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Pendleton County, West Virginia Genealogy


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

County Facts
County seat: Franklin
Organized: December 4, 1787
Parent County(s): Augusta (VA), Hardy, Rockingham (VA)[1]
Neighboring Counties
Augusta (VA) • Grant • Hardy • Highland (VA) • Pocahontas • Randolph • Rockingham (VA) • Tucker
See County Maps
Courthouse
Pendleton County Courthouse, West Virginia.JPG
Location Map
Wv-pendleton.png

County Information

Description

Pendleton County was named by white hunters and prospectors. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Pendleton County Courthouse
Main Street
Franklin, WV 26807
Phone: 304-358-2505
Pendleton County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1853, marriage records from 1800, probate and land records from 1780.[3]

Pendleton 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
1853 1800 1853 1789 1789 1789 1870
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1917. General compliance by 1925.

Record Loss

1924 A fire burned the courthouse, but no records were lost.

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 Pendleton 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

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 2,452 —
1800 3,962 61.6%
1810 4,239 7.0%
1820 4,846 14.3%
1830 6,271 29.4%
1840 6,940 10.7%
1850 5,795 −16.5%
1860 6,164 6.4%
1870 6,455 4.7%
1880 8,022 24.3%
1890 8,711 8.6%
1900 9,167 5.2%
1910 9,349 2.0%
1920 9,652 3.2%
1930 9,660 0.1%
1940 10,884 12.7%
1950 9,313 −14.4%
1960 8,093 −13.1%
1970 7,031 −13.1%
1980 7,910 12.5%
1990 8,054 1.8%
2000 8,196 1.8%
2010 7,695 −6.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

Church Records


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

CDs by Marsha L. Fuller, 8 CDs (19th Century Marriage Records 1826-1857, County Court Record Book 1788, Court Record Indexes 1788-1911, Letters and Photographs).

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

  • Butcher - Brown, Nancy Clark. "Are You Related To...Loretta Webb Lynn," The Appalachian Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 4 (Dec. 2007):4-22. FS Library Book 975.5743 D25a v. 12.
  • Coberly - 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 by NEHGS ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 29 (1985).
  • Cunningham - Harter, Mary. "James Cunningham of Western Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1985):9-16; Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1985):109-116. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 29 (1985).
  • Harman - Harman, John Newton. Harman Genealogy (Southern Branch): With Biographical Sketches, 1700-1924. Richmond, Va.: W.C. Hill Print. Co., 1925. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Harper - Rutherford, William Kenneth and Anna Clay Rutherford. Genealogical History of Our Ancestors. Revised Edition. 2 vols. Lexington, Mo., 1977. FS Library Book 929.273 R933ra 1977 v. 1-v. 2.
  • McCoy - Forbes, Amanda C. "Oliver Family Records, Augusta County," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1982):145-148. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Skidmore - Skidmore, Warren. Thomas Skidmore (Scudamore), 1605-1684, of Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, and Fairfield, Connecticut; His Ancestors and His Descendants to the Ninth Generation. 1980. FS Library Book 929.273 Sk32sk; 1985 edition: FS Library Book 929.273 Sk32sk 1985; 1998 edition: FS Library CD-ROM.
  • Van Deventer - Vandevander, Paul J. and Ida Christobelle Van Deventer. The Van Deventer Family, 1550-1977. Parsons, W.Va.: McClain Print. Co., 1978. FS Library Book 929.273 V286v.
  • Van Deventer - Arthaud, John Bradley and Catherine DeEtte Arthaud. The Mary Coberly and William Van Deventer Family of Pendleton and Randolph Counties, West Virginia, An Annotated Index to Paul J. Vandevander's The Van Deventer Family 1550-1977. Columbia, Mo., 1988. FS Library Book 929.273 V286v index.

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 Pendleton 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

Grant CountyHardy CountyRockingham CountyAugusta CountyHighland CountyPocahontas CountyRandolph CountyTucker CountyWV PENDLETON.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. FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Library Book 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Pendleton County on page 135.
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FS Library Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.

War of 1812

Pendleton County men served in the 46th Regiment.[7]

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Pendleton 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 Pendleton County:

- 18th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.[8]
- 25th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Heck's) (Confederate). Company E (Pendleton Rifles), Company F (Franklin Guards), and Company K (South Branch Riflemen).[9]
- 62nd Regiment, Virginia Mounted Infantry (Confederate). Companies C, D, F (Franklin Guards), I (Pendleton Rifles), and K.[10]

Records, histories, and societies exist:

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

How can West Virginia tax lists help me?

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.

  • 1789-1850 Pendleton County Personal property tax lists, 1789-1850. FS Library films 1870195-1870197, item 1.
  • 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. FS Library Books 975 E4w v. 5-v. 6. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Pendleton County is included in Vols. 5 and 6.

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Museums

Societies

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

7th Regiment, West Virginia Infantry
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
PO Box 622
Franklin, WV 26807
Phone: 304-620-5285
Email: trapperwv1@yahoo.com
Website

Brig. Gen. James Boggs Camp #1706
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Phone: 304-358-2746
Email: wv4scv@gmail.com
Facebook

Pendleton County Historical Society and Museum
49 Oak St
PO Box 293
Franklin, WV 26807
Phone: 304-358-7366
Email: pchswv@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

Research Guides

  • "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Pendleton County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1976):119-123. FS Library; digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

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, "Pendleton County, West Virginia" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendleton_County,_West_Virginia#History."
  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), Pendleton 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, "Pendleton County, West Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendleton_County,_West_Virginia, accessed 14 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 167. FS Library Book 975.5 M2bs.
  8. ↑ Roger U. Delauter, 18th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1985). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 18.
  9. ↑ Richard L. Armstrong, 25th Virginia Infantry and 9th Battalion Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1990). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 71.
  10. ↑ Roger U. Delauter, 62nd Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1988). FS Library Book 975.5 M2vr v. 41.



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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
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