FamilySearch Wiki

Morgan County, West Virginia Genealogy

(Redirected from Morgan County, West Virginia)


Guide to Morgan County, West Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Berkeley Springs
Organized: February 9, 1820
Parent County(s): Hampshire, Berkeley[1]
Neighboring Counties
Allegany (MD) • Berkeley • Frederick (VA) • Hampshire • Washington (MD)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Morgan County Courthouse Complex WV.JPG
Location Map
Wv-morgan.png

County Information

Description

Morgan County was named for the Daniel Morgan. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Morgan County Courthouse
202 Fairfax Street, Suite 100
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
Phone: 304-258-8547
Morgan County Website

County Clerk has birth marriage, death from 1865; land and some marriage and probate records from 1820.
Circuit Court Clerk has divorce and county court records.[3]

Morgan County, West Virginia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1865 1820 1865 1820 1820 1820 1870
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1917. General compliance by 1925.

Record Loss

1844 Morgan County lost records in a courthouse fire in 1844, and again during the Civil War.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Morgan County, West Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See West Virginia Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

For tips on accessing Morgan census records online, see: West Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 2,500 —
1830 2,694 7.8%
1840 4,253 57.9%
1850 3,557 −16.4%
1860 3,732 4.9%
1870 4,315 15.6%
1880 5,777 33.9%
1890 6,744 16.7%
1900 7,294 8.2%
1910 7,848 7.6%
1920 8,357 6.5%
1930 8,406 0.6%
1940 8,743 4.0%
1950 8,276 −5.3%
1960 8,376 1.2%
1970 8,547 2.0%
1980 10,711 25.3%
1990 12,128 13.2%
2000 14,943 23.2%
2010 17,541 17.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Compiled genealogies that treat multiple Morgan County families include:

  • O'Dell, Cecil. Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia. Marceline, Mo.: Walsworth Pub. Co., 1995. FS Catalog Collection. One of the most impressively researched one-place studies in the United States. In a review, Dorman stated "Comprehensive studies such as this appear only rarely. This volume should be in every Virginia genealogical collection."[7]
  • Cartmell, T. K. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (Illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908, Compiled Mainly from Original Records of Old Frederick County, Now Hampshire, Berkeley, Shenandoah, Jefferson, Hardy, Clarke, Warren, Morgan and Frederick. n.p.: n.p., c1909. Available at FS Library US/CAN Book 975.59 H2c 1963; FS Library US/CAN Film 1000634 Item 1; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library and Ancestry ($).

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See West Virginia Land and Property for additional information about early West Virginia land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Morgan County, West Virginia Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section West Virginia Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Berkeley CountyFrederick CountyHampshire CountyAllegany CountyWashington CountyWV MORGAN.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Revolutionary War

  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Morgan County on page 135.
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FS Catalog Collection 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Morgan served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Morgan County:

- 11th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry. Company A (The Wildcat Company).[8]

Records and histories are available, including:

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Morgan County.[9]

  • January 5-6, 1862 - Hancock.

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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.

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Morgan County. For state-wide archival repositories, see West Virginia Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Morgan County. For state-wide library facilities, see West Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Morgan County Public Library
105 Congress St
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
Phone: 304-258-3350
Email: morgancountypl@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Morgan County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see West Virginia Societies.

Morgan County Historical and Genealogical Society
Morgan County Public Library, Morgan Room
105 Congress St
PO Box 52
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
Facebook

Websites

Research Guides

  • Good, Rebecca H. and Rebecca A. Ebert. Finding Your People in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1998. 4th ed. FS Library Book 975 D27e 1998

References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Virginia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Morgan County, West Virginia" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_County,_West_Virginia"
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Virginia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Morgan County, West Virginia. Page 743-746 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 742-743.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Virginia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Morgan County, West Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_County,_West_Virginia, accessed 11 July 2018.
  7. ↑ John Frederick Dorman, "Review of Pioneers of Old Frederick County, Virginia," in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1995):236.
  8. ↑ Richard L. Armstrong, 11th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1989). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 52.
  9. ↑ National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.
v • d• e
Links to West Virginia-related articles (see also Virginia-related articles)
Topics
Counties
Major
Repositories
Boyd County Public Library (Ashland, KY) · Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library · Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh, PA) · Library of Congress (Washington, DC) · Library of Virginia (Richmond, VA) · Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library · Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library (Lancaster, VA) · Maryland State Archives (Annapolis, MD) · National Archives I (Washington, DC) · National Archives II (College Park, MD) · National Archives at Philadelphia (PA) · New York Public Library (New York City, NY) · Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library · Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston · Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown (Santa Cruz, CA) · University of Chicago Library (Chicago, IL) · Virginia Historical Society (Richmond, VA) · Washington National Records Center (Suitland, MD) · West Virginia Archives and History · West Virginia University Wise Library · West Virginia Vital Registration Office
Migration
Routes
Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Morgan_County,_West_Virginia_Genealogy&oldid=6334201"