Harrison County, West Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Harrison 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 Benjamin Harrison V. The County has Clarksburg as its seat and the County was created May 3, 1784. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Harrison County Courthouse 301 W Main Street Clarksburg, WV 26301-2909 Phone: 304-624-8611 Harrison County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1853, and marriage records from 1784.

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. . Includes a section on Clarksburg silversmiths.

Census Records
1785 Enumeration Harrison County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 90.

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


 * 1) Simpson's Creek (1775)
 * 2) Buchannon (1786)
 * 3) Good Hope (1806)
 * 4) Olive Branch (1803)
 * 5) Salem (1801)
 * 6) Union (1802)
 * 7) West Fork

Harrison County fell within the bounds of the Union Association.

LDS LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Clarksburg

Genealogies

 * Criss - Johnston, Aaron Montgomery. Ancestors and Descendants of James and Althea (Loose) Johnston and Allied Families: Bennett, Criss, Gay, Loose, Maitland, Montgomery, Palm and Round. Knoxville, Tenn., 1983..
 * Cunningham - Newman, Betty Cunningham. Adam and 500 More Cunninghams of the Valley of Virginia, c.1734-c.1800. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, Inc., 2000..
 * Deakins - Ganley, Gladys Dickens. "Some Speculations on a Dickens/Washington Connection," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 27, No. 2 (May 1989):75-81. Digital version at Ancestry ($);.
 * Dennison - Dennison, Edmund and Karl C. Priest. Baptized on the 4th of July: The Elder Edmund Dennison Story. South Charleston, W. Va.: K.C. Priest, 1995..
 * Hacker - “A Noted Mason Dead: The Demise of William Hacker at a Ripe Old Age,” [Newspaper obituary] (Shelbyville, Ohio), 29 July 1891, reprinted in Hacker’s Creek Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Fall 1987):31-32 - free digital version at Hacker's Creek website.
 * Mills - Hackett, John Davis and Kathryn Dickerson Shannon. "Mills Families of Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1991):215-228; Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1991):284-296; Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1992):34-48; Vol. 36, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1992):109-119. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * Prunty - Wassenaar, Ardyth. Memoirs and Geneology of the Prunty Family. Seattle, Wash.: A. Wassenaar, 1984?.
 * Shore - Dennis, Barbara. The Shore Family: Michael Shore and His Descendants. 1971; reprint, Spokane, Wash.: M.B. Shore, 1992..
 * Swisher - Swisher, Robert Edward. The Swisher Family of Harrison and Lewis Counties, West Virginia. Richmond, Va.: Whittet and Shepperson, 1974..

Local Histories

 * History of Harrison County, West Virginia at Ancestry ($)

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, Harrison 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." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.

War of 1812
Harrison County men served in the 11th and 119th Regiments.

Civil War
'''Union


 * - 1st Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry

'''Confederate


 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company C.
 * - 20th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Companies E and F.
 * - 31st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Harrison Rifles) presumably was recruited in Harrison County.

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 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
 * Harrison County, West Virginia, will book, 1788-1924

The earliest Harrison County Will Books also include estate inventories and some accountings and settlements of both testate and intestate estates.

There are mistakes in the titles of some of the Will Books listed at the above list of links and in the Family Search Library Catalog's listing of microfilms.

a) The volume entitled Will book, v. 001 1822-1880 is actually Record of Wills 1822-80. It includes disputed or otherwise unrecorded wills and District Court wills. It appears to have been compiled from loose wills, but when it was created is unknown. It is not Will Book 1

b) The volume entitled Will book, v. 002 1788-1794 is actually Will Book 1 (1788-1814) and with it, as microfilmed, Will Book 2 (1814-1818), which begins with image 254 of 497 uploaded images.

Tax Records
How can West Virginia tax list help me?


 * 1784-1800 Harrison County, [West] Virginia Lands: 1784-1800. Extracts in the West Virginia Collection at the West Virginia University Library, Morgantown, West Virginia; also available on microfilm at.
 * 1784-1824 Harrison County, [West] Virginia Tithables Lists, 1784-1824. Original records, Harrison County Courthouse; also available on microfilm at.
 * 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 and 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 and Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle and 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. Online at FamilySearch - free; . The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Harrison County is included in Vol. 1.
 * 1789 Indexed images of the 1789 Personal Property Tax List of Harrison County, Virginia (now West Virginia) is indexed online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1801 Images of the 1801 Personal Property Tax List of Harrison County, Virginia (now West Virginia) are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * 1815 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. Harrison 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

 * 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
 * Clarksburg West Virginia Family History Center

Libraries

 * Central West Virginia Genealogy and Historical Library/Museum 45 Abbott's Run Road Horner, WV 26372-7091 Phone: 304-269-7091 Email: [mailto:hcpd@hackerscreek.com hcpd@hackerscreek.com] Website Operated by the Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants, Inc.

Societies

 * Hackers Creek Pioneers Descendants Inc Central West Virginia Genealogy and Historical Library 45 Abbotts Run Road Horner, WV 26372-0056 Phone: 304-269-7091 Email: [mailto:hcpd@hackerscreek.com hcpd@hackerscreek.com] Website
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Cyndi's List for West Virginia
 * Harrison 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