West Virginia Introduction

This set of Wiki pages describes major sources of information about families from West Virginia. As you read this guide, study the United States Wiki pages which will help you understand terminology and the contents and uses of genealogical records. Also use the Virginia Wiki pages to learn about many pre-1863 Virginia records that apply to West Virginia families.

Records of the Family History Library
The Family History Library has most of the records listed in this outline. The major holdings include 12,000 microfilms of vital records, court records, newspapers, deeds, surveys, and wills. The library has excellent records for most counties for the 1800s and many vital records to about 1970. There are few records for Lincoln County (whose records were destroyed by fire) and Mingo County (which was created in 1895 from Logan county).

Some of the sources described in this guide list the Family History Library's book, microfilm, and microfiche numbers. These are preceded byFHL, the abbreviation for Family History Library. These numbers may be used to locate materials in the Family History Library and to order microfilm and microfiche at Family History Centers.

Family History Library Catalog
The library's records are listed in the Family History Library Catalog found at the Family History Library and at each local Family History Center. To find a record, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog for:

The place where your ancestor lived, such as: :UNITED STATES - CENSUS :WEST VIRGINIA - GENEALOGY :WEST VIRGINIA, KANAWHA - VITAL RECORDS :WEST VIRGINIA, KANAWHA, CHARLESTON - NEWSPAPERS The record type you want to search, such as: UNITED STATES - CENSUS WEST VIRGINIA - GENEALOGY WEST VIRGINIA, KANAWA - VITAL RECORDS WEST VIRGINIA, KANAWA, CHARLESTON - NEWSPAPERS The section headings in this outline match the names of record types used in the [[Introduction Family History Library Catalog.