Calhoun County, West Virginia Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Grantsville
Organized: March 5, 1856
Parent County(s): Gilmer[1]
Neighboring Counties
Braxton  • Clay  • Gilmer  • Ritchie  • Roane  • Wirt
See County Maps
Courthouse
Calhoun County Courthouse WV.jpg
Location Map
Wv-calhoun.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for John C. Calhoun. The County is located in the central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Calhoun County Courthouse
Main Street
P O Box 230
Grantsville, WV 26147
Phone: 304-354-6725
Calhoun County Website

County Clerk has birth, marriage, death from 1856; land records from 1856.[3]

Calhoun County, West Virginia Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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 Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 1856 1870
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1917. General compliance by 1925.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

1868-77 Birth records are missing for 1868-77.

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1856--Calhoun County was created 5 March 1856 from Gilmer County.
  • County seat: Grantsville[5]

For animated maps illustrating West Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation West Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Calhoun 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[edit | edit source]

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

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1860 2,502 —
1870 2,939 17.5%
1880 6,072 106.6%
1890 8,155 34.3%
1900 10,266 25.9%
1910 11,258 9.7%
1920 10,268 −8.8%
1930 10,866 5.8%
1940 12,455 14.6%
1950 10,259 −17.6%
1960 7,948 −22.5%
1970 7,046 −11.3%
1980 8,250 17.1%
1990 7,885 −4.4%
2000 7,582 −3.8%
2010 7,627 0.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Calhoun 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[edit | edit source]

Ritchie CountyGilmer CountyBraxton CountyClay CountyRoane CountyWirt CountyWV CALHOUN.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Regiments. Service men in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County:

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry and Infantry) (Confederate). Company A (Moccasin Rangers), Company D.
- 14th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company E.[8]
- 19th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company A (The Moccasin Rangers).[9]

Records and histories are available, including:

World War II[edit | edit source]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

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.

The search for tax information can start here

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History 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 family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Virginia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Calhoun County, West Virginia" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calhoun_County,_West_Virginia."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), West Virginia.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Calhoun County, West Virginia. Page 743-746 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL 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); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Calhoun County, West Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calhoun_County,_West_Virginia, accessed 30 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Alycon Trubey Pierce, "In Praise of Errors Made by Census Enumerators," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 1 (March 1993):51-55. FHL Book 973 B2ng
  8. ↑ Robert J. Driver, 14th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1988). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 47.
  9. ↑ Richard L. Armstrong, 19th and 20th Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1994). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 101.
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Links to West Virginia-related articles   (see also Virginia-related articles)
Topics
Counties
Barbour · Berkeley · Boone · Braxton · Brooke · Cabell · Calhoun · Clay · Doddridge · Fayette · Gilmer · Grant · Greenbrier · Hampshire · Hancock · Hardy · Harrison · Jackson · Jefferson · Kanawha · Lewis · Lincoln · Logan · Marion · Marshall · Mason · McDowell · Mercer · Mineral · Mingo · Monongalia · Monroe · Morgan · Nicholas · Ohio · Pendleton · Pleasants · Pocahontas · Preston · Putnam · Raleigh · Randolph · Ritchie · Roane · Summers · Taylor · Tucker · Tyler · Upshur · Wayne · Webster · Wetzel · Wirt · Wood · Wyoming
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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