West Virginia County Resources

From Rootsweb
Jump to: navigation, search

This entry was originally written by Johni Cerny, in Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.

This article is part of
WestVirginia sil.png
the West Virginia Family History Research series.
History of West Virginia
West Virginia Vital Records
Census Records for West Virginia
Background Sources for West Virginia
West Virginia Maps
West Virginia Land Records
West Virginia Probate Records
West Virginia Court Records
West Virginia Tax Records
West Virginia Cemetery Records
West Virginia Church Records
West Virginia Military Records
West Virginia Periodicals, Newspapers, and Manuscript Collections
West Virginia Archives, Libraries, and Societies
African Americans of West Virginia
West Virginia Coal Mining
West Virginia County Resources
Map of West Virginia
County Map of West Virginia

All but five of the counties (Grant, Lincoln, Mineral, Mingo, and Summers) that comprise West Virginia were formed between 1754 (Hampshire) and 1860 (Webster). Each county courthouse has the records created by the clerk since its inception. Microfilm copies of the records (nineteenth and early twentieth centuries) can be searched at the Archives and History Library in Charleston, the West Virginia University West Virginia University Library West Virginia Regional History Collection in Morgantown, and the The Family History Library (FHL).

The chart following this section gives the address of each county courthouse and the years covered by each record source. Some counties will answer mail inquiries, but will charge a fee for the time it takes to perform the search and copy costs. Check the website of the National Association of County Organizations, for additional information.

Land, probate, and vital records are located at the clerk's office at the county seat. Court records, including naturalizations and divorces, are at the circuit court clerk's office at the county seat. In addition to general sources for all states (see pages 17-18), the following has been used to compile the following chart:

  • West Virginia County Formations and Boundary Changes. Charleston, W.Va.: Historical Records Survey, 1939.
  • Sims, Edgar Barr. Making a State: Formation of West Virginia. Charleston, W.Va.: the author, 1956.


Map County County Address Date Formed Parent County(ies) Birth Marriage Death Land Probate Court
F4 Barbour 8 N. Main St., P.O. Box 310, Philippi 26416-1140 1843 Harrison/Lewis/Randolph 1853 1843 1853 1843 1843 1843
J3 Berkeley 126 W. King St., Martinsburg 25401-3210 1772 Frederick, Va. 1865 1781 1865 1772 1772 1772
B7 Boone 206 Court St., Madison 25130-1106 1847 Kanawha/Cabell/Logan 1865 1865 1865 1847 1865 1865
D5 Braxton P.O. Box 486, Sutton 26601-0486 1836 Lewis/Nicholas 1858 1836 1858 1836 1836 1836
E1 Brooke 632 Main St., Wellsburg 26070-1743 1797 Ohio 1853 1797 1853 1797 1797 1797
A6 Cabell 750 Fifth Ave., Ste. 300, Huntington 25701-2019 1809 Kanawha 1853 1809 1853 1808 1809 1809
D5 Calhoun P.O. Box 230, Grantsville 26147-0230 1856 Gilmer 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856
C6 Clay 207 Main St., Clay 25043-0190 1858 Braxton/Nicholas/Kanawha 1858 1858 1858 1858 1858 1858
D3 Doddridge 118 E. Court St., Rm. 102, West Union 26456-1262 1845 Harrison/Tyler/Ritchie/Lewis 1853 1845 1862 1845 1849 1845
D7 Fayette 100 N. Court St., Fayetteville 25840-1200 1831 Logan/Nicholas/Greenbrier/Kanawha 1866 1831 1831 1831 1832 1831
D4 Gilmer 10 Howard St., Courthouse, Glenville 26351-1246 1845 Lewis/Kanawha 1853 1845 1853 1845 1845 1845
G4 Grant 5 Highland Ave., Petersburg 26847-1705 1866 Hardy 1866 1866 1866 1866 1866 1866
E7 Greenbrier P.O. Box 506, Lewisburg 24901-0506 1778 Montgomery, Va./ Botetourt, Va. 1853 1781 1853 1780 1780 1780
H3 Hampshire P.O. Box 806, Romney 26757-0806 1754 Frederick, Va./Augusta, Va. 1865 1824 1865 1757 1756 1736
E1 Hancock P.O. Box 485, New Cumberland 26047-0485 1848 Brooke 1853 1854 1853 1848 1848 1848
H4 Hardy 204 Washington St., Rm 111, Moorefield 26836-1155 1786 Hampshire 1853 1795 1853 1786 1786 1786
E4 Harrison 301 W. Main St., Clarksburg 26301-2909 1784 Monongalia 1853 1784 1853 1786 1788 1784
B5 Jackson P.O. Box 800, Ripley 25271-0800 1831 Mason/Wood/Kanawha 1853 1831 1853 1831 1831 1831
K3 Jefferson 110 E. Washington St., Charles Town 25414-1072 1801 Berkeley 1853 1801 1853 1801 1801 1801
C6 Kanawha 407 Virginia St. East, Charleston 25301-2524 1788 Greenbrier/Montgomery 1853 1792 1853 1790 1789 1773
E4 Lewis P.O. Box 466, Weston 26452-0466 1816 Harrison 1853 1816 1853 1817 1816 1817
B6 Lincoln P.O. Box 497, Hamlin 25523-0497 1867'69 Boone/Cabell/Logan/Kanawha/Wayne 1909 1909 1909 1909 1909 1909
B7 Logan 300 Stratton St., Logan 25601-3924 1824 Giles, Va./Cabell/Tazewell, Va./Kanawha 1872 1872 1872 1824 1873 1824
E3 Marion 200 Jackson St. Rm. 403, Fairmont 26554-2963 1842 Monongalia/Harrison 1860 1842 1842 1842 1842 1842
D2 Marshall Drawer B, Moundsville 26041-2192 1835 Ohio 1853 1835 1853 1835 1835 1835
B5 Mason 200 Sixth St., Point Pleasant 25550-1131 1804 Kanawha 1853 1806 1853 1803 1805 1805
B8 McDowell 90 Wyoming St., Ste. 111, Welch 24801-2487 1858 Tazewell, Va. 1872 1859 1894 1868 1893 1859
D8 Mercer 1501 W. Main St., Princeton 24740-2600 1837 Giles, Va./Tazewell, Va. 1853 1853 1853 1837 1837 1837
H3 Mineral 150 Armstrong St., Keyser 26726-3500 1866 Hampshire 1866 1866 1866 1866 1866 1866
A7 Mingo P.O. Box 1197, Williamson 25661-1197 1895 Logan 1895 1895 1895 1895 1895 1895
E3 Monongalia 243 High St., Morgantown 26505-5434 1776 District of West Augusta, Va. 1853 1796 1853 1776 (index) 1774 1774
E8 Monroe Main St./P.O. Box 350, Union 24983-0350 1799 Greenbrier 1853 1799 1853 1799 1799 1799
J3 Morgan P.O. Box 28, Berkeley Springs 25411-0028 1820 Berkeley/Hampshire 1865 1820 1865 1820 1820 1820
D6 Nicholas 700 Main St., Summersville 26651-1444 1818 Greenbrier/Kanawha/Randolph 1853 1817 1853 1818 1820 1818
D2 Ohio 1500 Chapline St., Wheeling 26003-3553 1776 District of West Augusta, Va. 1853 1793 1853 1778 1776 1777
G5 Pendleton P.O. Box 187, Franklin 26807-0187 1788 Augusta, Va./Hardy/Rockingham, Va. 1853 1800 1853 1789 1789 1789
C3 Pleasants 301 Court Lane, Ste. 101, Saint Marys 26170-1317 1851 Wood/Tyler/Ritchie 1853 1853 1853 1851 1852 1851
E6 Pocahontas 900-C Tenth St., Marlinton 24954-1310 1821 Bath, Va./Randolph/Pendleton 1853 1822 1853 1822 1822 1822
F3 Preston 101 W. Main St., Kingwood 26537-1121 1818 Monongalia 1868 1869 1868 1818 1869 1881
B5 Putnam 3389 Winfield Rd., Winfield 25213-9370 1848 Kanawha/Cabell/Mason 1854 1848 1853 1848 1848 1848
C7 Raleigh 215 Main St., Beckley 25801-4612 1850 Fayette 1853 1850 1853 1850 1850 1850
F5 Randolph P.O. Box 2092, Elkins 26241-2092 1787 Harrison 1856 1787 1853 1787 1787 1787
D4 Ritchie 115 E. Main St., Rm. 201, Harrisville 26362-1271 1842 Harrison/Lewis/Wood 1853 1843 1853 1844 1843 1844
C5 Roane P.O. Box 69, Spencer 25276-0069 1856 Kanawha/Calhoun/Jackson 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856
D8 Summers P.O. Box 97, Hinton 25951-0097 1871 Fayette/Mercer/Greenbrier/Monroe 1871 1871 1871 1871 1871 1871
E3 Taylor 214 W. Main St., Grafton 26354-1387 1844 Harrison/Barbour/Marion 1853 1853 1853 1844 1844 1844
F4 Tucker 213 First St., Parsons 26287-1235 1856 Randolph 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856
D3 Tyler 121 Main St. , P.O. Box 66, Middlebourne 26149-0066 1814 Ohio 1853 1815 1853 1813 1815 1815
E5 Upshur 38 W. Main St., Buckhannon 26201-2259 1851 Randolph/Lewis/Barbour 1853 1853 1853 1851 1852 1851
A6 Wayne P.O. Box 248, Wayne 25570-0248 1842 Cabell 1853 1853 1853 1842 1843 1842
E5 Webster 2 Court Sq., Room G-1, Webster Springs 26268-1049 1860 Nicholas/Braxton/Randolph 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887
D3 Wetzel P.O. Box 156, New Martinsville 26155-0149 1846 Tyler 1854 1845 (index) 1854 1846 1847 1846
C4 Wirt P.O. Box 53, Elizabeth 26143-0053 1848 Wood/Jackson 1870 1854 1870 1848 1848 1848
C4 Wood 1 Courthouse Sq., Parkersburg 26101-5399 1798 Harrison 1853 1800 1853 1798 1800 1798
C8 Wyoming P.O. Box 309, Pineville 24874-0309 1850 Logan 1853 1855 1853 1850 1850 1850