West Virginia Census

Portal:United States Census >West Virginia

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.

1870–1930:  The 1890 census was destroyed except for the 1890 Union veterans schedule (FHL films 338268-69).

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

For the missing portions of the 1810 census use:

•  Netti Schreiner-Yantis, 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; FHL 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.

Special Censuses

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.

 

 

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. (FHL 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. (FHL 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

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

Bibliographic Citations

West Virginia Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2001.

 

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)