VOL UM E I, NO . 6 AUGUST 2000

WEST VIRGINIA’S 55 COUNTIES

From the Editor:

West Virginia’s fifty-five counties evokefierce loyalty in both native and adoptedcitizens. Home is always a special place

in the human heart, whether left at an early age orthe location of a long, full life. Many of the out-of-state Archives Library patrons who come toWest Virginia, perhaps for the first time in theirlives, still feel the ties that bind them throughancestry to a particular county. Often they willread county histories and sometimes peruse localnewspapers to get a feel for the time and place inwhich their families lived. They search maps forthe small communities or creek banks where theold homeplaces were located. By examining thehouseholds listed before and after great-grandpa’sfarm on the census, they form a picture of who theneighbors were. As you research your familyhistory, try to learn as much as you can from theinformation available, to step beyond names anddates to the human beings they represent. Thosewho simply look for their ancestors’ names in

census rolls and on documents without stopping towonder about who those people actually were andhow they lived their lives are missing out on whatI see as the real reason for tracing genealogy andstudying history–learning about the hearts, mindsand experiences that helped shape our owncharacters and the world we live in today, with theintent of passing on the best of our heritage to thenewest generation. Write or call me and tell me

the reason you are climbing your family tree: SusanScouras, Archives and History, (304) 558-0230,Ext. 742. (Descendant of the Preston and Danielsfamilies of Johnson County, KY and the Baker andBrown families of Bourbon County, KY.)

West Virginia County Resourcesin the Archives

Archives and History salutes our own CathyMiller, who just completed a six-monthlong project by compiling a bibliography of

West Virginia County Resources available in theWest Virginia Archives Library. Cathy compiledall the materials, evaluated the appropriateness ofeach title for inclusion, and typed a bibliography foreach county. This extensive listing of materials,which has been placed on our Web site by JoeGeiger, includes books, periodical articles,pamphlets, newspaper clippings and microfilm(excluding county records) in the Archivescollection for each of the fifty-five counties.Although county records are not listed on thissection of the site, a direct link to a listing of eachcounty’s microfilmed records is located below thebibliography for that county. Links are alsoprovided to any other materials on the Web site thatare related, such as community histories. Copies ofthe clippings cited are available from the ArchivesLibrary through Cathy Miller, who can be e-mailedfrom the site.

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Cathy says the intent of the project is to providelists of resources that students and teachers may beable to find in their school and/or local publiclibraries when studying the history of their countyin West Virginia. A county library will usuallyhave the histories written about that county andwill have local newspapers. Cathy hopes tosupplement those local resources by offeringcopies of newspaper clippings from the Archivesfiles. Also, if a researcher is planning a trip to theArchives Library, going over the list of availablematerial beforehand will help him or her make bestuse of time while in the Library.

We also hope that if you or your organization havepublished material relating to your county that youwill check West Virginia County Resources to seeif the Archives has copies. Donations are alwayswelcome to fill in gaps in the collection.

Tips for researching in W est Virgin ia

county records:

Records for the Virginia counties that becamepart of West Virginia were retained bythose counties after separation. Therefore,

all records available for West Virginia countiesfrom their inception as Virginia counties can besearched through West Virginia sources such asthe Archives or the county courthouses. Use themap included in this issue to determine thefounding date of the county and thecounty/counties from which it was formed. Forrecords prior to the formation of the county, checkthe records of the counties from which your countyderived until you locate the one that includes theactual land area where your family lived. Also, ifyou do not find your family in the county youexpected, check the map to see which counties areadjacent to the one you started with, and if any ofthose counties were separated from your initialcounty in the relevant time period. Your ancestorsmay not have moved, but their county governmentmay have changed. For example, Grant Countywas formed in 1866 from Hardy County, whichwas formed in 1786 from Hampshire County.

Keep this in mind when studying the history of acounty, also. To fully understand Grant County’shistory, you need to learn something about HardyCounty’s history, and perhaps Hampshire County’spast, as well. Counties were divided into districtsfor voting, tax collecting, the census, andsometimes for recordkeeping. In searching countyrecords, be sure you see all of the records for aspecific time period. A single, county-wide recordledger was not always kept. Sometimes amagistrate in each district kept records for hisdistrict only, and each individual district’s recordlist will be copied separately into the county ledger.In other words, if a list of births is indicated asbeing for a specific district, check the next fewpages for additional district listings with births forthe same time period.

Between roughly 1890 and 1920, many clerks useda filing system unfamiliar to modern researchers.The system is alphabet based, but is not in straightalphabetical order. Be sure to take a few minutes tolook over any strange indexing arrangement, or toask staff for assistance in understanding how tolocate a particular surname. Don’t overlook yourancestor because you didn’t know how to use theindex, or the index to the index. In the same timeperiod mentioned above, the use of typewritersincreased. Some county clerks took their oldledgers, typed the information onto sheets for newledgers, and tossed out the original handwrittenrecords. Although 18th and 19th century handwritingcan be difficult for 20th century eyes and minds tointerpret, the typewritten records have their ownproblems. Be on the lookout for copying mistakesand typographical errors in such records. Letters ornumbers may be transposed, etc. (There is alsoalways the possibility that a line may have beenskipped in the copying process, and a record lost.)Even the handwritten record may have beenrewritten over time, or compiled from lists made bydistrict magistrates. Consider all these possibilitieswhen trying to determine if a record is the one youare looking for. Be persistent and ask questions!

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NEW TITLES

TITLE: AUTHOR, PUBLICATION DATE.

Farewell Appalachia, Farewell: Boone Salisbury,1996.The Ivory Hollyhock: Dreama Wyant Frisk,1998.Annual Report for Union Carbide: UnionCarbide Corporation, 1921 through 1980.The Ancestry of Anthony Morris Johnson, Vol.IX: Robert Leland Johnson, 1999.Index to History of Monroe County, WestVirginia: (Index to Morton’s History of MonroeCounty, West Virginia) John H. Allen, editor,2000.Ancestor Tree: Volume III: West VirginiaGenealogical Society, 1994.Reflections from the Mount: Lillian GangwereCale, 1999.The Declaration of Independence: ThomasJefferson’s Manuscript Draft from theCollections of the American PhilosophicalSociety: Facsimile edition, 2000.Three Journals of the Lewis and ClarkExpedition, 1804-1806: from the Collections ofthe American Philosophical Society: Facsimileedition, Edward C. Carter II, editor, 2000.The Rending of Virginia: a History: GranvilleDavisson Hall: with a new introduction by JohnEdmund Stealey III, 2000.The Cold, Cold Hand: More Stories of Ghostsand Haunts from the Appalachian Foothills:James V. Burchill, Linda J. Crider, and PeggyKendrick, 1997.West Virginia Resources and Research Sites:Mining Your History Foundation, 1999.The Greenbrier Ghost: and Other StrangeStories: Dennis Deitz, 1990.Unpuzzling Your Past: A Basic Guide toGenealogy: 3rd ed., Emily Anne Croom, c1995.Tracing Your Roots: Locating Your AncestorsThrough Landscape and History: Meg Wheeler,1996.

The Chronology of the Descendants of John andElizabeth Richards Beall: Dr. James Woofter,2000.Some Descendants of Jonathan Farrar 1790-1874 and Mary Kilby Farrar 1793-1852: WilliamH. Farrar, 1980.The Hulce/Hulse Families in America: Volume 1:Descendants of Elisha Hulce/Hulse 1725-1796,Goshen, NY; Volume 2: Descendants of ElishaHulce/Hulse 1725-1796, Goshen, NY; Volume 3:Descendants of James Hulce/Hulse 1791-1875,Somerset County, NJ: Lynn C. Harper, 1998.Backenstoss–Baggenstoss Family History:Elwood Bruce Backensto, 1993.Addendum to Backenstoss–Baggenstoss FamilyHistory: Elwood Bruce Backensto, 1995.The Colonial Riley Families of the TidewaterFrontier: Volumes I and II: A History of SeveralRiley Families of Maryland and Virginia: RobertShean Riley, 1999.Perkins and Early Related Families African-American: Part I and Part II: Edith E. Perkins,1995.Ohio County (WV) Index, Volume 5: KennethFischer Craft, Jr., 2000.Charles Clendinen of Virginia: His Parents: HisSon Alexander...: John F. and Harriet M.Clendenen, 2000.The Douglass Family from 1734: A Collection ofFamily Histories Compiled by the Descendantsof William Douglass and Anna DavidsonDouglass: Mary Clark, et al, 1999.The American Revolution, 1775-1783: An Atlasof 18th Century Maps and Charts, Theatres ofOperations: Compiled by W. Bart Greenwood,Dept. of the Navy, 1972.Lexington in Old Virginia: Henry Boley, c1936.Johnson Family of Pocahontas Co., Va (Wva):Anna M. (Totten) Dillen, (no date.)Home Remedies from the Old South, 4th ed.:Emily Thacker, 1993. The Iroquois in the Civil War: From Battlefieldto Reservation: Laurence M. Hauptman, 1993.

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Killing Waters: The Great West Virginia Floodof 1985: Bob Teets and Shelby Young, 2nd ed.,1985.

Windows on Hancock County, West Virginia:Biographical and Local History for 150 Years:1850-2000: Tri-State Genealogical and HistoricalSociety, 1999.Beautiful Historic Monroe County: SpecialEdition 1999 Bicentennial Calendar: MonroeCounty Bi-centennial Committee, (no date.)Highlights of Monroe County Schools: 1799-1999: Monroe County Bi-centennial Committee,1997.

MEET OUR STAFF:

CATHY MILLER

Cathy has been an employee of Archives andHistory for thirteen years. In addition to staffingthe Archives Library, she is responsible for theWest Virginia State Documents Collection. Asyou can imagine, she is especially busy duringLegislative sessions, making sure the Archivesreceives copies of all legislative documents, andmaking them accessible to our patrons daily. Cathyalso maintains the periodical and newspapercollections, and has compiled an index of theArchives holdings in both areas. As discussed inour feature article this month, Cathy evaluated,compiled and typed all of the information for theWest Virginia County History Resources projectcompleted in July 2000. Her next project is toplace the Archives’ Surname Files (formerly called“Family History Files”) contents on line. TheSurname Files, as the name indicates, arecollections of newspaper clippings, genealogycharts, brief family histories, etc., filed bysurnames. Prominent West Virginia individualshave separate files within the overall file of theirsurnames. We know Cathy will do a thorough jobwith this project as well, and our patrons willappreciate the availability of another Archivesresource on our Web site.------------------------------------------------------------

STILL AVAILABLE!!WEST VIRGINIA HISTORY

COLLE CTORS E DITION, VOL UME 47

Special Sale Price: $3.00

MEET OUR STAFF:

SUMMER VOLUNTEERS

Our newest student volunteer is Jacqueline NicoleCanady of Charleston. Nicole is a senior atDenison University in Grandville, Ohio, majoring insociology/anthropology and minoring in history.While in the Archives she is receiving a wide rangeof experience, working with patrons in the ArchivesLibrary, researching letter questions, sortingdonated letters and documents, etc. We are verypleased to have Nicole with us for the summer.

Congratulations to volunteer Brady Blevins on hisJuly wedding! Brady has finished his volunteerwork with us for the summer and is preparing forhis senior year at West Virginia State, where hisbride is also a student.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

C H E C K O U R W E B S I T E(http:/ /www.wvculture.org/history) FORGENEALOGICAL and HISTORICAL SOCIETYMEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND FOR MORECOMPLETE INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIESLISTED BELOW:

2ND ANNUAL COL. GEORGE S. PATTONCIVIL WAR WEEKEND, AUG. 12-13. Craik-Patton House, Charleston.LABOR DAY, SEPT. 4. Archives Library will beclosed.“PRESERVING HISTORIC RESOURCESWITH TECHNOLOGY AND ACTION,” SEPT.8-9. Conference sponsored by Preservation Allianceof West Virginia, Inc. and Weston HistoricLandmarks Committee, Weston.

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BERKELEY COUNTY HISTORICALSOCIETY ANNUAL HISTORIC HOUSETOUR, SEPT. 9-10.ROANE CO. GENEALOGY FAIR, SEPT. 30.“MILITARY CLAIMS AND PENSIONS,”OCT. 17. John Lavery, KYOWVA GenealogicalSociety, Huntington.“DISCOVERING YOUR WEST VIRGINIAROOTS AND HISTORY,” OCT. 28. Sponsoredby Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants, MiningYour History Foundation and West VirginiaHistorical Society. For more information on thismajor genealogy conference, use the link throughthe Upcoming Events portion of our Web site, orgo to http://www.rootsweb.com/~hcpd/fair.htm.GENERAL ELECTION DAY*, NOV. 7.Archives Library will be open regular hours.VETERANS DAY*, NOV. 10. Archives Librarywill be open regular hours.“1910 CABELL COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIACENSUS,” NOV. 21. Sheri Pettit, KYOWVAGenealogical Society, Huntington.

From the January 18, 1911Charleston Daily Mail:

“Archives and History Department

Good Place to Visit”

During the session of the State legislature thedepartment of Archives and History will be openfrom 8 o’clock in the morning until 5 in theafternoon, and from 7 until 10 o’clock at night.The rule requiring the department to remain openduring evening hours applies only to the time thelegislature is in session, and the hours are fixed soas to accommodate the members of the legislature,their relatives and friends, visitors in the city andthe public generally. State Archivist and HistorianVirgil A. Lewis accords all a hearty invitation tovisit the department at this time. Especially is avisit during the evening hours of interest. Therooms are brilliantly lighted by electricity, arecomfortably warmed, and the many interestingdisplays present a doubly interesting appearanceat night. The department of Archives and History

is located in the Capitol Annex and it is by far themost interesting department to the visitor in the city.

Although we are no longer open in the evenings, wethink Archives and History is still “by far the mostinteresting” place to visit in Charleston. Mostpeople who intend to drop in for a brief visit findthemselves staying for hours. We have manysources of information in the Archives collectionand we are ready and willing to share with you boththe materials and our expertise in deciphering them.The “hearty invitation” still stands 89 years later.

DO YOU HAVE A BOOK FOR SALE?

Family researchers from all over the country visitthe Archives and sometimes use addresses found inthe books or obtained from our staff to order theirown copies. (Great reason to donate a copy!) If youare publishing a book which will be for sale, be sureto include ordering information on the back of thetitle page. We regret that we can not acceptadvertisements in this newsletter nor on our Website, but we can post your flyer on the ArchivesLibrary bulletin board at your request.

DONATIONS

Thank you to Jean Thomas of Poca for donating avariety of used books and pamphlets last month.We also greatly appreciate the donation of fourteennew copies of their publications by Joy Gilchrist-Stalnaker and the Hacker’s Creek PioneerDescendants. Your donations are always welcome,whether you have one title or a boxful. Gift platesare placed in all donated volumes with the name andtown of the donor and the date of donation.

COPY PRICES AND POLICIES

The Archives Library now offers 11" x 17"microfilm copies from the laser printer at $1.00 percopy. Coin-operated microfilm reader/printercopies are $.25, while staff-produced 8 1/2" x 11"microfilm copies are $.50. Standard photocopies of8 ½" x 11" or 8" x 14" are $.25 per page. An 11" x

6 VOLUME I, NO. 6 AUGUST 2000

17" photocopy is $.50. If a copying projectrequires more than 30 minutes of staff time, anadditional charge of $15.00 per hour applies afterthe first ½ hour.

ARCHIVES AND HISTORY STAFF

Fredrick Armstrong: DirectorDebra Basham: Archivist (photographs, special

collections)Greg Carroll: Historian (Civil War, Native

American history)Dick Fauss: Archivist (microfilm and moving

images)Elaine Gates: Part-time Library Assistant

(microfilming and microfilm repairs)Joe Geiger: Historian (Web page, publications)Ed Hicks: Photographer (archival photography,

darkroom)Mary Johnson: Historian (John Brown)Jaime Lynch: Library Assistant (Records of the

1700's and early 1800's, Pennsylvania)Cathy Miller: Library Assistant (WV State

documents, periodicals)Sharon Newhouse: Secretary to the Director.Harold Newman: Library Assistant

(microfilming, Revolutionary War)Pat Pleska: Part-time Library Assistant (Clipping

File)Susan Scouras: Librarian (cataloging, Kentucky,

library collection, newsletter editor)Bobby Taylor: Library ManagerNancy Waggoner: Office Assistant Contract employees working on special projects:Constance Baston and Allen Fowler.Summer volunteers: Brady Blevins, JacquelineNicole Canady and Lindsay Kaiser. Summerinterns: Vickie Pleska, Lenora Kenwolf and LeahStover.

**WE NEED VOLUN TEERS**

If you or your organization would like to donateservice time to the Archives, we have severalprojects needing volunteers. Projects can bearranged for a few hours, a week, or on-goingvolunteer work. High school students may be able

to use volunteer hours at the Archives to fulfillpublic service requirements for graduation. Pleasecall Archives and History for more information.

Research Letters

We realize that many of you can not make the tripto the Archives often or at all, so we endeavor toassist you by mail. We always have a backlog ofresearch request letters to be answered by our staff.If you write to us, please be as specific as possiblein making your request and provide as muchbackground information as you can. Allow aminimum of four weeks for a reply. The staff workson letters as they have time in addition to their otherduties. Staffers who specialize in certain areas haveeven greater backlogs, such as Jaime Lynch for 18th

century genealogy, and Greg Carroll for Civil Warrecords and medal applications. In-state requestsneed not enclose payment (except with medalapplications), and will be invoiced. Out-of-staterequests must enclose a $10.00 research fee per twospecific requests, and will be billed for copyingcosts if necessary.

If the staff determines that a request is not withinthe scope of our time constraints, a list ofprofessional researchers will be supplied for yourconvenience. Usually the cost of hiring an outsideresearcher will not be any more than you wouldhave paid Archives and History for two specificrequests per letter in a series of letters, and theinformation you seek will be received much morequickly. For the best results when writing to us, be specific,provide supporting information if possible, andabove all, be patient while waiting for a reply.

On the Web:

While all family historians will learn something,new genealogists in particular will benefit fromRootsWeb’s Guide to Tracing Family Trees, Lesson8: “Why U Can’t Find Your Ancestors: MisspeldKnames–A Commun Probblem for Reeserchors,” at

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t h e f o l l o w i n g W e b s i t e l i n k :www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson8.htm. Thearticle urges getting over the “great hang-up” ofspelling of names, saying “To insist your name hasalways been spelled a particular way is to setyourself up for defeat in genealogical research.”Many helpful tips for figuring out possible variantsof surnames are given, as well as practical adviceon how to properly use indexes. A list ofsuggested readings and reference books providesadditional guidance.

OVERSEAS BURIALS OFVETERANS

The Web site of the American Battle MonumentsCommission at http://www.abmc.gov now has adatabase searchable by the names of World War I,World War II and Korean War dead buried atAmerican military cemeteries outside the UnitedStates. Information provided: name, inductionlocation, rank, service number, date of death andburial location. Cemetery profiles are alsoincluded, as well as an address to write for a freephotograph of individual markers.

Virginia State Archives MicrofilmProject

The Library of Virginia recently received a checkfrom the Friends of the Virginia State Archives forpurchase of West Virginia County records onmicrofilm. This in an on-going project for theVirginia Friends organization, with the intent ofcompleting the Virginia Archives’ collection ofcounty records up to 1865 for those Virginiacounties which became West Virginia. Priordonations were used to purchase the microfilmedcourt records of Hampshire, Hardy, Harrison,Monroe, Ohio and Pendleton Counties.

The West Virginia Archives would be delighted ifany one in West Virginia would take on a similareffort for the benefit of our county recordsmicrofilm collection. For example, purchase of the

remaining 101 reels of personal property tax recordsfor West Virginia counties available from theVirginia State Archives for 1851-1873, would begreatly appreciated. The price per roll is $50.00. Ifyou or your organization are interested in donatingthe rolls covering your county or more, pleasecontact Fredrick H. Armstrong, Director, Archivesand History.

CLEO ZIMMER SEARSDONATES NEW MICROFILM

READER FOR LIBRARY

Cleo Zimmer Sears and Virginia B. Johnson

The Archives and History Library recently receiveda new Bell & Howell Mark III Library Researchermicrofilm reader with fully automatic controlsthrough the generosity of Cleo Zimmer Sears, aDivision of Culture and History West VirginiaHistory Hero in 2000. The plaque on the machinereads: “Donated by Cleo Zimmer Sears inrecognition of Virginia B. Johnson, Honorary VicePresident General NSDAR, John Young Chapter,1999.” Both staff and patrons are very appreciativeof the new reader and are finding it a pleasure touse. Be sure to check out the color photograph ofthe reader, its donor and the honoree on theArchives and History Web site.-------------------------------------------------------------

This newsletter is a publication of :

The Division of C ulture and History

Archives and H istory

The Cultural Center

1900 Kanawha B oulevard, East

Charleston, WV 25305-0300

8 VOLUME I, NO. 6 AUGUST 2000

(304) 558-0230

Comm issioner: Re nay Co nlin