Lewis County, West Virginia
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Lewis County was created from parts of Harrison County by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on December 18, 1816.

County Seat - The first meeting of the county court was held on March 16, 1817 at the home of the Reverend Peter Davis at Westfield, about five miles north of the current site of Weston. The meeting was conducted by nineteen Justices of the Peace, each appointed by then-Governor James P. Preston. Philip Reger was sworn in as the county's first sheriff. Daniel Stringer was elected county clerk and George Bush was recommended to the Governor for appointment as county surveyor. The court's next meeting took place at Mrs. William Newlon's home (also reported as Mrs. Newton) on April 11, 1818. At that meeting, it was decided to locate the county court at the farm of Henry Flesher, near the mouth of Stone Coal, and that the place be called Preston, in honor of Governor Preston.

In 1819, the area's residents decided to change the town's name following the creation of Preston County. They were concerned that people unfamiliar with the town might mistake it as Preston County's seat. Colonel John McWhorter and John Bozarth represented the area in the House of Delegates and introduced a bill that changed the town's name to Fleshersville, honoring Henry Flesher, believed to be the first settler in the area. He had arrived in the area in 1784. However, many local residents objected to the new name because Mr. Flesher had sold the property on which the town was built, moved to the east side of the river, and reportedly refused to have anything to do with the new town. At the urging of the town's leading citizens, the following year the state legislature renamed the town Weston. Weston was incorporated by the West Virginia state legislature in 1913.

County Name - The county was named in honor of Colonel Charles Lewis (1733-1774), who was killed at the decisive Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. His dying words were "Push on boys. Don't mind me." He was second in command at the time, serving under his older brother, General Andrew Lewis.

The Battle of Point Pleasant was considered a precursor of the American Revolutionary War and was a turning point in the war against the Indian uprising in western Virginia. During the battle, one-half of General Lewis's commissioned officers, including his brother Charles, were killed, as were seventy-five non-commissioned soldiers. Another one hundred and forty soldiers were wounded. The actual number of Indians engaged or killed in the battle is not known, but included warriors from the Shawnee, Delaware, Mingo, Wyandotte and Cayuga tribes, lead by their respective chiefs and by Cornstalk, Sachem of the Shawnees and King of the North Confederacy. The all-day battle was ferocious, with the battle line reportedly extending more than a mile. First-hand accounts of the battle indicate that rifle fire and hand-to-hand combat lasted throughout the day. By the end of the day, the Indians retreated into Ohio with Lewis's men in pursuit. Now on the defensive, and following the arrival of additional troops under the command of Virginia Governor John Murray, fourth Earl of Dunmore, the Indians agreed to a peace treaty, ending what had become known as Lord Dunmore's War.

See also Extended History for more historical details.

Areas adjacent to Lewis County are Harrison County (north), Upshur County (east), Webster County (south), Braxton County (southwest), Gilmer County (west), Doddridge County (northwest). Lewis County Cities and Towns Include Alum Bridge, Camden, Crawford, Horner, Ireland, Jane Lew, Orlando, Roanoke, Vadis, Valley Chapel, Walkersville, Weston, Wildcat

Official County Government/ Community Website
Lewis County, West Virginia History Books at Amazon.com
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Lewis 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.
Courthouse Fire in 1886 destroyed courthouse, but records were saved.

Lewis County Clerk has Land Records from 1817, Marriage Records from 1816, Probate Records from 1816 and Birth & Death Records from 1853 -Present and is located at the Courthouse, P. O. Box 466, Weston, WV 26452; 304-269-8215, Fax: 304-269-8202.

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.

Lewis County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1817 and is located at the Courthouse, P. O. Box 466, Weston, WV 26452-0069; 304-269-8210, Fax: 304-269-8249 .

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 State Site for all information before that date.

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

Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online

West Virginia Marriage Records, 1863-1900

Lewis County, West Virginia Court Books at Amazon.com

Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.

Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.

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Lewis County Vital Records

Lewis County Census Records

Lewis County Maps & Atlases

Lewis County Military Records

Lewis County Tax Records

Lewis County Genealogical Addresses

Lewis County Church & Cemeteries

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

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 Lewis County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Lewis County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
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Sites on USGenweb: [ Lewis 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.
The West Virginia Family Group Sheet Project
Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
Lewis County, West Virginia Family Books at Amazon.com

Extended 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.

A more thorough presentation of the first native settlers in West Virginia can be read on-line here. The following is a brief overview of that history:

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.

Lewis County's European Pioneers and Settlers

William Hacker, Thomas Hughes, Jesse Hughes, John Radcliff, William Radcliff, and John Brown were the first Englishmen to set foot in present-day Lewis County. They explored the area in 1769. Later that year, John Hacker built a cabin just to the south of the present-day Berlin. He is credited as Lewis County's first permanent European settler. John and William Radcliff built cabins not far from Hacker's cabin in 1770. Their settlement, later known as Hacker's Creek, almost failed from the start. After constructing cabins and planting corn and other crops, the three men returned to the South Branch settlements to get their families. While they were away, buffalo ate all of the crops they had planted. Fortunately, there was plenty of wild game available and the settlement survived and more than doubled in size annually as immigrants moved in from the east. Other early permanent settlers in the county included Jesse Hughes, John Whendy, Francis Tibbs and Daniel Veach.

Important Events in Lewis County during the 1800s

Lewis County was enlarged on February 4, 1818, adding land east of the Buckhannon River. At that time, the county constituted 1,754 square miles, including present-day Lewis County as well as nearly all of Upshur, Gilmer, and Braxton counties, and parts of Barbour, Webster, Doddridge, Ritchie, and Calhoun counties.

Most of Lewis County's residents sided with the Union during the Civil War, with pockets of Confederate support, primarily in the county's southern portion. Union forces controlled the county for most of the war. However, in August 1862, General A. G. Jenkins led a force of more than five hundred Confederate soldiers and para-military sympathizes on a raid into central West Virginia. They arrived in Weston on August 31, 1862 and left that evening after securing supplies from the town's stores. Several other skirmishes took place between Union and Confederate forces within the county, but the county was spared the more widespread damage and fighting that occurred in neighboring Braxton County.

One of the first acts of the newly formed West Virginia state legislature was to change the name of the recently completed Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum in Weston to the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. It began operations in 1864 with nine patients. Later renamed Weston Hospital, it continued to provide care for the mentally impaired until it closed in 1994.

On November 1, 1880, railroad service between Clarksburg and Weston began, opening up the area for further economic development, especially for the lumber industry.

In August 1893, the Lewis County Oil and Gas company was formed. It bought 3,500 acres of land within Lewis county and dug its first test well in late 1897, just below Weston. Several other oil companies also moved to the area, and many of them struck oil. Local land values soared. The biggest oil strike occurred at the Copely well No. 1, on Sand Fork, on September 22, 1900. It produced several thousand barrels of oil per day and was the largest well drilled in the Appalachian Mountains for many years. In 1902, Lewis County's oil production peaked. At that time, Lewis County produced more oil than in any other county in the state.

On July 26, 1913, the first street car service opened for business in Jane Lew and Weston. The service enabled Jane Lew and Weston's residents to reach the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, located in Clarksburg, in just under an hour and a half.

Lewis County, West Virginia
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Lewis County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in West Virginia

Lewis County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for West Virginia

Lewis County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Lewis County Military Records

See Also Military Records in West Virginia

Lewis County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Lewis County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other West Virginia Genealogical Addresses

Lewis County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in West Virginia

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Extended History

Lewis County, West Virginia History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Lewis County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in West Virginia

Lewis County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for West Virginia

Lewis County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Lewis County Military Records

See Also Military Records in West Virginia

Lewis County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Lewis County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other West Virginia Genealogical Addresses

Lewis County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in West Virginia

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Extended History

Lewis County, West Virginia
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy