Hampshire County, West Virginia Genealogy

United States West Virginia  Hampshire County

Guide to Hampshire County West Virginia genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth, marriage, death records from 1865 Probate from 1780 Court Records from 1831 and Land Records

Parent County
1753--Hampshire County was created 13 December 1753 from Frederick and Augusta Counties (Virginia). County seat: Romney

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating West Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation West Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
For a list of record loss in West Virginia counties see: West Virginia Counties with Burned Courthouses


 * Lost court orders and minute books 1753-1787

Research Guides

 * Good, Rebecca H. and Rebecca A. Ebert. Finding Your People in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1998. 4th ed.

African American
In 1860, census takers uncharacteristically recorded slaves' names on slave schedules in Hampshire County.


 * Heinegg, Paul. "Hampshire County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1814," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

1782 Enumeration

 * Hampshire County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 24.

1784 Enumeration

 * Hampshire County Heads of Families - 1784 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 69.

Join us in indexing the 1940 Census

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Crooked Run (1790)
 * 2) North River (1787)
 * 3) Patterson's Creek (1808)

Hampshire County fell within the bounds of the Ketocton Association.

Church of England
Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Hampshire County is available online.

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Bear Garden Monthly Meeting (1767-1809)
 * Dillon's Run Monthly Meeting (1795-1822) aka Great Cacapon
 * Howard's Lick Monthly Meeting, Petersburg, W.Va. (1750-1767) aka North Fork . This area is currently located in Grant County.
 * Little Cacapon Monthly Meeting (1748-1755)

Court

 * Horton, Vicki Bidinger. Hampshire County, Virginia: Minute Book Abstracts. Green Spring, WV: V.B. Horton, 1993-1994. Volume 1: 1788-1802 and Volume 2: 1817-1823 are available at . Digital versions are available at World Vital Records ($) Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

 * Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. c1909. ; ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]
 * O'Dell, Cecil. Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia. Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Pub. Co., 1995. . One of the most impressively researched one-place studies in the United States. In a review, Dorman stated "Comprehensive studies such as this appear only rarely. This volume should be in every Virginia genealogical collection."

Grants and Patents

 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1742-1775. Vol. II. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Hampshire County.]
 * Gray, Gertrude E. Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 1775-1800. Vol. III. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993. ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes Hampshire County.]

Local Histories

 * Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. c1909. Digital version at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). ;.

Maps

 * Maps of West Virginia (1617-1995)
 * Map of 1850 Virginia and West Virginia

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):287-292. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Hampshire County's 1786 Delinquent List appears on p. 289.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. . [Identifies some Westmoreland County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
 * Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1903. Digital version at Google Books; 1965 reprint: . [Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch [French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War] with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Hampshire County, see pp. 85-86.]

Revolutionary War
Regiments. Service men in Hampshire County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Hampshire County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 8th Virginia Regiment
 * - 12th Virginia Regiment (2nd and 3rd Companies)

Additional resources:

Hampshire residents recommended for military commissions during the Revolutionary War.


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: . [See Virginia, Western District, Hampshire County on page 134.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." Digital version at Ancestry ($); . [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]
 * West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865

War of 1812
Hampshire County men served in the 77th and 114th Virginia Regiments.

Civil War

 * - 7th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Ashby's) (Confederate). Company F (Hampshire Riflemen aka New Creek Riflemen).
 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company D.
 * - 13th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company I (The Frontier Rifles) and Company K (The Hampshire Guard).
 * - 18th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Companies B, C, F, I, and K.
 * - 23rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.
 * - 62nd Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry (Confederate). Company H.

Probate
Hampshire County, West Virginia Wills 1809-1969

West Virginia Will Books

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1782-1814] Heinegg, Paul. "Hampshire County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1814," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1786] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1977):287-292. Digital version at American Ancestors ($); . [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Hampshire County's 1786 Delinquent List appears on p. 289.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Hampshire County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1800-1814] Horton, Vicki Bidinger. Hampshire County, Virginia (WV) Personal Property Tax Lists, 1800-1814. Romney, W. Va.: Hampshire Review, 1995..
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Hampshire County is included in Vol. 6.]

Online West Virginia Tax site
West Virginia real and personal property tax records are managed by the County Assessor in each county. Land and land improvements are considered real property while mobile property is classified as personal property.

Many County Assessors offer an online searchable database, where assessment record searches can be performed by name, account number, year, or mp/parcel number. Where online records are not available, requests for records can be made to the Assessment Office in person, by phone, or in writing.

The search for tax information can start here

Vital Records
. Includes marriages 1824-1828, 1863, 1865-1970 - free.

Societies and Libraries
See also a List of West Virginia Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Hampshire County, WV History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Cyndi's List for West Virginia
 * Cyndi's List for West Virginia

Learning How toEdit our Wiki Sites

Hampshire County, West Virginia Microfilms at the Library of Virginia