West Virginia Census

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Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing West Virginia censuses, click here.

Availability
Many federal census records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The following are available:

1810 (partial)–1860: West Virginia was part of Virginia.

1870 United States Census---A free internet index and images can be viewed on FamilySearch Record Pilot site. This index includes the full name, age, sex, race, birthplace, occupation, month if born in census year, month if married in census year, birth place of father and mother, if born in a foreign country.

1880 United States Census– A Free Internet Index and Images to the US Census can be viewed on the Family Search Record Pilot – Pilot Site. This index includes an every name index to population schedules listing inhabitants. It includes the full name, race, sex, age, birth month (if born during the previous year), relationship to head of household, whether married, single or divorced, whether married during the previous year, country or state of birth of each person and his parent’s, occupation and street address and house number.

1890 census was destroyed except for the 1890 Union veterans schedule. (Family History Library films 338268-69.)

1900 Federal Census - A free Internet index and images to the 1900 United States Census can be viewed on the FamilySearch Record Search – Pilot Site. Important additions to this census are month and year of birth of each household member, number of years married for each married person, number of children born to each mother and the number of those still living, year of immigration, and number of years in the United States.

Substitutes for missing censuses:

Most published substitutes are based on state censuses and tax lists. Each covers different counties. Most of present-day West Virginia is included in the second item, but both must be used for a complete search of West Virginia.


 * Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940. Reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1966. (Family History Library film 874197 item 4.) This includes areas of Augusta, Berkley, Hardy, and Montgomery counties in Virginia that later became part of West Virginia.
 * Heads of Families . . . Records of the State Enumerations: 1782 to 1785, Virginia. 1908. Reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company, 1952. (Family History Library book 975.5 X2us 1790; film 874193 item 4.)

For missing portions of the 1810 census use:


 * Schreiner-Yantis, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for Which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Virginia: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. (Family History Library book 975.5 R4s.) This includes information from Cabell, Greenbrier, Hardy, and Tazewell counties (and 15 Virginia counties) that are missing from the 1810 census.

Indexes
Online Indexes

Censuses are digitized, indexed and online at these subscription websites:

www.ancestry.com ($$) http://www.heritagequest.com/ http://www.censusfinder.com/ http://www.census-online.com/links/WV/

Book Indexes

1810–1870: Available at the Family History Library.

County-wide indexes are also available in published format for various years.

Soundex Indexes

1880–1930: Available at the Family History Library.

Mortality Schedules
The Family History Library has mortality schedules on microfilm for 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. They are also at the Archives and History Library. The schedules for 1860 and 1870 are indexed.

Mortality Schedules 1850-1880

State Censuses
The only state census that includes West Virginia was taken by Virginia, 1782–1785:


 * Heads of Families . . . Records of the State Enumerations: 1782 to 1785, Virginia. 1908. Reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book Company, 1952. (Family History Library book 975.5 X2us 1790; film 874193 item 4.)

This is supplemented by a tax list index:


 * Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940. Reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1966. (Family History Library book 975.5 R4f 1966; film 874197 item 4.) This includes areas of Augusta, Berkley, Hardy, and Montgomery counties in Virginia that later became part of West Virginia

Colonial Censuses
West Virginia was part of the Commonwealth of Virginia until the end of the Civil War.

Web Sites
Ancestry: http://www.ancestry.com

Heritage Quest Online: http://www.heritagequestonline.com

Census Online: http://www.census-online.com/links/WV/

Genealogy Today: http://dir.genealogytoday.com/usa/wv/census.html

Access Genealogy: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/census/westvirginia.htm

Mortality Schedules: http://mortalityschedules.com/