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Barbour County History and Information

Barbour County Facts

See D.O.T. Maps for a Detailed County Map

Barbour County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on March 3, 1843 from parts of Harrison, Lewis and Randolph Counties. Most historians believe that the county was named in honor of the distinguished Virginia jurist Judge Philip Pendleton Barbour (1783-1841).

Philip Barbour was born in Orange County Virginia on May 25, 1783. He studied law, and, at the age of 17, moved to Kentucky to manage some business affairs for his father, Thomas Barbour. The businesses failed, and his father was reportedly so angry that he disowned him. Philip then took up the study of law once again and, at age 19, entered the College of William and Mary. He subsequently returned to Orange County and became a successful lawyer. He was later elected to the Virginia General Assembly (1812-1814), represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives (1814-1825, 1827-1830), and served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (1821-1823). He later served as a Judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (1830-1836) and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1836-1841) where he remained until his death on February 24, 1841.

Some historians believe that Barbour County was named for Philip's older brother, James Barbour (1775-1842). He was the Governor of Virginia (1812-1814), a member of the U.S. Senate (1815-1825), Secretary of War during John Quincy Adams' Administration (1825-1828), and the U.S. Envoy to Great Britain in 1828.

Philippi was named the Barbour County seat by the Act that created the county on March 3, 1843. However, the city had existed for a long time before that. The land where the city is now located was originally called "Anglin's Ford," after the land's owner, William Anglin. No record has been found of William Anglin before 1789, but it is very likely that he lived in the area as early as 1783 or 1784. The land came into the possession of Daniel Booth around 1800. He had lived in the area since about 1787. After he gained possession of the land, it became known as "Booth's Ferry." The town's current name, Philippi, was established by the Act forming the county. By that time, the land was owned by William F. Wilson. The county court was to be built on two acres of land that would be bought from, or donated by, Mr. Wilson. The intent was to build the courthouse near the ferry, thus giving "convenient and easy access to the water."

Philippi was named in honor of the same Philip Pendleton Barbour that the county was named after. The town was originally called Phillippa, a Latinized version of Philip. However, because of misunderstandings and misspellings, the town came to be known as Philippi. The city was incorporated on February 1, 1871 by an act of the Legislature. See also Extended History for more historical details.

Areas adjacent to Barbour County are Taylor County (north), Tucker County (east), Randolph County (southeast), Upshur County (southwest), Harrison County (west), Preston County (northeast). Cities and Towns in Barbour County Include Belington, Brownton, Galloway, Junior, Kasson, Moatsville, Philippi, Volga

Official County Government/ Community Website
Barbour County, West Virginia History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

Barbour County Court Records

See Also West Virginia Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Barbour County Clerk has Land Records from 1843, Marriage Records from 1843, Probate Records from 1843 and Birth & Death Records from 1853 - Present and is located at the Courthouse, 8 North Main Street, Philippi, WV 26416-1140; 304-457-2232,Fax: 304-457-2790.
The County Clerk's many duties include some of the following: the issuance of marriage licenses, birth and death certificates, record births, marriages and deaths in the county, serve as the recorder of all documents, prepare and send to all heirs a Notice to Redeem and take care of publications, redemptions or recording deeds with regard to delinquent property, issue military service discharge records and probate wills and assist in administration of estates.

Barbour County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1843 and is located at the Courthouse, 8 North Main Street, Philippi, WV 26416-1154; 304-457-3454, Fax: 304-457-2790.
The County Clerk of the Circuit Court's many duties include some of the following: Serve as the Clerk to the Circuit and Family Court, Issue mesne (during the progress of a case) process, Issue final process to enforce and execute judgements, Appoint guardian ad litem where required, Responsible for all papers filed in the office; serve as registrar, recorder and custodian for all pleadings, documents and funds pertaining to cases filed in circuit court and family court, Responsible for the administration and management of the petit and grand jury systems in the county.

Since West Virginia was part of Virginia prior to 1863, see Virginia Databases for all records before that date.

Click Here to Search West Virginia Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Barbour County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Barbour County Court Records by clicking the link below:

West Virginia Marriage Records, 1863-1900
Barbour County, West Virginia Court Books at Amazon.com
West Virginia Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Barbour County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

While people were taxed in Virginia prior to 1782, not many tax lists for that early period have survived, and the originals that have survived are at the Virginia State Library. Colonial period taxes were imposed on the personal property of males who were twenty-one and older, and called "tithables." While there is no comprehensive list or collection of early tax lists, many fragments are printed throughout Virginia genealogical literature

West Virginia has one of the most complete sets of old tax records in existence. Land tax records dating from 1782 to 1936 for all counties, with some through 1959, are available at the Archives and History Library in Charleston. Most county clerks have duplicate copies in their offices. As noted in the section on Virginia, the Virginia State Library has the original unindexed personal property tax records from 1782 to 1863.

Below is a list of online resources for Barbour County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Barbour County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Barbour County, West Virginia Tax Books at Amazon.com

Barbour County Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Barbour County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Barbour County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Barbour County Historical Society, Depot Street; Philippi, WV 26416
Barbour County Historical Society Museum, 200 N Main St, Philippi, WV 26416; (304) 457-4846
Local West Virginia Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
West Virginia Archives and History, The Cultural Center; 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, E.; Charleston, WV 25305-0300. Read here before requesting research
Publication: West Virginia History. This facility consists of the library, archives, and a museum containing materials from 1760 to present.
West Virginia Genealogical Society, Post Office Box 249, Elkview, West Virginia 25071
West Virginia Historical Society, PO Box 5220, Charleston, WV 25361
West Virginia Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
West Virginia Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Barbour County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search West Virginia Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Barbour County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Barbour County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Many religious groups have deposited their records at the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. Church record inventories compiled as part of the Historical Records Survey are available there and at the FHL. For a complete discussion of early church records, see Virginia-Church Records.

The most extensive collection of West Virginia tombstone inscriptions was compiled by the Historical Records Survey. Available at the West Virginia and Regional History Collection and on microfilm at the FHL, the collection includes inscriptions through 1939-40. The DAR and others have published volumes of cemetery records.

Below is a list of online resources for Barbour County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Barbour County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of West Virginia obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a West Virginia newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from West Virginia.
West Virginia Cemetery Readings, 1941
Barbour County, West Virginia Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Barbour County, West Virginia Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search West Virginia Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Barbour County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Barbour County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Barbour County ] [ West Virginia ] [ Main Page ]
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Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
West Virginia Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Barbour County, West Virginia Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

The first native settlers in present-day North-Central West Virginia (Barbour, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor counties) were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. Remnants of the Mound Builders' civilization have been found throughout northern West Virginia, with a high concentration of artifacts located at Moundsville, West Virginia, in West Virginia's northern panhandle (in Marshall County). The Grave Creek Indian Mound, located in the center of Moundsville, is one of West Virginia's most famous historic landmarks. More than 2,000 years old, it stands 69 feet high and 295 feet in diameter.

The following is a brief history overview:

Several thousand Hurons occupied present-day West Virginia during the late 1500s and early 1600s.
During the 1600s, the Iroquois Confederacy (then consisting of the Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, and Seneca tribes) drove the Hurons from the state and
used it primarily as a hunting ground.
During the early 1700s, the Shawnee, Mingo, Delaware, and other Indian tribes also used present-day West Virginia as a hunting ground. West Virginia's Potomac
Highlands was inhabited by the Tuscarora. They eventually migrated northward to New York and, in 1712, became the sixth nation to formally be admitted to the Iroquois Confederacy. The Cherokee Nation claimed southern West Virginia.
In 1744, Virginia officials purchased the Iroquois title of ownership to West Virginia in the Treaty of Lancaster.
The Delaware, Mingo, and Shawnee sided with the French during the French and Indian War (1755-1763). The Iroquois Confederacy officially remained neutral, but many in the Iroquois Confederacy allied with the French.
When the French and Indian War was over, England's King George III feared that more tension between Native Americans and settlers was inevitable. In an attempt to avert further bloodshed, he issued the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Proclamation was, for the most part, ignored.
During the summer of 1763, Ottawa Chief Pontiac led raids on key British forts in the Great Lakes region. Shawnee Chief Keigh-tugh-qua, also known as Cornstalk, led similar raids on western Virginia settlements. The uprisings ended on August 6, 1763 when British forces, under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet, defeated Delaware and Shawnee forces at Bushy Run in western Pennsylvania.
In 1768, the Iroquois Confederacy (often called the Six Nations) and the Cherokee signed the Treaty of Hard Labour and the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, relinquishing their claims on the territory between the Ohio River and the Alleghenies to the British.
In April 1774, the Yellow Creek Massacre took place near Wheeling. Among the dead were Mingo Chief Logan's brother and pregnant sister. Violence then escalated into Lord Dunmore's War.
On October 10, 1774, Colonel Andrew Lewis and approximately 800 men defeated 1,200 Indian warriors led by Shawnee Chief Cornstalk at the Battle of Point Pleasant, ending Lord Dunmore's War.
The Mingo and Shawnee allied with the British during the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783). One of the more notable battles occurred in 1777 when a war party of 350 Wyandot, Shawnee, and Mingo warriors, armed by the British, attacked Fort Henry, near present-day Wheeling. Nearly half of the Americans manning the fort were killed in the three-day assault. Following the war, the Mingo and Shawnee, once again allied with the losing side, returned to their homes in Ohio. As the number of settlers in the region grew, both the Mingo and the Shawnee move further inland, leaving western Virginia to the white settlers.

Richard Talbot, Cotteral Talbot, Charity Talbot, and their mother, were the first English settlers in present-day Barbour County. They arrived in 1780. Richard was then 16 years old, Cotteral was 18, and Charity was 20. They built a cabin about two miles northwest of the current county seat, Philippi, along the waters of what would later be called Hacker's Creek. They abandoned their cabin several times due to Indian uprisings, and twice had to leave the county entirely due to the threat of Indian raids.

In 1788, Richard Talbot married Margaret Dowden, then 11 years old. They subsequently had 13 children together. His older brother, Cotteral Talbot, married Elizabeth Reger later that same year. Most of the two families' children remained in Barbour County and, for several generations, the Talbot family name was by far the most common in the county.

The first meeting of the Barbour County court was held on April 3, 1843 at William F. Wilson's home. The county's justices of the peace elected Lair D. Morrall county clerk. The next order of business was to nominate a sheriff for referral to the governor. By tradition, the sheriff was whoever had served as a Justice of the Peace the longest. However, it was not clear if Isaac Booth or Joseph McCoy had served the longest as a Justice of the Peace. An election was held, and Joseph McCoy was recommended to the Governor for appointment.

The Philippi Covered Bridge was constructed in 1852. It was designed by Lemuel Chenoweth, from Beverly. When he presented his plan for the bridge to the Board of Public Works in Richmond, he reportedly placed a wooden model of the bridge between two chairs facing each other and stood on it. "Gentlemen," he announced, "this is all I have to say." He won the contract. The covered bridge was originally twenty-six feet wide and 285 feet long, and, except for the steel bolts securing it, was made entirely of wood. A toll was placed on the eastern end of the bridge to help pay for its construction and maintenance (a horse and rider was charged 10 cents; carriages with two horses were charged 35 cents; each head of cattle was charged 1.5 cents, and a score of sheep was charged 5 cents). On February 2, 1989, a fire almost completely destroyed the bridge. It was reconstructed, as close as possible to the original, and reopened on September 16, 1991. Local legend has it that President Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, held a secret meeting at the bridge shortly after the Civil War began in a futile effort to end the conflict.

There were many southern sympathizers in Barbour County during the Civil War. In January 1861, the Confederate flag was raised above the county courthouse. It remained there until Union troops, under the command of Colonel B.F. Kelley, occupied Philippi on June 3, 1861.

On March 7, 1861, a meeting was held at the county courthouse to discuss secession from the Union. Only one man, Spencer Dayton, a native of New England, rose to speak in favor of remaining in the Union. After attempting to speak, a gun was leveled at his chest and he fled for his life, jumping through a courthouse window. A group of Unionists later held a secret meeting in Martin Myers' shoe shop. They elected several delegates to the Wheeling Convention which was to decide whether to reorganize the state's government or to form a new state. The meeting was later called the "Shoe Shop Convention." Aware that the Unionists had elected delegates to the Wheeling Convention, southern sympathizers posted armed guards at the end of the covered bridge in an attempt to prevent them from leaving town. When the time came for the delegates to leave, only Spencer Dayton was willing to make the attempt. Hoping the sentries would be asleep, he waited until past midnight and, as he approached the bridge, reportedly whipped his horse to a full gallop, sped across the bridge, and onto the turnpike.

Although previous encounters between Confederate and Union troops had taken place at Gloucester Port, Baltimore, and Sewell's Point, the Battle of Philippi, on June 3, 1861, is said to have been the first significant land battle between the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.

Confederate Colonel George A. Porterfield arrived in Philippi in mid-May, 1861 with an army of 775 men (600 infantry and 175 cavalry). He then marched to Grafton hoping to secure additional enlistments and supplies. Hearing that a Union force was marching his way from the Wheeling area, he returned to Philippi. On the night of June 2 1861, two Union columns under the command of General Thomas A. Morris, one with approximately 1,600 troops and the other with approximately 1,450 troops, converged on Philippi in an attempt to trap Porterfield's troops. The Union forces placed artillery on the hillside overlooking the covered bridge and opened fire shortly before dawn on June 3rd. Outnumbered and without artillery, Porterfield was forced to retreat to Huttonsville. Thirty soldiers were killed during the battle, four from the Union Army and twenty-six from the Confederate Army. Porterfield was immediately relieved of his command. The disorderly Confederate retreat was ridiculed in Union newspapers as the "Philippi Races." Porterfield later demanded an inquiry in an attempt to clear his name. The inquiry praised him for his coolness under fire, but criticized his failure to take precautions against a surprise attack.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, almost all of the county's elected officials supported the South. Many of them left with Colonel Porterfield, or left by themselves soon after the battle. As a result, Barbour County's government ceased functioning for about five months. On October 27, 1861, elections were held to "fill vacancies." Lewis Wilson was elected county clerk, James Trahern was elected sheriff, Nathan H. Taft was elected prosecuting attorney, and Josiah L. Hawkings and Samuel S. Lackney were elected assessors.

Philippi was largely deserted during the Civil War. The people who lived in the county, many of them southern sympathizers, avoided the Union-held town, fearing for their safety. Others avoided the town because the Union soldiers occupying it were known to, upon occasion, help themselves to the local residents' goods and livestock.