From the
Editor:
Welcome to the newly revived Archives and History Newsletter. We
will be publishing a new issue monthly by posting on our Web site (http://www.wvculture.org/history), and by
distributing copies to historical and genealogical societies and
our Archives Library patrons. Among the topics to be covered
regularly are new titles available in the Archives Library,
upcoming and on-going projects in Archives and History, tips for
researching in the Archives Library and for genealogical research
in general, recognition of donors and volunteers, and a Calendar of
Events. We welcome your questions and comments. Please direct any
correspondence concerning the newsletter to the editor, Susan
Scouras, Archives and History. Please direct any correspondence
concerning our Web site to Joe Geiger, Archives and History.
HISTORY DAY
2000
Governor Cecil Underwood, First Lady Hovah Underwood, Culture and
History Commissioner Renay Conlin, and Archives and History
Director Fredrick Armstrong presented certificates of appreciation
to forty-three West Virginia "History Heroes" during the March 2,
2000 History Day Program in the West Virginia State Theater in the
Cultural Center in Charleston. Dr. C. Stuart McGehee, Chairman of
the Archives and History Commission, addressed the audience
concerning the role and importance of History Day. Billy Joe
Peyton, Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, Inc., presented the
Collins Award for Historic Preservation to Paul Marshall of
Bluffington, SC.
A very large, beautifully framed photograph of the 1885-1921 Capitol building was unveiled by Commissioner Conlin. This historic photograph was enlarged from a photo from the West Virginia State Archives with a donation from Cleo Sears, Charleston, for the enlargement and framing. A photograph made available by Julius Jones, a Nicholas County schoolteacher, was enlarged and framed through a donation by Lawson Hamilton, Charleston. Photographs of the two Wheeling Capitol buildings were similarly enlarged and framed with donations from Snookie Nutting and Chris Hess, both of Wheeling. All four photographs will hang in the West Rotunda at the entrance to the Governor's Reception Room. The project is under the auspices of the Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society.
FAMILY HISTORY
FILES
The Archives Library maintains a file of family history information
by surname. We currently have files for almost 1000 names, from
Abbott to Zumwalt. A typical family history file will contain
newspaper clippings about persons or families with that name,
whether it is a feature article or a report from a reunion. We try
to clip articles and obituaries for anyone 100 years or older, as
well as wedding anniversary announcements that include biographical
information of interest to genealogists. Some patrons donate
regularly to their family files, giving us copies of recent
obituaries and other announcements, updated family trees, or copies
of family photos and Bible pages. Family histories of less than 50
pages are also placed in this file. (Family histories of over 50
pages are evaluated for binding.) If you wish to donate original
materials relating to your family, we ask that you identify the
source of the information, such as providing the name and address
of the genealogist who prepared the document. Clippings should
include the name of the newspaper or magazine, plus the date.
1930
CENSUS
The 1930 United States Census is due to be opened to the public in
2002 and must be ordered six months in advance from the National
Archives in order to receive it by the release date. Because we
want to be able to purchase the West Virginia Census and make it
available as soon as it is released, Mining Your History Foundation
and the West Virginia Archives and History Library are accepting
donations toward that cost. A similar campaign ten years ago
enabled the Library to purchase the 1920 Census and make it
available immediately upon release. Your assistance will be greatly
appreciated by the patrons who rely on the Archives Library for
their research.
Upcoming
Publications
Spring of 2000: An updated Historical Highway Markers guide.
A survey of West Virginia's Historical Highway Markers was recently
completed, thanks to an Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act (ISTEA) grant.
CALENDAR OF
EVENTS
CHECK OUR WEB SITE (www.vwculture.org/history) FOR
GENEALOGICAL/HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND FOR
MORE
COMPLETE INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES LISTED HERE:
MARCH 25-JUNE 20. A Slave Ship Speaks: The Wreck of the
Henrietta Marie. State Museum, Cultural Center.
APRIL 7-SUMMER 2000. Visions of the Past: A Journey by
Phyllis Preston Jarrett. State Museum, Cultural Center.
MAY 1. Wood County Heritage Day Dinner. Parkersburg.
Historian Otis Rice, guest speaker.
MAY 9. Primary Election Day.* Archives Library will be open
regular hours.
MAY 26-28. Vandalia Gathering. Cultural Center,
Charleston.
MAY 29. Memorial Day. Archives Library will be
closed.
JUNE 20. West Virginia Day.* Archives Library will be open
regular hours.
JUNE 20. West Virginia Day Celebration. Independence Hall,
Wheeling.
JULY 4. Independence Day. Archives Library will be
closed.
*Only the Archives Library will be staffed all other Archives offices will be closed. The State Museum will be open any time the Archives Library is open, as well as 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The West Virginia Library Commission Library in the Cultural Center is closed weekends and all holidays.
ARCHIVES LIBRARY HOURS ARE 9:00 A.M. TO 5:00 P.M. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND 1:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M. ON SATURDAYS. HOLIDAY HOURS ARE AS POSTED.
TIPS FOR SEARCHING ON VTLS
SEARCHING BY SUBJECT: Avoid broad, general topics such as "Genealogy" or "West Virginia-Genealogy" because you will get hundreds of listings. Search by county name whenever possible, then look for subheadings under that county name, for example: "Kanawha County (W.Va.) - genealogy." If you are looking for a specific family name, search under the surname + "family" such as "Smith family."
Some subjects have many hundreds of listings, and can be thought of in several ways, but actually have only one correct heading. The best example is "Civil War." The correct heading is "United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865." You will find many subheadings under that topic that may help narrow your search, such as "United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865-Biography." There is no way to avoid typing in the entire heading on this topic.
SEARCHING BY AUTHOR: Search by last name, then a comma, then first initial, in order to be sure of seeing all possible listings for that author. An author should be listed under a single heading, with a uniform name, but many are not. Unless entries match exactly, in terms of first name, initials, birth dates, etc., they are listed separately. *
SEARCHING BY TITLE: Search by the first few words of the title. It is not necessary to type in "The" or "An", etc. if that is the first word. If you do not find your item under its title, be sure to check under the author's name as well*
*Be sure to check all entries to see all of our holdings. Different editions or other slight variations will be listed separately.
ONCE YOU HAVE A PAGE OF LISTINGS:Type the number of the line most closely matching your search, then hit "enter." If you get a second page of listings, again type the number of the entry you would like to see, then hit "enter."
UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU FIND: The designation for the Archives is WVCA. If the Archives has the title, our holdings will show immediately, under the title information, and will include our Dewey decimal call number. The listing will also tell you if the book is in the Library or on other floors which are closed to the public. If you do not find the book in theLibrary, or if the book is on another floor, fill out a request form and give it to the staff member at the Reference Desk. (Because our libraries are linked on the system, you may also see "WVLC", which is the West Virginia Library Commission Library, located in the Cultural Center directly across the Great Hall from the Archives Library, or you may see "UC", which is the University of Charleston Library.) If the Archives does not have the item, and if you would like to see where the book is available, type in "ma" to see the main listing for the title. Check the line designated with the code "049" for a listing of libraries which have that title. A list of the abbreviations is on this desk. Example: WVKK is the Kanawha County Library. You can visit that library, or you can request an inter-library loan through your home library or through the Library Commission Library.
NEW TITLES IN THE ARCHIVES LIBRARY
Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church of Wheeling, West Virginia: The
church.
Bluefield Daily Telegraph: Abstracts ofObits: 1996, 1997, 1998:
Charlene P. Leist.
The Matewan Shoot-out: The Trial at Williamson : Burial Along the
Tug: Bob Miller.
The Judge and Clyde Beale: Bob Miller.
Informational Report of Investigation Underground Coal Mine
Explosion and Fire [Consol No. 9
Mine, Farmington, WV, November 21, 1968.]: MSHA.
Buffalo Creek: Valley of Death: Dennis Deitz and Carlene
Mowery.
75* Birthday: Gassaway, WV: 1905-1980: The Gassaway Birthday
Celebration Committee.
Historical Summary of Mine Disasters in the United States: U.S.
Bureau of Mines.
V.I Coal Mines 1810-1958
V.2 Coal Mines 1959-1998
V.3 Metal and Nonmetal Mines 1885-1998
(This set contains reissued or incorporated information from
previous U.S. Bureau of Mines publications, with additional
summaries added.)
1900 Kanawha County, West Virginia Census: Charleston District:
West Virginia Genealogical Society.
101 Kanawha County, WV Cemeteries: West Virginia Genealogical
Society.
Elk Hills Memorial Park: Big Chimney, WV: West Virginia
Genealogical Society.
Carbon Fuel Reunion: 1998: Bob Farley, Betty Farley and Pauline
Billanti, editors.
The Voices ofSummerlee: Oral Histories of the Life and Times
ofSummerlee, WV: Charles A. Beasley, editor. (An oral history
concerning the coal camp ofSummerlee, WV.)
Belmont County, Ohio 1870 Census: Colerain, Flushing, Goshen,
Kirkwood, Mead, Pease & Pultney Townships: Wes Cochran.
Greenbrier County Cemeteries: White Sulphur District: Greenbrier
Historical Society.
Greenbrier County Cemeteries: Meadow Bluff District: Greenbrier
Historical Society.
Flemington, West Virginia District History: We Were We Are: Geneva
M. Phelps.
Flemington, West Virginia District History: We Were We Are: Vol.
II: Geneva M. Phelps.
Berkeley county, [W]VA Deeds and Wills Abstracts: Deed Books 1-5
(1772-1781) : Will Books 1-3 (1772-1805): Larry G. Shuck.
Pisgah Methodist Church Cemetery: Listing and Plat: DeKalb, Gilmer
County, West Virginia.
The Last Survivor: the Memoirs of George William Watson: A Horse
Soldier in the 12th Virginia Cavalry (Confederate States Army):
Brian Stuart Kesterson.
Finding a Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy
and Historical Identity: Dee Parmer Woodtor.
The Significance of the Jenkins Plantation: Karen N.
Cartwright.
Civil War Diary ofC. F. Ropes: 38th/24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry
Co. "H": 1865: Karen N. Cartwright Nance.
Obituaries: Glenville Democrat, 1986-1995: David M. Gillespie,
compiler.
The Monongahela: River of Dreams, River of Sweat: Arthur
Parker.
The Sourcebook of Local Court and County Record Retrievers: 1998
Edition: The Definitive Guide to Searching for Public Record
Information at the State Level.
Wonders of the African World: Henry Louis Gates.
Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: 2000 Supplement, Part
2.
(Note: New family histories will be listed next month.)
NEW
MICROFILM
KENTUCKY
1850 Free Census: Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Letcher,
Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle and Russell Counties.
1850 Slave Census: Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Logan, McCracken, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Meade, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Nicholas, Ohio, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Scott, Shelby, and Simpson Counties.
1860 Free Census: Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Lawrence, Letcher, Lewis, Pendleton, Perry, and Pike Counties.
1860 Slave Census: Adair, Allen, Anderson, Ballard, Barren, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Bracken, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, McCracken, McLean, Madison, Magoffin, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Meade, Mercer, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Nicholas, Ohio, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Scott and Shelby Counties.
1870 Census: Boyd, Boyle, Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Pike and Powell Counties.
OHIO
1850 Census: Fulton, Gallia, Lake, Lawrence, Meigs and
Mercer Counties.
1860 Census: Lawrence and Meig Counties.
1870 Census: Gallia, Lawrence and Pike Counties.
WEB SITE
MAP
TOPICS AND DATABASES ACCESSIBLE ON THE ARCHIVES AND HISTORY WEB
SITE AS OF MARCH 1, 2000:
UPCOMING
PUBLICATIONS
Spring of 2000: An updated Historical Highway Markers guide.
A survey of West Virginia's Historical Highway Markers was recently
completed, thanks to an Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act (ISTEA) grant.
MEET OUR
STAFF Fredrick Armstrong: Director
Debra Basham: Archivist (photographs, special collections,
manuscripts, state government records)
Greg Carroll: Historian (Civil War, Native American history, WV
Civil War medals)
Dick Fauss: Archivist (microfilm and audio-visual
collections)
Joe Geiger: Historian (Web site, publications)
Ed Hicks: Photographer (archival photography, darkroom)
Jamie Lynch: Library Assistant (17th and early 18th century
records, Pennsylvania)
Cathy Miller: Library Assistant (WV State documents,
periodicals)
Sharon Newhouse: Secretary to the Director
Harold Newman: Library Assistant (microfilm, Revolutionary War, War
of 1812, Adoptions)
Susan Scouras: Librarian (cataloging, Kentucky, Archives library
collection)
Bobby Taylor: Library Manager
Nancy Waggoner: Office Assistant
Contract employees working on special projects: Constance Baston,
Allen Fowler and Mary Johnson.
In future issues we will feature an individual employee and tell you more about each person's responsibilities and areas of special knowledge.
NEXT MONTH
This newsletter is a publication of:
The Division of Culture and History
Archives and History
The Cultural Center
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300
(304) 558-0220
Commissioner: Renay Conlin
Director: Fredrick H. Armstrong