Find Death Records in Craig County

Craig County death records are maintained by the Virginia Department of Health and the Circuit Court Clerk in New Castle. The county is one of the smallest and most rural in Virginia, which means local resources are limited compared to larger counties. Death certificates from 1912 onward are available through the state Office of Vital Records, while older death registers from the 1853-1896 period are on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. This guide walks you through each source and how to access Craig County death index information.

Craig County Circuit Court

The Craig County Circuit Court is located in New Castle, the county seat. The 25th Judicial Circuit covers Craig County. The Clerk of Circuit Court maintains land records, probate files, wills, and court case records. Death certificates are not issued at the courthouse. Those requests go to the Virginia Department of Health. However, if you are tracing an estate or probate case tied to a Craig County death, the Clerk's office in New Castle is where those records live.

Craig County is a small mountain county formed in 1851 from Botetourt, Giles, Monroe (now in West Virginia), and Roanoke counties. It has a low population and limited online resources compared to more urbanized Virginia counties. The county government website at craigcountyva.gov provides contact information for county offices including the Circuit Court Clerk. Court case records can be searched online through the Virginia Online Case Information System at no cost.

Craig County Death Certificates from VDH

The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records holds certified death certificates for Craig County deaths from June 1912 to the present. The office is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000. Online applications are available through the VDH website.

Certified copies cost $12 each. Payment accepts check, money order, credit card, mobile pay, or cash. Make checks payable to State Health Department. Death records become public 25 years after the date of death under Virginia Code Title 32.1, Chapter 7. Before that window closes, access is limited to immediate family: spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased. Every request needs a legible copy of a government-issued photo ID.

For online ordering, VitalChek is the authorized third-party service. An extra processing fee applies beyond the $12 state fee. VitalChek covers deaths in Virginia from June 1, 1912 to the present. The main VDH phone number is 804-662-6200.

Historical Craig County Death Index

Craig County death registers from 1853 to 1896 survive on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. The 1853 law required all Virginia counties to record deaths annually. Each Commissioner of Revenue collected the data and the Clerk of Court kept the registers. These registers recorded the name of the deceased, race and sex, date and place of death, cause of death, age, place of birth, occupation, marital status, and parents' names. The law ended in 1896, and no official deaths were recorded in Craig County between 1897 and 1911.

Because Craig County was formed in 1851, there are only a few years of pre-1853 records to worry about for this jurisdiction. Researchers looking for deaths in the area before 1851 need to check the parent counties: Botetourt, Giles, and Roanoke. The Library of Virginia holds microfilm for all of these and can help you identify which records apply to a given area.

The Library of Virginia also holds Craig County death certificates from 1912 through 1939 on microfilm. A death index covering 1912-1954 gives researchers the certificate number before ordering a full copy. Virginia residents can search this index through Ancestry for Virginians for free using a public library card. In-person research at the LVA at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond is available to all. The archives reference number is 804-692-3888.

The Virginia Genealogical Society indexed Virginia death registers from 1853-1896, making name searches much easier. That index covers Craig County records from the registration period and is accessible through the Library of Virginia. FamilySearch also hosts free databases covering Craig County deaths from 1853-1912 through the Virginia Deaths and Burials collection. The FamilySearch research guide for Virginia deaths explains how to navigate each time period and database.

Search Craig County Death Records Online

The OCIS portal provides free access to Craig County Circuit Court records, including probate cases. Searching by name can surface estate filings tied to a death in the county. This system covers case records filed after the courts moved to electronic filing.

For historical research, Virginia Memory at virginiamemory.com offers digitized chancery records and other court documents. Chancery cases often contain death dates and estate information for parties involved in the litigation. These can be valuable for deaths in Craig County during the 19th and early 20th centuries when other records are thin.

Note: Death records less than 25 years old appear as indexed entries only on public genealogy databases. Full images are restricted under Code § 32.1-271. To get the actual certificate, submit a formal request to the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Craig County. Each has its own Circuit Court and vital records resources for deaths in those jurisdictions.