West Virginia, United States Genealogy

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Welcome to West Virginia, Mountain State


The settlement of present-day West Virginia began in the mid-1700s when Scotch-Irish and German settlers from Pennsylvania came to the area that is now Berkeley and Greenbriar counties. Heavy settlement began in the 1760s after Indian claims had been settled. These pioneers were generally from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other northern states and not from Virginia or other areas east of the mountains.

Featured Content

 * Index of Fatalities in West Virginia Coal Mines 1883-1925
 * Compiled Records for Mid-South Research

Did You Know?

 * For the 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, Va: 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.  Did you know you can find your infamous West Virginia ancestors at West Virginia Blacksheep Ancestors?

Research Tools

 * Find which county a town is in, what town a cemetery is in, even where a postoffice or building is by using the United States Geographical Survey's Geographical Names Information System.
 * David Rumsey Map Collection is a large online collection of rare, old, antique historical atlases, globes, maps, charts plus other cartographic treasures.
 * The West Virginia GenWeb Project has a wealth of information and is a part of the larger USGenWeb Project. The USGenWeb Project provides internet information on every county in every state in the United States.

Things You Can Do
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