Mason County, West Virginia Genealogy
Guide to Mason County, West Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for George Mason. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Mason County Courthouse
200 6th Street
Point Pleasant, WV 25550
Phone: 304-675-1997
Mason County Website
County Clerk has birth and death records from 1853; marriage and land records from 1804; military records from 1918.
Circuit Court Clerk has divorce and court records.[3]
Mason 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1853 | 1804 | 1853 | 1805 | 1804 | 1804 | 1870 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
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]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing Mason census records online, see: West Virginia Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1810 | 1,991 | — |
| 1820 | 4,868 | 144.5% |
| 1830 | 6,534 | 34.2% |
| 1840 | 6,777 | 3.7% |
| 1850 | 7,539 | 11.2% |
| 1860 | 9,173 | 21.7% |
| 1870 | 15,978 | 74.2% |
| 1880 | 22,293 | 39.5% |
| 1890 | 22,863 | 2.6% |
| 1900 | 24,142 | 5.6% |
| 1910 | 23,019 | −4.7% |
| 1920 | 21,459 | −6.8% |
| 1930 | 20,788 | −3.1% |
| 1940 | 22,270 | 7.1% |
| 1950 | 23,537 | 5.7% |
| 1960 | 24,459 | 3.9% |
| 1970 | 24,306 | −0.6% |
| 1980 | 27,045 | 11.3% |
| 1990 | 25,178 | −6.9% |
| 2000 | 25,957 | 3.1% |
| 2010 | 27,324 | 5.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African Americans[edit | edit source]
- Heinegg, Paul. "Mason County Personal Property Tax List, 1805-1846," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
This bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:
- Locate publications about direct ancestors
- Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
- Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]
- Chapman - Machir, Violette S. Some Chapman, Jolly, Rayburn and Smith Families in W.Va. & Ohio. Middleport, Ohio: Quality Print Shop, 1966. FHL Fiche 6017211.
- Clemens - Bell, Raymond Martin. The Ancestry of Samuel Clemens, Grandfather of Mark Twain. Washington, Pa.: R.M. Bell, 1980. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library ; FHL Book 929.273 C591brm.
- Henderson - Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Heraldica: Being a Registry of Virginia Gentry Entitled to Coat Armor, With Genealogical Notes of the Families. New York: The Genealogical Association, 1908. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
- Hornish - Hornish family records some of the descendants of Martin B. Hornish and Helena Rupert of Point Pleasant, now West Virginia (ca. 1824), Centreville, Wayne County, Indiana (ca. 1829 to 1856), and Tazewell and Peoria Counties, Illinois (1856- )
- Jolly - Machir, Violette S. Some Chapman, Jolly, Rayburn and Smith Families in W.Va. & Ohio. Middleport, Ohio: Quality Print Shop, 1966. FHL Fiche 6017211.
- Lane - Quackenbush, Nancy. "Some Northern Neck Lanes," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Nov. 1986):3-22. Digital version at Ancestry ($); FHL Book 975.5 B2vs.
- Somerville - A brief biographical sketch of the Somerville family for seven generations written from the reunion at Point Pleasant, West Virginia, July 4, 1904 digital view.
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 Mason 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. West Virginia Archives
- Evans, Norma Pontiff. First Families of McDowell County, West Virginia. s.l. Author, 1981; 929.1 M138.
- Friedl, Joseph. A History of Education in McDowell County, West Virginia, 1858-1976.
- Parsons, West Virginia, McClain Printing Company, 1975; 370.9754 F911h.
- Goodykoontz, Wells. Address Delivered by Wells Goodykoontz, Tuesday, June 14, 1927, at the Unveiling of Tablet of Black Wolf, McDowell County, West Virginia . s.l., n.p., 1927. 929.2 H287 Pam.
- Grisby, Louise Carter. Come Back With Me to Gary, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., n.d. 975.449 G857.
- Lad, Virginia. Sodom and Gomorrah of Today; or the History of Keystone, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., 1912; 975.449 L153.
- McDowell County Centennial, 1858-1958. s.l., n.p., 1958. 975.449 M138c.
- McDowell County, West Virginia, The Nations Coal Bin. s.l., n.p., n.d. 917.5449 M138.
- Solins, Mrs. Samuel and Jones, Mrs. Paul. McDowell County History; A Pictorial History of McDowell County, West Virginia. Fort Worth, Texas, University Supply and Equipment Company, 1959. 975.449 M138.
- Sowers, Auburn Daniel. Facts About McDowell County, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., 1912. 975.449 S731 Pam.
- Welch West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Welch, McDowell County, West Virginia. s.l., n.p., n.d.; 917.5449 W439 Pam.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Western District, Mason 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." FHL Collection 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.
- West Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865
War of 1812[edit | edit source]
Mason County men served in the 106th Virginia Regiment.[7]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Mason 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 Mason County:
Union
- 1861-1865 West Virginia Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
- 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - West Virginia, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Mason County, West Virginia World War II Casualties Army and Air Force
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1814-1991 West Virginia Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- The Point Pleasant Register
200 Main Street
Point Pleasant, WV 25550
Phone: 304-675-1333
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1724-1978 West Virginia Wills and Probate Records 1724-1978 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1756-1971 West Virginia Will Books 1756-1971 at FamilySearch — index and images
- Mason County, West Virginia Will Book 1834-1968
- West Virginia Will Books
School Records[edit | edit source]
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
How can West Virginia tax lists help me?
- 1805-1846 Heinegg, Paul. "Mason County Personal Property Tax List, 1805-1846," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
- 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Mason County is included in Vol. 6.
Online West Virginia Tax site
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]
- West Virginia Vital Records, 1865-1969 (varies) - Includes birth, death, and marriage.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1780-1970 - West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970 at FamilySearch — index
- 1801-1962 - West Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- Mason County, West Virginia Marriages, 1806-1915 at Ancestry ($)
- West Virginia Vital Records, 1865-1969 (varies) - Includes birth, death, and marriage.
- Mason County, West Virginia Marriages
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1804-1999 - West Virginia Deaths, 1804-1999 at FamilySearch — index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
- The closest family history centers are the Huntington West Virginia Family History Center and the Charleston West Virginia Family History Center.
- Introduction to Family History Centers
- Masontown West Virginia Family History Center
Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Mason County Public Library
508 Viand Street
Point Pleasant, WV 25550
Telephone: 304-675-0894
Fax: 304-675-0895 - Hannan Public Library
6760 Ashton Upland Road
Ashton, WV 25503
Telephone and Fax: 304-743-6200 - Mason City Public Library
8 Brown Street
Mason, WV 25260
Telephone and Fax: 304-773-5580 - New Haven Public Library
P O Box 417
New Haven, WV 25265
Telephone and Fax: 304-882-3252
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
- Mason County Genealogical Historical Society
Henderson, WV 25106 - Source: West Virginia Library Commission Library Directory
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Mason County, WV History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- West Virginia Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- West Virginia Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- CYNDI'S List West Virginia
- Biographies of Mason County, West Virginia
- Family History Pages
- Family Websites of Mason County Folk
- Point Pleasant's West Virginia Ordinance Works
- Mason County West Virginia Reference Materials
- Flowers Family of Mason County, West Virginia
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Mason County, West Virginia" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_County,_West_Virginia."
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mason 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Mason County, West Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_County,_West_Virginia, accessed 06 July 2018.
- ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 134. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
- ↑ Ronald R. Turner, 7th West Virginia Cavalry (Manassas, Va.: R.R. Turner, 1989). Digital version at Raleigh County West Virginia GenWeb; FHL Book 975.4 M2t.
