Genealogical Research in West Virginia

When the first Europeans arrived during the 1640s, older inhabitants had been driven out by the Cherokee and Iroquois, and only a few Delaware, Shawnee and Tuscarora, Indian villages remained. The area was still very active as a hunting and warring ground however, and attempts by Europeans to claim land were violently opposed.

Exploration was stimulated by the fur trade, and England claimed the Ohio Valley area, a claim opposed by France, but brought to an end by the French and Indian War. The first settlers arrived in the Berkeley County area around 1735, and by 1750 there were several thousand people settled in the eastern panhandle. Treaties were signed with the Cherokee and Iroquois, and in 1769 settlement spread into the Monongahela, Greenbrier, and upper Ohio valleys.

Settlement expanded in to other areas right up until the time of the Revolutionary War, and West Virginia was actually part of Virginia when that state entered the Union in 1788. After the War of 1812 serious differences developed between the western and eastern parts of Virginia, the majority of the eastern part being aristocratic slave-owners, the west populated by small industries and farming.

Because the easterners dominated the Virginia Legislature due to property qualifications, westerners suffered inadequate representation, poor transportation, inequitable taxes, inadequate schools, economic retardation, and undemocratic county governments. The westerners were left embittered when a constitutional convention in 1829-1830 brought no changes, and a further convention in 1850-1851, although meeting the political demands of the west, left them even more economically alienated.

When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, western counties loyal to the Union established the Reorganized Government and agreed to the separation of present-day West Virginia from Virginia. Congress and President Lincoln approved the move, and West Virginia became the Union’s 35th State on June 20, 1863.

After the Civil War government sought to foster immigration, improve transportation, and to design a tax structure that would be attractive to businesses. Industry thrived, and much mones was made from oil, coal, railroads, and timber.

Famous Battles Fought in West Virginia

West Virginia was the site of many Civil War Battles. The battle accounts that exist can be very effective in uncovering the military records of your ancestor. They can tell you what regiments fought in which battles, and often include the names and ranks of many officers and enlisted men.

Boundary Changes: Boundary changes are a common obstacle when researching West Virginia ancestors. You could be searching for an ancestor’s record in one county when in fact it is stored in a different one due to historical county boundary changes. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries can help you to overcome that problem. It provides a chronological listing of every boundary change that has occurred in the history of West Virginia.

Name Changes: Surname changes, variations, and misspellings can complicate genealogical research. It is important to check all spelling variations. Soundex, a program that indexes names by sound, is a useful first step, but you can't rely on it completely as some name variations result in different Soundex codes. The surnames could be different, but the first name may be different too. You can also find records filed under initials, middle names, and nicknames as well, so you will need to get creative with surname variations and spellings in order to cover all the possibilities. For help with surname variations read our instructional article on How to Use Soundex.

Genealogical resources include not only records, but the organizations that house them, or can direct you to them. These institutions include: Archives, Libraries, Genealogical Societies, Family History Centers, Universities, Churches, and Museums.

Following are links to their websites, their physical addresses, and a summary of the records you can find there.

Genealogical and Historical Societies

Genealogical and historical societies have access to extensive catalogues of genealogical data. They are also able to offer expert guidance for genealogical researchers. Many members are professional genealogists who are most willing to share their expertise in finding ancestors. 

West Virginia Genealogical Society – Vital records, Cemetery records, Census records, Family histories, large genealogical library which is open to the public
P.O. Box 249
Elkview, WV 25071 
Telephone: 304-965-1179

The Allegheny Regional Family History Society Census records, Cemetery records, and many other genealogical resources
Post Office Box 1804
Elkins, West Virginia 26241
Email: arhfs@yahoo.com

West Virginia Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are internet based facilities that use email to distribute a single message to all who subscribe to it. When information on a particular surname, new records, or any other important genealogy information related to the mailing list topic becomes available, the subscribers are alerted to it. Joining a mailing list is an excellent way to stay up to date on West Virginia genealogy research topics. Rootsweb have an extensive listing of West Virginia Mailing Lists on a variety of topics.

West Virginia Message Boards

A message board is another internet based facility where people can post questions about a specific genealogy topic and have it answered by other genealogists. If you have questions about a surname, record type, or research topic, you can post your question and other researchers and genealogists will help you with the answer. Be sure to check back regularly, as the answers are not emailed to you. The message boards at the West Virginia Genealogy Forum are completely free to use.

West Virginia Newspapers and Periodicals

Many genealogy periodicals and historical newspapers contain reprinted copies of family genealogies, transcripts of family Bible records, information about local records and archives, census indexes, church records, queries, land records, obituaries, court records, cemetery records, and wills.

Historical West Virginia Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are an integral part of genealogical research. They help us to locate landmarks, towns, cities, parishes, states, provinces, waterways and roads and streets. They also help us to determine when and where boundary changes might have taken place, and give us a visualization of the area we’re researching in.

For locating place names, a gazetteer is the best possible resource for any genealogist. Gazetteers are also sometimes called “place name dictionaries”, and can help you to locate the area in which you need to conduct research.

West Virginia City Directories

City directories are similar to telephone directories in that they list the residents of a particular area. The difference though is what is important to genealogists, and that is they pre-date telephone directories. You can find an ancestor’s information such as their street address, place of employment, occupation, or the name of their spouse. A one-stop-shop for finding city directories in West Virginia is the West Virginia Online Historical Directories which contains a listing of every available online historical directory related to West Virginia. Another useful site is US City Directories which identifies printed, microfilmed, and online West Virginia directories and their repositories.

Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records – Also known as vital records, birth, death, and marriage certificates are the most basic, yet most important records attached to your ancestor. The reason for their importance is that they not only place your ancestor in a specific place at a definite time, but potentially connect the individual to other relatives.

Census Records

Census records are among the most important genealogical documents for placing your ancestor in a particular place at a specific time. Like BDM records, they can also lead you to other ancestors, particularly those who were living under the authority of the head of household.

Library of Virginia – Federal census records for West Virginia, 1810 through 1880, and for 1900 through 1940
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219-8000
  Telephone: 804-692-3888  Fax: 804-692-3556

West Virginia Collection - Federal census records for West Virginia, 1810 through 1880, and for 1900 through 1940
West Virginia University Library
  P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Telephone: 304-293-3536
  Fax: 304-293-3981

West Virginia Genealogical Society – County census records 1850-1930
P.O. Box 249
Elkview, WV 25071 
Telephone: 304-965-1179

The Free Census Project has transcribed many West Virginia indexes and new material is added daily

Access Genealogy – West Virginia county census records dating from 1810-1930

African American Census Schedules Online – slave schedules, mortality schedules, slave-owners census

Native Americans in Census Records (US National Archives)

West Virginia Church Records

Church and synagogue records are a valuable resource, especially for baptisms, marriages, and burials that took place before 1900. You will need to at least have an idea of your ancestor’s religious denomination, and in most cases you will have to visit a brick and mortar establishment to view them.

Most church records are kept by the individual church, although in some denominations, records are placed in a regional archive or maintained at the diocesan level. Local Historical Societies are sometimes the repository for the state’s older church records. Below are links archives that maintain church records, as well as a few databases that can be viewed online.

The Family History Library contains many church records from a variety of denominations on microfilm.

Library of Virginia – Baptist, Christian (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran and German Reformed, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Society of Friends (Quakers), and Unitarian church records dating from colonial era, mostly administrative
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219-8000
  Telephone: 804-692-3888
  Fax: 804-692-3556

Central Repositories for Denominational Records

Most of the records of individual denominations are kept in central repositories.

West Virginia Military Records

More than 40 million Americans have participated in some time of war service since America was colonized. The chance of finding your ancestor amongst those records is exceptionally high. Military records can even reveal individuals who never actually served, such as those who registered for the two World Wars but were never called to duty.

West Virginia Cemetery Records

As convenient as it is to search cemetery records online, keep in mind that there are a few disadvantages over visiting a cemetery in person. They are:

• Tombstone information is not always accurately transcribed
• The arrangement of the graves in a cemetery can be crucial as family members are often buried next to each other or in the same grave. This arrangement is not always preserved in the alphabetical indexes that are found online.

West Virginia Obituaries

Obituaries can reveal a wealth about our ancestor and other relatives. You can search our West Virginia Obituaries Listings from hundreds of West Virginia newspapers online for free.

West Virginia Wills and Probate Records

The documents found in a probate packet may include a complete inventory of a person’s estate, newspaper entries, witness testimony, a copy of a will, list of debtors and creditors, names of executors or trustees, names of heirs. They can not only tell you about the ancestor you’re currently researching, but lead to other ancestors.

West Virginia Division of Culture and History – Wills, deeds, estate settlements, mid 19th century to late 20th century
The Cultural Center 
Capitol Complex 
1900 Kanawha Boulevard East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300 
Telephone: 304-558-0220 
Fax: 304-558-2779

Library of Virginia – Wills and deeds from early 18th century to circa 1900’s
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219-8000 
Telephone: 804-692-3888 
Fax: 804-692-3556

West Virginia Collection - Wills, Deeds, Probates, Estate Records, Personal Property Books, dating from mid 18th century
West Virginia University Library 
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Telephone: 304-293-3536 
Fax: 304-293-3981

Family Search has the following indexes that can be searched online for free:
West Virginia Will Books, 1756-1971

West Virginia Immigration and Naturalization Records

The naturalization process generated many types of records, including petitions, declarations of intention, and oaths of allegiance. These records can provide family historians with information such as a person's birth date and place of birth, immigration year, marital status, spouse information, occupation, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.

If your ancestor lived in or near a large city, or near a city where U.S. courts convened, you may find naturalization records in the U.S. District Court before 1906.

For the rural areas of West Virginia, naturalization records may be found with the County Courts in each county. Often the records were mixed in with other court proceedings making them difficult to locate. A few counties kept separate records for naturalization. After 1906, all naturalizations were handled in Federal District Courts.

West Virginia Division of Culture and History – Naturalization Law Orders, Naturalization Petitions and Records, Declarations of Intention, Petitions and Declarations of Intention, Petitions Denied and Granted, early to mid 20th century
The Cultural Center
  Capitol Complex
  1900 Kanawha Boulevard East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300 
Telephone: 304-558-0220 
Fax: 304-558-2779

West Virginia Collection – Naturalization Index, Declaration of Intent Books, Petitions & Records
West Virginia University Library 
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Telephone: 304-293-3536 
Fax: 304-293-3981

US National Archives – Immigration records, Naturalization records, Ship’s Passenger lists
The National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Tel: 1-866-272-6272; 1-86-NARA-NARAS

Family Search has the following indexes which can be searched online for free:
West Virginia Naturalization Records, 1814-1991

West Virginia Native American Records

Bibliographies

• Appalachian Women: An Annotated Bibliography, Sidney S. Farr (University of Kentucky Press, 1981)
• Coal Miner’s Wives: Portraits of Endurance, Carol A. Giesen (University Press of Kentucky 1995)
• Missing Chapters II: West Virginia Women in History, Frances S. Hensley (West Virginia Women’s Commission, 1986)

Selected Resources for West Virginia Women’s History

Women’s History Museum
Box 209
108 Walnut St.
West Liberty, WV 26074

Women’s Studies Program
West Virginia University
200 Clark Hall
Morgantown, WV 26506

West Virginia Women's Commission
1900 Kanawha Blvd E
Charleston, WV 25305

Common West Virginia Surnames

The following surnames are among the most common in West Virginia and are also being currently researched by other genealogists. If you find your surname here, there is a chance that some research has already been performed on your ancestor.

Agnes, Amy, Arlinda, Artis, Austin, Avent, Bailey, Barbara, Battle, Bessie, Betty, Birchett, Blackwell, Bland, Blizzard, Boney, Brooks, Brown, Butler, Butts, Carey, Chandler, Charlotte, Cherry, Christian, Christina, Claiborne, Clark, Claudetta, Clyter, Cobb, Cogdell, Coles, Coley, Collier, Cook, Cooper, Cora, Crawley, Crockett, Crumpton, Curry, Curtis, Davenport, Delia, Dice, Dorothy, Dubby, Elnora, Elsie, Evans, Fannie, Fanny, Field, Flynn, Fox, Garrett, Gaskins, Geddie, Georgia, Giles, Gillespie, Gordon, Grant, Graves, Gray, Gwaltney, Hawkins, Hayes, Henderson, Henton, Hildred, Hughes, Hunter, Jackson, Jane, Jiles, Johnson, Jones, Joyner, Keesee, King, Kiture, Laura, Lawson, Layola, Lee, Lewis, Louisa, Lucy, Lyons, Mae, Maggie, Mariah, Marie, Mary, Mason, Matil, McCadden, McKenley, Melinda, Moore, Mormon, Moton, Nannie, Narsis, Neal, Nettie, Neverson, Palmer, Pam, Parker, Peggie, Pickard, Pope, Powell, Price, R, Ralph, Redd, Robin, Rochelle, Rosa, Ross, Russell, Sandy, Sarah, Sewell, Siddle, Slade, Smith, Sophie, Spratley, Stith, Sutton, Sydnee, Tabron, Taylor, Thornton, Threatt, Tobias, Totten, Turner, Urguhart, Walker, Wallace, Waller, Waltington, Ward, Washington, Weatherford, Wehner, Welch, Wheeler, Whiting, Wiliams, Williams, Williamson, Willie, Willis, Winfield, Winnie, Young