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Gilmer County History and Information

Gilmer County Facts

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

Gilmer County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on February 3, 1845 from parts of Kanawha and Lewis Counties.

County Seat - The first session of the Gilmer County court was held on March 24, 1845 in Salathiel Stalnaker's home in DeKalb, about nine miles south of Glenville. At the meeting, the fifteen Justices in attendance could not agree on a candidate for county clerk. They elected James Camp, Jr. to the position on a temporary basis until the issue could be resolved. Michael Stump was elected county surveyor. As prescribed by law, the Justices recommended three men to the Governor to serve as the county's first sheriff. Benjamin Riddle subsequently received the appointment.

The state legislature had mandated that a county-wide election be held to determine the county seat. The Stalnaker family, located in DeKalb, was the most prominent in Gilmer County at that time and expected the voters to select DeKalb the county seat, especially after Salathiel Stalnaker donated land for the county prison. However, William H. Ball, C. B. Conrad, and Samuel Hays owned property near "The Ford" and lobbied the voters to select it as the county seat, noting that it lay along a state road, making it easier to reach than DeKalb. A majority of county's sixty-six voters selected The Ford (Glenville) over DeKalb as the county seat.

Glenville had previously been known as Stewart's Creek, Hartford, and "The Ford." It was called "The Ford" because the old State Road from Weston to Charleston crossed the Little Kanawha River there. Samuel L. Hays laid out the town on the land of William H. Ball in 1845. It was named Glendale by Colonel C. B. Conrad because of the town's location in a glen. William Howell was the first known settler in the town. He built a grist mill there in 1812.

At first, the Stalnaker family, and those allied with it, refused to accept Glenville as the county seat. Several county government officials, including James Camp, the county clerk, refused to attend government meetings in Glenville. The following year, all members of the county court finally agreed to meet at Thomas Marshall's home in Glenville. One of the first orders of business was to select a site for the construction of the court house, jail, and clerk's office. However, the deed to the land of the proposed site for the county courthouse in Glenville was contested. After much discussion, it was agreed to hold the county court, once again, at the home of Salathiel Stalnaker in DeKalb. The court moved there on February 23, 1846. In the meantime, the legal issues concerning the Glenville site for the court house were resolved. On April 28, 1846, the county court was moved to William Ball's home in Glenville where it continued to meet until the courthouse in Glenville was completed in 1850. Once it was established that Glenville was to be the county sear of government, DeKalb began to decline.

County Name - It was named in honor of Thomas Walker Gilmer (1802-1844). Thomas Walker Gilmer was born on April 6, 1802 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He studied law and was an attorney in Charlottesville. He represented Albemarle County in the Virginia General Assembly from 1829-36 and 1838-39, and served as Speaker of the Assembly in 1838 and 1839. He was elected Governor of Virginia in 1840. A year later, he resigned the governorship following his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. On February 14, 1844, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Taylor. Unfortunately, on February 28, 1844, just two weeks after his appointment, he was killed when a cannon on board the American war ship Princeton exploded. The accident occurred while the ship was cruising on the Potomac River near Mount Vernon. Abel Parker Upshur, Secretary of State and Upshur County's namesake, was also killed in the explosion. President Tyler was also present for the testing of the new gun, but he survived the explosion. See also Extended History for more historical details.

Areas adjacent to Gilmer County are Doddridge County (north), Lewis County (east), Braxton County (south), Calhoun County (west), Ritchie County (northwest). Gilmer County Cities and Towns Include Baldwin, Cedarville, Coxs Mills, Flower, Gilmer, Glenville, Letter Gap, Linn, Lockney, Nicut, Normantown, Perkins, Rosedale, Sand Fork, Shock, Stouts Mills, Stumptown, Troy

Official County Government/ Community Website
Gilmer 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.

Gilmer 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.

Gilmer County Clerk has Land Records from 1845, Marriage Records from 1845, Probate Records from 1845 and Birth & Death Records from 1853 -Present and is located at the Courthouse, 10 Howard Street , Glenville, WV 26351; 304-462-7641 ,Fax: 304-462-7038.
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.

Gilmer County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1845 and is located at the Courthouse, 10 Howard Street, Glenville, WV 26351-1246; 304-462-7241, Fax: 304-462-7038.
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 Gilmer County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Gilmer County Court Records by clicking the link below:

West Virginia Marriage Records, 1863-1900
Gilmer 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.

Gilmer 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 Gilmer County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Gilmer County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Gilmer County, West Virginia Tax Books at Amazon.com

Gilmer 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 Gilmer County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Gilmer County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Gilmer County Historical Society, P.O. Box 235, Glenville, WV 26351
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

Gilmer 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 Gilmer County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Gilmer 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 Gilmer County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Gilmer 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
Gilmer County, West Virginia Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Gilmer 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 Gilmer County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Gilmer County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Gilmer 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
Gilmer County, West Virginia Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

The First Settlers

The first native settlers in central West Virginia (Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Roane, Upshur, and Webster counties) were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. Remnants of their civilization have been found throughout northern West Virginia, with many artifacts found in the Northern Panhandle, especially in Marshall County.

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 intoLord 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.

Gilmer County's European Pioneers and Settlers

Indian scouts, William Lowther and Jesse and Elias Hughes, were the first Englishmen to set foot in present-day Gilmer County. They explored the area during the autumn of 1772.

Jacob Bush is believed to be the first English settler in the county. He arrived around 1800. Michael Stump and his sons arrived in 1806. Peter McCune explored the area shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War with his father-in-law, Adam O'Brien. In 1810, he moved his family to the county. He built a cabin at the mouth of Leading Creek.

Several families moved into the county following the War of 1812, including the families George H. Beall, Townsend Beall, Joseph Bennett, Alexander McQuian, and James Farnsworth. They had received land grants in the county in exchange for their service during the war. In 1816, Captain William Stalnaker received a grant of 30,000 acres in the county for his service during the War of 1812. He established a tobacco plantation near the mouth of Mill Seat Run. In 1820, he constructed the first brick home in the county. Adam Heckert, another early pioneer settler in the county, also constructed a brick home that year - creating a long-standing argument over who had the first brick home in the county. Captain Stalnaker later constructed another brick mansion on his property for his son, Salethiel. On March 24, 1845, it served as the meeting place for the first session of the Gilmer County court. By that time, a large number of families lived in the area and it had become known as DeKalb, named by William Stalnaker in honor of his hero Johann, Baron de Kalb, the Marquis de Lafayette's mentor and companion.

Important Events in Gilmer County during the 1800s

Samuel L. Hays moved into the county in 1833, living in what was then known as Hays City, near Glenville. He served in the Virginia General Assembly and was elected to a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives (1841-1842). During his tenure in the state legislature, he was instrumental in getting the Parkersburg/Stauton turnpike routed through Gilmer County. The turnpike was essential to the county's economic growth. He later served as a Justice of the Peace and, in 1845, was a member of the first Gilmer County court. His son, Peregrine Hays, also served in the state legislature (for both Virginia and West Virginia) and, in 1851, became Gilmer County's first elected sheriff.

In 1845, southern sympathizers within Gilmer County's Methodist Church broke away from the Methodist Church and formed the Methodist Church South. They constructed their own church, called Job Temple, in 1860. In 1979, it became Gilmer County's first site to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1861, Colonel Currence Conrad, the delegate representing Gilmer, Calhoun, and Wirt Counties in the Virginia secession convention, voted for Virginia to remain in the Union. Upon making his vote, Conrad promptly left Richmond for his home in western Virginia fearing that he might be lynched for voting against the Ordinance for Secession.

During the Civil War, Gilmer County's government basically ceased to function as various para-military groups roamed the county. Although there was some northern support in the county, many of the county's residents sided with the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln did not receive a single vote in Glenville during the presidential election of 1860.

On February 19, 1872, the West Virginia legislature authorized the establishment of the "Glenville Branch of the State Normal School of West Virginia." The school began operations on January 14, 1873, with T. Marcellus Marshall serving as its principal. In 1931, the school's name was changed to Glenville State Teachers College, and, in 1943, to Glenville State College.

In 1885, the West Virginia state song, "The West Virginia Hills," was composed by New Jersey's Mrs. Ellen King. She wrote the song, originally written as a poem, while she was visiting her father, Captain Stephen S. Ruddell, in Glenville. The poem was published in the local newspaper and was noticed by Mr. N. E. Engle, a resident of Loydsville, Braxton County. He converted the poem into a song, adding chorus lines and accompanying music.