Lewis County, West Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Lewis 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 &amp; death records from 1853 Marriage Probate and Land Records from 1816 Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records

Lewis County, WV This is Stonewall Country

Parent County
1816--Lewis County was created 18 December 1816 from Harrison County. County seat: Weston

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
1886 Fire in 1886 destroyed courthouse, but records were saved.

Neighboring Counties

 * Braxton
 * Doddridge
 * Gilmer
 * Harrison
 * Upshur
 * Webster

Cemeteries

 * Random Acts WV Cemetery Records Research Guide

Census

 * Lewis County Census, 1850 at Ancestry.com ($)

Join us inindexing the 1940 Census

Genealogy

 * Cunningham - Harter, Mary. "James Cunningham of Western Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1985):9-16; Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1985):109-116. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * 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.
 * Swisher - Swisher, Robert Edward. The Swisher Family of Harrison and Lewis Counties, West Virginia. Richmond, Va.: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1974..

Land
Lewis County, West Virginia Deeds

Maps



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

Lewis 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, Lewis 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

 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company I.
 * - 18th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company I.
 * - 26th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company B.
 * - 31st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company I (Lewis County Rangers).
 * - 36th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company D.

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

 * 1814 - 1991 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
The Weston Democrat

Probate
Online Probate Records

Lewis County, West Virginia Will Books 1820-1963
 * 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 Will Books

Lewis County USGENWEB Wills

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 1817-1969 - free.
 * Lewis County birth records : births recorded in the Lewis County Courthouse, Weston, West Virginia v. 1. 1853-1868 -- v. 2. 1869-1877 -- v. 3. 1878-1892 -- v. 4. 1893-1903 -- 1904-1916.
 * Lewis County, W. Va., death records : deaths recorded in Lewis County Courthouse, Weston, West Virginia v. 1. 1853-1886 -- v. 2. 1887-1905 -- v. 3. 1906-1929 -- v. 4. 1930-1940.

Lewis County Courthouse death records

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


 * Lewis County Genealogical-Historical Society
 * Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants, Inc.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Lewis County, WV History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Lewis County, WVGenWeb
 * Cyndi's List for West Virginia
 * Lewis County, West Virginia various records on Microfilm at the Library of Virginia
 * Lewis County, West Virginia families
 * Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants, Inc
 * Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants, Inc

Learning How to Edit our Wiki Sites