Morgan County, West Virginia Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
"" County Clerk has birth marriage, death from 1865 Land and some marriage and probate records from 1820 Circuit Court Clerk has divorce and County Court

Parent County
1820--Morgan County was created 9 February 1820 from Hampshire and Berkeley Counties. County seat: Berkeley Springs

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
1844 Morgan County lost records in a courthouse fire in 1844, and again during the Civil War.

Neighboring Counties

 * Allegany County, Maryland
 * Berkeley
 * Frederick County, Virginia
 * Hampshire
 * Washington County, Maryland

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.

Cemeteries

 * Graveyard history of Morgan county (Va.) W.Va. FamilySearch
 * Random Acts WV Cemetery Records Research Guide

Court

 * Account book, 1861-1901 this is an account book for the poor.

General
Compiled genealogies that treat multiple Morgan County families include:


 * 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."


 * 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. n.p.: n.p., c1909. Available at ; ; digital version at and Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]

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. n.p.: n.p., c1909. Available at ; ; digital version at ;Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). [3 copies at FHL.]
 * Morgan County, West Virginia and its people

Maps



 * 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, Morgan County on page 135.
 * 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.

Civil War

 * - 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company A (The Wildcat Company).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * West Virginia,
 * 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)

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Morgan County


 * January 5-6, 1862 = Hancock Map showing battle in Maryland

Map showing Civil War Battles in West Virginia

Naturalization

 * 1814 - 1991 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Morgan County, West Virginia obituaries v. [1]. Obituaries 1936-1953 (also 1907-1909) -- v. [2]. Obituaries 1954-1967 -- v. [3]. Obituaries 1968-1979.

Probate
Online Probate Records

Morgan County, West Virginia Will Books 1820-1870
 * 1724 - 1978 West Virginia Wills and Probate Records 1724-1978 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1756 - 1971 at [https:/familysearch.org/ FamilySearch] — index and images


 * West Virginia

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 1820-1969 - free.
 * Morgan County, West Virginia births, 1866-1893 : copied from Berkeley Springs Court House records
 * Morgan County, West Virginia marriages, deaths, wills and inventories (1817-1900) : copied from Berkeley Springs Court House records
 * Morgan County, (West) Virginia marriage records, 1820-1865

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

Morgan County Historical and Genealogical Society P O Box 52 Berkeley Springs, WV 25411

 

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * Morgan 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

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