Brooke County, West Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Brooke 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 Robert Brooke. The County has Wellsburg as its seat and the County was created November 30, 1797. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Brooke County Courthouse 632 Main Street Wellsburg, WV 26070 Phone: 304-737-3661 Brooke County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1853; marriage, probate and land records from 1797; military records from 1797. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court 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:

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Occupations
 * Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at . Includes a section on Wellsburg silversmiths.

Church Records
Baptist Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * Cross Creek (1802)

Brooke County fell within the bounds of the Red Stone Association.

Church of England
 * St. John's Parish
 * St. Paul's Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Brooke County is available online.

Genealogies

 * Cheeks - Cheeks, Donald W. A Cheeks Family of the Upper Ohio Valley. 1994.
 * Craft - Craft, Kenneth Fischer. "The Craft Family in America," The Southwest Virginian, Vol. 4, No. 20 (Apr. 1981):43-45; Vol. 4, No. 21 (June 1981):36-39..
 * Dornbläser - Greene, David L. "John Dornbläser of Brooke County, (West) Virginia: Recovering an Identity and Uncovering a Scandal," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 78, No. 1 (Jan. 1990):5-14. Digital version at National Genealogical Society website ($);.
 * Mendel - Barclay, Rachel E. "Valentine Mendel of Pennsylvania and West Virginia," The American Genealogist, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Jul. 1969):158-161.

Local Histories

 * Brooke County, West Virginia History to 1882 at Ancestry ($)
 * Cranmer, Gibson Lamb. History of the upper Ohio Valley: with family history and biographical sketches ; a statement of its resources, industrial growth and commercial advantages. Madison, Wisconsin: Brant &amp; Fuller, c1890.  Digital Version available at,.

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, Brooke County on page 133.

War of 1812
Brooke County men served in the 103rd Regiment.

Civil War
Union


 * - 1st Regiment, West Virginia Infantry. Companies D, F, and G.


 * West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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)

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
 * Brooke County, West Virginia Will Books 1797-1898
 * West Virginia Will Books

School Records

 * Bethany College yearbooks, 1907-2007 - available online at the Internet Archive; not entirely all inclusive, but many volumes available.

Tax Records
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * 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. Brooke 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 $

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Societies

 * Brooke County Genealogical Society Inc P O Box 144 Beech Bottom, WV 26030

Websites

 * Brooke County, WV History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Brooke County, WVGenWeb - free genealogical resources; part of the USGenWeb Project
 * Cyndi's List for West Virginia
 * Brooke County, West Virginia Microfilms at the Library of Virginia
 * - 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