Tyler County, West Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Tyler County, West Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for John Tyler, Sr. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Tyler County Courthouse Main Street P O Box 66 Middlebourne, WV 26149-0066 Phone: 304-758-2102 Tyler County Website County Clerk has birth, marriage and death records from 1853; incomplete marriage records from 1815; probate and land records from 1815. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and county records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Maps and Gazetteers

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

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: 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Tyler County on page 136.
 * 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." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.

War of 1812
Tyler County men served in the 123rd Regiment.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1814-1991  at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Records


 * 1724-1978 West Virginia Wills and Probate Records 1724-1978 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1756-1971 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1815-1971 Tyler County, West Virginia Will Books 1815-1971

Tax Records
At first glance, researchers might conclude that Virginia tax lists contain very little family history data, though one soon learns that valuable genealogical conclusions can be drawn from these records, nicknamed "annual censuses," such as: relationships, approximate years of birth, socio-economic status, identification of neighbors, the ability to distinguish between persons of the same name, evidence of land inheritance, years of migration, and years of death.

Virginia began enumerating residents' payments of personal property and land taxes in 1782. These two types of taxation were recorded in separate registers. Personal property tax lists include more names than land tax lists, because they caught more of the population. The Family History Library has an excellent microfilm collection of personal property tax lists from 1782 (or the year the county was organized) well into the late nineteenth century for most counties, but only scattered land tax lists. Microfilm collections at The Library of Virginia include land tax lists for all counties and independent cities for the years 1782 through 1978, as well as personal property tax lists for the years 1782 through 1930 (and every fifth year thereafter). Taxes were not collected in 1808.

Some tax records are available online or in print, though published abstracts often omit useful details found only in the original sources. Statewide indexes can help genealogists identify specific counties where surnames occurred in the past, providing starting points for research.


 * Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Tyler County is included in Vol. 6.

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

 * West Virginia Vital Records, 1865-1969 (varies) - Includes birth, death, and marriage.

Marriage

 * 1780-1970 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1801-1962 - West Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $

Death

 * 1804-1999 - at FamilySearch — index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Societies

 * Tyler County Historical Society P O Box317 Middleboume, WV 26149

Websites

 * Tyler County, WV History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Cyndi's List
 * - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records