About West Virginia Land Records
Much of western Virginia was settled by land speculators who formed
land companies after 1744. Companies were awarded 1,000 acres of land
for each family they moved into the area. A survey was made of each
parcel of land, then the survey was sold to individuals who received
title to the land by patent from the secretary of the colony. After
1779 the Virginia Land Office issued all patents. Edgar Barr Sims,
Index to Land Grants in West Virginia (Charleston: E. B. Sims, 1952),
lists the names of grantees by county. See also Gertrude E. Gray, Virginia
Northern Neck Land Grants, 2 vols. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Co., 1987, 1988), particularly vol. 2 which abstracts grants from 1742
to 1775, encompassing what are now Hampshire and Berkeley counties
in West Virginia.
Original state-land grants, sales, and surveys for West Virginia
are housed at the Office of State Auditor, Capitol Building, West Wing
231, Charleston, WV 25305. Records on file at the Virginia State
Library
are also valuable for the colonial period. When originally patented
land was sold, the transaction was recorded in county deed books.
Usually, deed books are indexed individually, and most West Virginia
counties
have general indexes to grantees and grantors to facilitate research.
Copies of deeds can be obtained from county clerks or clerks of the
circuit court; however, most county records in West Virginia have
been microfilmed and are available at the Archives and History Library
in
Charleston and the FHL. County clerks are not always receptive to
written inquiries, but records are open for research in person.
West Virginia BLM Office:
Eastern States Office
Bureau of Land Management
7450 Boston Blvd.
Springfield, VA 22153
Tel: (703) 440-1600
FAX: (703) 440-1599
West Virginia State Historical
Society:
West Virginia Historical Society
West Virginia Division of Culture and History
The Cultural Center
Capitol Complex, 1900 Kanawha Blvd.,East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300
(304) 348-2277; (304) 348-0230
West Virginia County Courthouses:
Barbour County
Barbour County Clerk
P.O. Box 310, 8 N. Main St.
Philippi, WV 26416-0310
Telephone: (304) 457-2232
Berkeley County
Berkeley County Clerk
100 W. King St.
Martinsburg, WV 25401-3210
Telephone: (304) 267-3000
Boone County
Boone County Clerk
200 State St., Courthouse
Madison, WV 25130
Telephone: (304) 369-3925
Braxton County
Braxton County Clerk
P.O. Box 486
Sutton, WV 26601-0486
Telephone: (304) 765-2833
Brooke County
Brooke County Clerk
632 Main St.
Wellsburg, WV 26070
Telephone: (304) 737-3661
Cabell County
Cabell County Clerk
750 5th Ave., Room 108
Huntington, WV 25701
Telephone: (304) 526-8625
Calhoun County
Calhoun County Clerk
P.O. Box 230
Grantsville, WV 26147
Telephone: (304) 354-6725
Clay County
Clay County Clerk
P.O. Box 190
Clay, WV 25043
Telephone: (304) 587-4259
Doddridge County
Doddridge County Clerk
118 E. Court St., Room 102
West Union, WV 26456
Telephone: (304) 873-2631
Fayette County
Fayette County Clerk
P.O. Box 569, Courthouse
Fayetteville, WV 25840
Telephone: (304) 574-1200
Gilmer County
Gilmer County Clerk
10 Howard St., Courthouse
Glenville, WV 26351
Telephone: (304) 462-7641
Grant County
Grant County Clerk
5 Highland Ave.
Petersburg, WV 26847-1705
Telephone: (304) 257-4422
Greenbrier County
Greenbrier County Clerk
P.O. Box 506
Lewisburg, WV 24901-0506
Telephone: (304) 647-6602
Hampshire County
Hampshire County Clerk
P.O. Box 806
Romney, WV 26757
Telephone: (304) 822-5112
Hancock County
Hancock County Clerk
P.O. Box 367
New Cumberland, WV 26047
Telephone: (304) 564-3311
Hardy County
Hardy County Clerk
P.O. Box 540, 204 Washington St., Room 111
Moorefield, WV 26836-0540
Telephone: (304) 538-2929
Harrison County
Harrison County Clerk
301 W. Main St.
Clarksburg, WV 26301-2909
Telephone: (304) 624-8611
Jackson County
Jackson County Clerk
P.O. Box 800
Ripley, WV 25271
Telephone: (304) 372-2011
Jefferson County
Jefferson County Clerk
P.O. Box 208
Charles Town, WV 25414
Telephone: (304) 725-9761
Kanawha County
Kanawha County Clerk
P.O. Box 3226
Charleston, WV 25332-3226
Telephone: (304) 357-0101
Lewis County
Lewis County Clerk
P.O. Box 87
Weston, WV 26452-0087
Telephone: (304) 269-8215
Lincoln County
Lincoln County Clerk
P.O. Box 497
Hamlin, WV 25523-0497
Telephone: (304) 824-3336
Logan County
Logan County Clerk
Courthouse Square, Room 101
Logan, WV 25601
Telephone: (304) 792-8620
Marion County
Marion County Clerk
P.O. Box 1267, Courthouse
Fairmont, WV 26554
Telephone: (304) 367-5440
Marshall County
Marshall County Clerk
P.O. Box 459
Moundsville, WV 26041-0459
Telephone: (304) 845-1220
Mason County
Mason County Clerk
200 6th St.
Point Pleasant, WV 25550
Telephone: (304) 675-1997
McDowell County
McDowell County Clerk
P.O. Box 967, 90 Wyoming St., Suite 109
Welch, WV 24801-0447
Telephone: (304) 436-8544
Mercer County
Mercer County Clerk
1501 W. Main St.
Princeton, WV 24740-1716
Telephone: (304) 487-8311
Mineral County
Mineral County Clerk
150 Armstrong St.
Keyser, WV 26726-0250
Telephone: (304) 788-3924
Mingo County
Mingo County Clerk
P.O. Box 1197
Williamson, WV 25661-1197
Telephone: (304) 235-0330
Monongalia County
Monongalia County Clerk
243 High St.
Morgantown, WV 26505
Telephone: (304) 291-7230
Monroe County
Monroe County Clerk
P.O. Box 350, Courthouse
Union, WV 24983
Telephone: (304) 772-3096
Morgan County
Morgan County Clerk
202 Fairfax St.
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
Telephone: (304) 258-2774
Nicholas County
Nicholas County Clerk
700 Main St., Courthouse
Summersville, WV 26651
Telephone: (304) 872-3630
Ohio County
Ohio County Clerk
1500 Chapline St.,
Rm. 205 City County Bldg.
Wheeling, WV 26003-3553
Telephone: (304) 234-3656
Pendleton County
Pendleton County Clerk
P.O. Box 1167
Franklin, WV 26807
Telephone: (304) 358-2505
Pleasants County
Pleasants County Clerk
301 Court Ln., Room 101
Saint Marys, WV 26170
Telephone: (304) 684-7542
Pocahontas County
Pocahontas County Clerk
900C 10th Ave.
Marlinton, WV 24954-1333
Telephone: (304) 799-4549
Preston County
Preston County Clerk
101 W. Main St., Room 201
Kingwood, WV 26537-1121
Telephone: (304) 329-0070
Putnam County
Putnam County Clerk
3389 Winfield Rd.
Winfield, WV 25213
Telephone: (304) 586-0202
Raleigh County
Raleigh County Clerk
Courthouse, 215 Main St.
Beckley, WV 25801
Telephone: (304) 255-9123
Randolph County
Randolph County Clerk
P.O. Box 368
Elkins, WV 26241
Telephone: (304) 636-0543
Ritchie County
Ritchie County Clerk
115 E. Main St., Room 201
Harrisville, WV 26362
Telephone: (304) 643-2164
Roane County
Roane County Clerk
P.O. Box 69
Spencer, WV 25276
Telephone: (304) 927-2860
Summers County
Summers County Clerk
P.O. Box 97
Hinton, WV 25951-0097
Telephone: (304) 466-7104
Taylor County
Taylor County Clerk
214 W. Main St.
Grafton, WV 26354
Telephone: (304) 265-1401
Tucker County
Tucker County Clerk
215 1st St.
Parsons, WV 26287
Telephone: (304) 478-2414
Tyler County
Tyler County Clerk
P.O. Box 66
Middlebourne, WV 26149-0066
Telephone: (304) 758-2102
Upshur County
Upshur County Clerk
40 W. Main St., Room 101
Buckhannon, WV 26201
Telephone: (304) 472-1068
Wayne County
Wayne County Clerk
P.O. Box 248
Wayne, WV 25570
Telephone: (304) 272-6365
Webster County
Webster County Clerk
2 Court Square, Room G1
Webster Springs, WV 26288
Telephone: (304) 847-2508
Wetzel County
Wetzel County Clerk
P.O. Box 156
New Martinsville, WV 26155-0156
Telephone: (304) 455-8224
Wirt County
Wirt County Clerk
P.O. Box 53
Elizabeth, WV 26143-0053
Telephone: (304) 275-4271
Wood County
Wood County Clerk
P.O. Box 1474
Parkersburg, WV 26102
Telephone: (304) 424-1850
Wyoming County
Wyoming County Clerk
P.O. Box 309
Pineville, WV 24874-0309
Telephone: (304) 732-8000
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