West Virginia Archives and Libraries

The following archives, libraries, and societies have collections or services helpful to genealogical researchers:

Archives and History LibraryDivision of Culture and History The Cultural Center Capitol Complex 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East Charleston, WV 25305-0300 Telephone: 304-558-0220 Fax: 304-558-2779

National Archives—Mid-Atlantic Region900 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-4292 Telephone: 215-606-0100 Fax: 215-606-0116

West Virginia Genealogical Society P.O. Box 249 Elkview, WV 25071 Telephone: 304-965-1179

West Virginia Collection West Virginia University Library P.O. Box 6069 Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 Telephone: 304-293-3536 Fax: 304-293-3981

A useful guide to this collection is James W. Hess, Guide to Manuscripts and Archives in the West Virginia Collection (Morgantown, West Virginia: West Virginia University Library, 1974; FHL book 975.4 A5h; 1959 edition by Charles Shetler, is on film 940918 item 4).

Library of Virginia(State Library) 800 East Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219-8000 Telephone: 804-692-3888 Fax: 804-692-3556

The Virginia State Library is an important resource for pre-1863 West Virginia research.

The Allegheny Regional Family History Society Post Office Box 1804 Elkins, West Virginia 26241 Email: [mailto:arhfs@yahoo.com arhfs@yahoo.com]

To learn more about the history and record-keeping systems of West Virginia counties, use the 13 inventories of the county archives published by the Historical Records Survey around 1940. The Family History Library has copies of all of these inventories. These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under WEST VIRGINIA - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES.

The Historical Records Survey also compiled unpublished (manuscript) inventories for the records of most West Virginia counties. These are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under WEST VIRGINIA, [COUNTY] - COURT RECORDS - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS.

An online listing of many West Virginia Archives and societies is at:

http://www.wvculture.org/History/histsocs.html