Genealoger

Genealogy Resources

West Virginia Genealogy Resources

• AfriGeneas: African Ancestored Genealogy. Devoted to African American genealogy, to researching African Ancestry in the Americas in particular and to genealogical research and resources in general. It is also an African Ancestry research community featuring the AfriGeneas mail list, the AfriGeneas message boards and daily and weekly genealogy chats.
  
  
• Allegheny Regional Family History Society.
  
  
• Archives and History News.
   
• Berkeley County Historical Society.
  
  
• Boone County Genealogical Society.
  
  
• Brooke County Genealogy.
  
  
• Butcher, Bernard Lee. Genealogical and Personal History of the Upper Monongahela Valley, West Virginia. Baltimore: Reprinted for Clearfield Co. by Genealogical Pub, 1994.
   
• Chafin, Andrew.  Growing Up in Bloody Mingo West Virginia. Westminster, Maryland: Willow Bend Books, 2003.
  
  
• Civil War: West Virginia.
  
  
• A Comprehensive History of the West Virginia State Police, 1919-1979.
  
  
• Counties of West Virginia
  
  
• County Formations, West Virginia.
  
  
• Craft, Kenneth Fischer. Ohio County (WV) Index, Volume 13: Card Inex to All Ohio County Courts' Case Files & Loose Papers, Part 6, 1857-1861. Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2007. This volume continues the author's series on Ohio County, West Virginia, court records.
  
  
• Daughters of the American Revolution, West Virginia State Society.
  
  
• Doors to the Past: Cabell County, West Virginia.
   
• Drawings of David Hunter Strother. A&M 2894. Artist, author, soldier and statesman, David Hunter Strother (1816-1888) was a native of Martinsburg. During the 1850s he rose to national prominence as artist/author of an extended series of illustrated travelogues which appeared in the nation's most popular magazine, Harper's Monthly. . Included here is a portfolio of more than 600 sketches made by Strother throughout his life, including both published and unpublished works.
   
• Early Virginia / WVA Genealogy.
  
  
• Everettville Historical Association.
  
  
• Famous West Virginians Page.  Jeff Miller.
  
  
• Genealogy Surname Exchange. The Surname Exchange is a list of surnames and researchers compiled from the West Virginia State Archives' Genealogy Exchange cards submitted since 1987, a surname exchange conducted during the second "Mining Your History" Conference at The Cultural Center, and all genealogy exchange requests submitted by patrons since October 1995. More than 3,200 researchers from all fifty states and ten countries currently participate in the exchange, which is designed to allow genealogists to contact others who are conducting research on identical surnames.
  
  
• Geographic Index to Cemeteries in West Virginia.
  
  
• Gormania, West Virginia.
  
  
• Greenbrier Historical Society.
   
• Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants. The Hackers Creek Pioneer Descendants is an organization dedicated to the history and genealogy of West Virginia, especially the central part of the state. Lewis County, Harrison County, Monongalia County, Barbour County, Upshur County, Webster County, Braxton County, Gilmer County, and Doddridge County all have special interest for us; but our members research in most of the counties in the northern half of West Virginia. In addition to this website, we operate a library dedicated to genealogy and history research as well as the preservation of objects in our museum. We publish numerous research tools for the region.
  
  
• Harrison County Genealogical Society.
  
  
• History of the American Negro. This collection of biographies of prominent Negro men and women of West Virginia is Volume VII. of the Biographical History of the American Negro. It does not include all the important men and women of the race in the State, but it does include many of the noblest and best. As the book deals largely with contemporary characters, we hardly expect everybody to agree with what has been written about everybody else. Those whose stories have been told doubtless have their faults. We have not sought for their faults, but have endeavored to emphasize those things which it is hoped may be helpful.
  
  
• "Hope to See You Soon" - A Collection of West Virginia War Letters.
  
  
• Hubbard, Gwendolyn Mackey and Bobbie Britt Elliott. Brooke County (West Virginia) Index. 5 volumes. Wellsburg, W.V.: BnG Books, 2008.
   
• Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for West Virginia, 1862-1866. Microfilm of originals at the National Archives. Filmed by the NARA, 1972, series M0795, 4 rolls, beginning with FHL #1578241.
  
  
• Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society.
  
  
• Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission.
  
  
• Jefferson County Historical Society.
  
  
• John Brown/Boyd B. Stutler Collection Database.  A recognized authority on the man, Boyd Stutler (1889-1970) created one of the most important John Brown collections in existence. The State of West Virginia acquired this body of material in 1977.
   
• Johnston, Ross B. West Virginians in the American Revolution. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield Co., 1939-1947, 2005 reprint.
   
• King, Edward Thorpe. Genealogy of Some Early Families in Grant and Pleasant Districts, Preston County. W. Va. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002, 1933.
  
  
• KYOWVA Genealogical and Historical Society (Cabell County).
   
• Lewis, Virgil A. The Soldiery of West Virginia in the French and Indian War; Lord Dunmore's War; the Revolution; the Later Indian Wars; the Whiskey Insurrection; the Second War with England; the War with Mexico, and Addenda Relating to West Virginians in the Civil War. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield Co., Inc., 2006, 1911.
  
  
• Lincoln County Genealogical Society.
  
  
• Little, Barbara Vines. Research in West Virginia. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2007.
  
  
• Lost Female Ancestors. Post and view queries with West Virginia connections. GeneaSearch.
  
  
• Lost Voices: Rediscovering the Contributions of African American Women to West Virginia.
   
• Marshall University Special Collections - Digital Collections.
  
  
  • Cass, W.V. and L. D. Fowler Papers
    
    
  • Obituaries Index. An index to obituaries found in the Huntington Herald Dispatch and the Charleston Gazette. Each year is broken into four parts, and the names in each part are arranged alphabetically by surname, followed by HD (Herald Dispatch) or CG (Charleston Gazette), the date, and page number of the obituary.
     
    
  • Wilbur E. Myers Glass Collection.
    
    
  • Aleshire Family Letters. The Reuben Aleshire family lived in Gallipolis, Ohio, in the 1800s. They were a prominent family, engaged in flour milling. This digital presentation contains only copies of the 92 letters written by family members.
    
    
  • “Do You Know My Name?” Its collection of glass negatives dates from the late nineteen century, and its print collection comes right up to the present time. Many of these images are identified, but some are not. This exhibit contains images posted monthly during 2007-2008 that are not identified. If you recognize one of these persons, please let us know by email or phone.
  
  
• McDowell County Photograph Album.
  
  
• McFarland, K. T.  H., compiler. Early West Virginia Wills. Apollo, Pennsylvania: Closson Press, 1993. Contains abstracts of wills for the north-western-most section of what is now West Virginia. 1777-1850.
  
  
• Mining Your History Foundation. A Statewide Genealogy and Local History Society.
  
  
• Orlando, West Virginia.
  
  
• Parkersburg, West Virginia Nostalgic Gazette.
  
  
• Patrick Ward Gainer. Child Ballads of West Virginia. A professor of English specializing in West Virginia folklore, Patrick Ward Gainer (1904-1981) performs a selection of British folksongs cataloged in Francis James Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads as discovered in Appalachia.
  
  
• Poorhouses in West Virginia.
   
• Pruden, M. M., compiler. Pruden's Combined Business Directory and Gazetteer: Embracing the Following Cities: Wheeling, Sistersville, Parkersburg, Huntington, Charleston, &c., &c., West Virginia, East Liverpool, Steubenville, Bellaire, Marietta, Ironton, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Ashland and Catlettsburg, Kentucky, for the Years 1899-1900. Charleston, West Virginia: Pruden Pub. Co., 1900. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973, 1 roll, FHL film #940405.
  
  
• Randolph County Historical Society.
  
  
• Researching Your Civil War Ancestor. The state of West Virginia was formed in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War, America's most traumatic conflict. Persons seeking to learn about their ancestor's involvement in this struggle can find a wealth of information at the West Virginia State Archives Library. This guide may serve as a starting point for researching your Civil War ancestor.
  
  
• Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestor. Compiled by Jaime Simmons. Men from the western counties of Virginia served throughout the Revolutionary era, and the Library's resources focus on relevant Virginia material. Veterans living in what is now West Virginia served from other states as well, and to that end, the bibliography which follows includes materials from the states which provided the most veterans to our settlement period.
  
  
• Richmond Daily Dispatch, 1860-1865.
  
  
• Roy Bird Cook Collection. 31st Virginia Regiment (CSA). Documents, A&M 1561. A collection of more than 3000 documents relating to the 31st Virginia Regiment of the Confederate Army. The regiment was primarily composed of western Virginia volunteers and served in many major conflicts during the course of the Civil War. Included are orders, accounts, muster rolls, and correspondence, as well as a history of the regiment by James Dell Cooke.
  
  
• St. Albans Historical Society.
  
  
• Scarbro/Carlile/Whipple/Oak Hill: A Selected History.
   
• Shaffer, John W. Union and Confederate Soldiers and Sympathizers of Barbour County, West Virginia. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield Co., 2005.
  
  
• State of West Virginia's Home Page.
   
• Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia.
   
• Tri-State Genealogical & Historical Society.
  
  
• Tyler County Heritage Historical Society.
  
  
• US GenWeb Archives: West Virginia.
  
  
• Virginia Marriage Laws.
  
  
• Wayne County Genealogical and Historical Society.
   
• Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center.
  
  
• West Virginia Archives -- Researching Your Civil War Ancestor.. The state of West Virginia was formed in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War, America's most traumatic conflict. Persons seeking to learn about their ancestor's involvement in this struggle can find a wealth of information at the West Virginia State Archives Library. This guide may serve as a starting point for researching your Civil War ancestor.
  
  
• West Virginia Archives and History -- Featured Links.
  
  
• West Virginia Archives and History -- Genealogy Corner. Is a portal to numerous webpages on West Virginia genealogy.
  
  
• West Virginia Archives and History Photograph Collection Database.  The Photograph Collection at West Virginia Archives and History includes more than 100,000 images that cover a variety of subjects in the state's history.
  
  
• West Virginia Association of Museums.
  
  
• West Virginia Attorneys Listed in Graft's Legal Directory 1908 - 09. GeneaSearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Authors Early authors and their works cited in "History and Government of West Virginia". Lists several early works that might be help genealogists find ancestors. GeneaSearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Biographies. GeneaSearch.
   
• West Virginia Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates.
  
  
• West Virginia Births and Christenings, 1853-1928 – Name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of West Virginia. FamilySearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Births, 1853-1930 – Name index of West Virginia county birth records. Data is searchable for all counties. However, records within each county may not be available for the full year range. FamilySearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Cemeteries Collection. An artificial collection of cemetery inventories and other information compiled by various individuals and donated to the West Virginia Archives and History Library over the years. Nearest community or other indication of location is in parentheses following the name of the cemetery.
  
  
• West Virginia Cemetery Inscription Search.
   
• West Virginia Cities and Towns.
   
• West Virginia Counties.. Images of original birth, death, and marriage records from six counties, as well as most statewide death certificates from 1917-54.
  
  
• West Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1854-1932 – Name index to death and burial records from the state of West Virginia. FamilySearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Deaths, 1853-1970 – Imaged Records – Name index of West Virginia statewide and county death records. The statewide death index covers years 1917-1956 and includes all 55 West Virginia counties. The county deaths index covers years 1853-1970. Data is searchable for all state and county records. However, records within each county may not be available for the full year range. FamilySearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Vital Research Records Search Selection...
  
  
• West Virginia Division of Tourism.
  
  
• West Virginia Genealogy on GeneaSearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Genealogical Society.
   
• West Virginia GenWeb Project.
  
  
• West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey's Museum of Geology and Natural History.
  
  
• West Virginia Golden Horseshoe Database. The Golden Horseshoe program began in 1929 when noted historian Phil Conley proposed the creation of West Virginia Clubs, designed to promote appreciation of the Mountain State. State school superintendent William C. Cook believed that students "should learn more about the State, since they are our future citizens and should be fully prepared for citizenship. They should have a knowledge of the past and present status of the State in order to estimate its future possibilities." Two years later, the first Golden Horseshoe test was given, and resulted in the awarding of pins to 87 students from 46 counties. These scholars were dubbed Knights and Ladies of the Golden Horseshoe. This marked the beginning of the Golden Horseshoe program, the longest running of its kind in the United States.
  
  
• West Virginia Health Statistics Center. Vital Registration.
   
• West Virginia Historical and Genealogical Societies.
  
  
• West Virginia Historical Society.
  
  
• West Virginia History: A Bibliography and Guide to Research.
  
  
• West Virginia History Online Digital Collections. The West Virginia and Regional History Collection preserves the finest gathering of archives and manuscripts pertaining to the history of West Virginia and the central Appalachian region in existence.
  
  
• West Virginia History OnView: Photographs From the West Virginia & Regional History Collection. The West Virginia and Regional History Collection contains the most comprehensive collection of historic photographs pertaining to West Virginia in existence. Estimated to include more than 200,000 images, these photographs are interspersed throughout the WVRHC's broad holdings. A gathering of approximately 25,000 photos, including many of the finest, are housed collectively in the Collection's WVC Historical Photographs Collection. The WVRHC is currently in the process of creating a digital archive of this tremendous pictorial resource which documents the history of countless subjects and places in West Virginia. Presented in this website, West Virginia History OnView, is a group of more than 6,000 images which is growing daily. In addition to offering convenient on-site and remote access to these photographs, the image records offer extensive catalog and subject data which makes this resource highly searchable and user friendly for the first time.
  
  
• West Virginia in the Civil War.
   
• West Virginia Jewish History and Genealogy.
  
  
• West Virginia Legislative Information.
  
  
• West Virginia Library Commission.
  
  
• West Virginia Literary Map.
  
  
• West Virginia Maps from the University of Texas Library. 
  
  
• West Virginia Marriages 1853-1970 - Name index (and images offsite) of West Virginia county marriage records. Data is searchable for all counties. However, records within each county may not be available for the full year range. You may need to click on the link to WV culture website to see the image itself. In most cases you'll be able to click right through for a FREE image, although the site says that fees may apply. - 1,504,135 records as of 29 April, 2010. FamilySearch.org.
   
• West Virginia Marriages 1854-1932 - Name index to marriage records from the state of West Virginia - 203,378 records after 27 April, 2010. FamilySearch.org.
  
  
• West Virginia Memory Project.
  
  
• West Virginia Regional and History Collection: Genealogy Resources. The West Virginia and Regional History Collection has an extensive and varied materials available for genealogical research. Included in this collection are prepared genealogies (both published and unpublished), census records, public records, military records, photographs, and manuscript materials.
  
  
• West Virginia School Superintendents and Normal School Principals 1907. GeneaSearch.
  
  
• West Virginia Societies. Locate West Virginia historical, genealogical and family societies, or add your society. GeneaSearch.
   
• West Virginia State Archives.
  
  
• West Virginia Union Militia in the Civil War. In 1911 West Virginia state historian Virgil Lewis procured from the State Adjutant General's Office the records of West Virginians who served in Union militia units. These records, numbering 6,070 items, are grouped by county, and include muster cards, muster rolls, forms and requisitions, and correspondence. Two boxes of miscellaneous papers contain material relating to the command structure of the Union Militia of West Virginia, personal correspondence of militia generals, militia claims of service, abstracts, etc.
  
  
• West Virginia Veterans Memorial: Archives Database. The West Virginia Veterans Memorial Archives Database contains information on more than ten thousand men and women from West Virginia who died during 20th-century military actions. While death did not have to occur in combat, it must have occurred during the official period of conflict and prior to discharge from the military. To qualify for inclusion, the soldier must have been born in West Virginia or must have been a state resident six months prior to military service.
• Search the Database
• Biographies
• Hellships of World War II
• Remembering Exercise Tiger
• The Tiger Death March & Johnson's List
• The Chosin Reservoir
  
  
• Wheeling Area Genealogical Society.
   
• wvpics.com: Pictures and Information About West Virginia.