McDowell County, West Virginia Genealogy

United States West Virginia  McDowell County

Guide to McDowell 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 records from 1872
 * Marriage records from 1861
 * Death records 1894
 * Probate and land records 1897
 * Circuit Court Clerk has divorce records

History
Early History of McDowell County, West Virginia

McDowell County, West Virginia

Welcome to McDowell County, West Virginia

Parent County
1858--McDowell County was created 20 February 1858 from Tazewell County (Virginia). County seat: Welch

County seat first Perryville; changed to Welch in 1892.

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
Towns in McDowell County, West Virginia

McDowell County place names

Neighboring Counties

 * Buchanan County, Virginia
 * Mercer
 * Mingo
 * Tazewell County, Virginia
 * Wyoming

Cemeteries

 * McDowell County, West Virginia Cemeteries
 * Random Acts WV Cemetery Records Research Guide
 * McDowell County Obituaries

Census
McDowell Census

Genealogy

 * Harman - Harman, John Newton. Harman Genealogy (Southern Branch): With Biographical Sketches, 1700-1924. Richmond, Va.: W.C. Hill Print. Co., 1925. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Land
Names Early Connected with the Land in McDowell County

Local Histories
West Virginia Archives

Evans, Norma Pontiff. First Families of McDowell County, West Virginia. s.l. Author, 1981. 929.1 M138. Friedl, Joseph. A History of Education in McDowell County, West Virginia, 1858-1976. Parsons, West Virginia, McClain Printing Company, 1975. 370.9754 F911h. Goodykoontz, Wells. Address Delivered by Wells Goodykoontz, Tuesday, June 14, 1927, at the Unveiling of Tablet of Black Wolf, McDowell County, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., 1927. 929.2 H287 Pam. Grisby, Louise Carter. Come Back With Me to Gary, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., n.d. 975.449 G857. Lad, Virginia. Sodom and Gomorrah of Today; or the History of Keystone, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., 1912. 975.449 L153. McDowell County Centennial, 1858-1958. s.l., n.p., 1958. 975.449 M138c. McDowell County, West Virginia, The Nations Coal Bin. s.l., n.p., n.d. 917.5449 M138. Solins, Mrs. Samuel and Jones, Mrs. Paul. McDowell County History; A Pictorial History of McDowell County, West Virginia. Fort Worth, Texas, University Supply and Equipment Company, 1959. 975.449 M138. Sowers, Auburn Daniel. Facts About McDowell County, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., 1912. 975.449 S731 Pam. ''Welch West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Welch, McDowell County, West Virginia''. s.l., n.p., n.d. 917.5449 W439 Pam.

Maps



 * Maps of West Virginia (1617-1995)
 * McDowell County, West Virginia Map
 * McDowell County West Virginia 1895
 * TrailsRus McDowell County, West Virginia

Military

 * West Virginia, Civil War
 * 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

 * 1814 - 1991 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Naturalization records, 1908-1951 Circuit Court McDowell County, West Virginia: available on line.

Newspapers
Beckley Register Herald

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Welch Daily News Box 569 Welch, WV 24801 304.436.3144 McDowell Public Library

Probate
Online Probate Records

McDowell County, West Virignia Will Books 1893-1968
 * 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 1865-1969 - free.
 * McDowell Co., West Virginia births, 1887-1899; marriages, 1861-1899.
 * McDowell County, West Virginia, births, marriages and wills (1860-1900) : copied from Welch court house records

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

McDowell County Historical Society HC 61 Box 37-B Paynesville, WV 24873 President: Dr. Tom Hatcher Secretary/Treasurer: Geneva Steele

Family History Centers
The closest family history centers are the Huntington Family History Center and Charleston Family History Center


 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Craft Memorial Library, Bluefield, WV

Web Sites

 * McDowell County, WV History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * CYNDI'S List West Virginia
 * McDowell County Articles
 * McDowell West Virginia Families
 * McDowell County, West Virginia Photo Album
 * Flat Top Field, McDowell County, West Virginia
 * McDowell County Biographies
 * McDowell County Biographies

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