montgomery County have appeared in the Roanoke Times, the Collegiate Times from Virginia Tech, and local papers serving Blacksburg and Christiansburg. These papers are a good starting point for obituary research from the 20th century onward.

The Library of Virginia holds death registers for Montgomery County from 1853 to 1896 on microfilm. These can be borrowed through interlibrary loan. The Henley Marriage and Obituary Index at the Library of Virginia covers Virginia newspaper death notices from 1736 through 1982 and is available for research at the LVA in Richmond.

The screenshot below shows the Library of Virginia death records research guide, which details what survives for each period and how to access it.

The LVA guide explains the 1897 to 1911 gap in state records and suggests alternative sources for deaths in that window.

Virginia Memory at virginiamemory.com includes the Virginia Chronicle digitized newspaper collection. You can search this for Montgomery County obituaries and death notices across multiple decades.

The Virginia genealogy obituary resources page at virginiagenealogy.org lists multiple indexes and databases covering deaths across the state, including the New River Valley region.

Historical Death Records in Montgomery County

Montgomery County was founded in 1776 and has court records going back to its earliest years. The will books and estate files at the Circuit Court Clerk are primary sources for deaths in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of these records have been abstracted and published by genealogical societies.

For the 1853 to 1896 period, Virginia law required counties to keep death registers. The Montgomery County registers from this period are on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. They include the name of the deceased, date and place of death, cause of death, age at death, birthplace, occupation, marital status, and parents' names. Coverage is not always complete, but what survives is indexed.

The New River Valley was part of the frontier in the 18th century. Some early deaths were recorded in church registers rather than civil records. Presbyterian and Baptist churches in the area kept registers that may contain death and burial information for Montgomery County families.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture holds family papers, Bible records, and genealogical notes that may include Montgomery County material. These are available to researchers at their facility in Richmond.

Online Death Record Tools for Montgomery County

Find It Virginia at finditva.com is a free service for Virginia library cardholders. It provides access to Ancestry.com's Virginia vital records indexes, including death records from 1912 to the present. You can search and download digital copies at no charge with your library card.

The screenshot below is from the Find It Virginia portal, which links to statewide death record indexes through Ancestry.com.

The portal covers death records and other vital records for all Virginia counties including Montgomery.

FamilySearch.org has free Virginia death record indexes and some images. The Library of Virginia is a FamilySearch affiliate, so on-site users at the LVA have access to expanded digitized collections. You can search for Montgomery County deaths through the FamilySearch catalog from home as well.

The Library of Virginia collections database shows what records are available at the LVA for Montgomery County. This includes microfilm, original records, and digital collections.

Virginia Law and Montgomery County Death Record Access

Access to Montgomery County death records is governed by Code of Virginia Title 32.1, Chapter 7. Death records become public 25 years after the event date. For more recent deaths, only immediate family members can get certified copies. The fee is $12 per copy, and each certified copy is considered legal evidence of the facts listed.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act at Section 2.2-3700 of the Code of Virginia covers public records. Under FOIA, all public records are presumed open unless a specific exemption applies. Death records older than 25 years fall under the general public access rule. If you have questions about your rights, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available at (804) 698-1810 or 1-866-448-4100.

Probate records at the circuit court are generally open to the public. These include will books, estate inventories, and related filings. They do not carry the same 25-year restriction as vital records certificates.

Cities in Montgomery County

Montgomery County is adjacent to the independent city of Radford. All death records for Montgomery County communities are handled through the county courthouse and state vital records office.

Other communities in Montgomery County include Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Shawsville, and Elliston. Death records for these communities go through the county system.

Nearby Counties

These counties are adjacent to or near Montgomery County in Southwest Virginia.