Monroe County, West Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Monroe 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 the James Monroe. The County has Union as its seat and the County was created January 14, 1799. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse Main Street Union, WV 24983 Phone: 304-772-3096 Monroe County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1853, marriage and land records from 1799, and probate 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:

Census Records

 * 1830 Census Federal Census Index

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


 * Indian Creek (1792). A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia. By Robert Baylor Semple and George William Beale. 1810; reprint, Richmond, Va.: Pitt and Dickinson, 1894. Page 432-433. Available online at Google Books.

Monroe County fell within the bounds of the Greenbrier Association.

Genealogies
DNA DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Kanawha County, (West) Virginia residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * Fletcher - Descendant of William Fletcher, b. England, resident of Kanawha and Monroe Counties, Virginia. Y-DNA 12 Marker Test, FTDNA. Genetic signature available (labelled William Fletcher of Accomac County, Virginia/James Fletcher of Brunswick County, Virginia), courtesy: The Fletcher DNA Project.

This bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General


 * Blankenship, Gayle King. Virginia Families of Louisa, Hanover and Monroe Counties. Poquoson, Va.: G.K. Blankenship, 1991.


 * Bean - Beane, Fannie B. William Bean of Monroe County and His Descendants. St. Albans, W.Va., 1988.
 * Long - Beane, Fannie B. William Bean of Monroe County and His Descendants. St. Albans, W.Va., 1988.
 * Long - Buchanan, Paul C. "Long Families in Monroe Co. (Then) Virginia," Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 8. Pages 146-153.
 * Long - Buchanan, Paul C. and Susie M. Owens. "Henry Long and Some Descendants of Colonial Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1994):115-126; Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1994):190-200; Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1994):263-273; Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):27-31. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * Mann - Malott, Eva, Ada McPhilliamy, and Dick Pence. Digging Our Roots: The Pence Kids. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1977..
 * Riggins - Burgess, James A. Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown and Allied Families. Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Printing Company, 1978. ; digital version at Family History Archives - free.
 * Tiffany - McIlhany, H.M. Some Virginia Families. Staunton, Va.: Stoneburner &amp; Prufer, 1903, pp. 239-242. 1962 reprint: ; digital version at Ancestry ($).

Land and Property Records

 * Hudgins. 335 patents dated 1774-1858 in what is now Monroe County, West Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]

Local Histories

 * A History of Monroe County. By Oren F. Morton. Ruebush-Elkins Co., Dayton, VA, 1916. Available online at: Google Books.
 * Monroe County, West Virginia
 * A history of Monroe County, West Virginia at Ancestry ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

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

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, Monroe 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.

War of 1812

 * Monroe County men served in the 75th Regiment.
 * Turk, David Scott,  The memorialists an antebellum history of Alleghany, Craig and Monroe counties of West Virginia, 1812-60 (Bowie, Maryland, Heritage Books, c1997) page 168

Civil War

 * - 8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company G (Mountain Rangers).
 * - 22nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (1st Kanawha Regiment). Company G (Rocky Point Grays).
 * - 26th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Edgar's) (Confederate). Company A (Red Sulphur Yankee Hunters) and Company B.
 * - 27th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate) . Company D (Monroe Guards).
 * - 30th Battalion, Virginia Sharpshooters (Clarke's) (Confederate). Company C.
 * - 59th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B1 (Beirne's Sharpshooters).

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)

World War II

 * Monroe County, West Virginia World War II Casualities Army and Air Force

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1814-1991  at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Monroe County watchman Vol. 13 no. 2 (8 February 1884)-vol. 25 no. 6 (11 March 1897)
 * The Monroe watchman Vol. 25 no. 7 (18 March 1897)-vol. 43 no. 48 (31 December 1914)

Probate Records
Online Probate Records

Monroe County, West Virginia
 * 1724-1978 West Virginia Wills and Probate Records 1724-1978 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1756-1971 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1799-1969 Will Books 1799-1969
 * West Virginia

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. Monroe County is included in Vol. 5.
 * 1799 Monro County (West Virginia) Personal Proper Tax List

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 $
 * Monroe County, West Virginia Marriage Record Indexes

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Libraries

 * Monroe County Public Library

Societies

 * Monroe County Historical Society P O Box 465 Union, WV 24983

Websites

 * Monroe 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
 * Monroe County, West Virginia Microfilms at the Library of Virginia
 * Monroe County, West Virginia Government
 * Monroe County, West Virginia Archives and History
 * Links to Greenbrier County and Monroe County, West Virginia
 * Monroe County, West Virginia Families
 * National Register of Historic Places - Monroe County, West Virginia
 * Early Virginia WVA Genealogy
 * Links to Greenbrier County and Monroe County West Virginia
 * Bridgehunter.com
 * Caperton Society - Monroe County
 * - 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

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Monroe County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):295-298. Available at ; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).