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Marion County History and Information

Marion County Facts

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

Marion County was created by an act of the Virginia Assembly on January 14, 1842, from parts of Harrison and Monongalia counties.

County Seat - Jonathon Bozarth was the first "long-time" settler in present-day Fairmont, the Marion County seat. He arrived with his family, and his brother John and his family, in 1770. They lived on the west side of the Monongahela River until 1784, when they moved to present-day Lewis County.

In 1789, John Fleming and his brother's three sons (most likely Boaz, Benoni, and Thomas Fleming) were the first permanent settlers in present-day Fairmont. They arrived from Delaware in 1789 and built their cabins on the land once owned by Jonathon Bozarth.

In 1793, Jacob Paulsley built a home on the east side of the Monongahela River in present-day Fairmont. At that time, most of the future city was a dense, laurel thicket.

When Middletown was formed in 1820, its initial trustees were: John S. Barns, John W. Kelley, Josiah Wolcott, John W. Polsley, Jesse Ice, Benoni Fleming and Thomas Fleming. John S. Barnes served as mayor.

County Name - The county was named in honor of General Francis Marion (1732-1795), the legendary hero of the American Revolutionary War. Many historical accounts indicate that Francis Marion was born in Winyaw, South Carolina, but there is evidence to suggest that he was actually born in St. John's Parish, near Georgetown, South Carolina. When he was fifteen he joined a six-person crew of a small sailing ship headed for the West Indies. The ship sank while at sea, forcing the six crew members to abandon ship. They were set adrift in a small boat without food or drink. Seven days later they reached land. Two of the crew members died during the trip. The ordeal convinced Francis Marion to abandon the idea of becoming a seaman. He returned to St. John's Parish and, after receiving a small inheritance, established a small plantation.

In 1759, during the French and Indian War (1755-1763), he volunteered for service in a South Carolina provincial calvary led by his older brother, Gabriel. In 1761, he served as a lieutenant in a regiment under the command of Captain William Moultrie. It is believed that he distinguished himself during a major battle against the Cherokee Indian nation near Etchoee, South Carolina.

Following the war, he purchased a plantation (Pond's Bluff) north of Eutaw Springs, South Carolina. In 1775, he was elected to South Carolina's provincial Congress. When the American Revolutionary War began, South Carolina formed two regiments of infantry and one regiment of calvary. He was elected a Captain in a one of the infantry regiments, under the command of now Colonel William Moultrie. After distinguishing himself in several major battles, he was promoted through the ranks, finally reaching the rank of Brigadier General. He earned his nickname "The Swamp Fox" from the British. Because his troops were usually outnumbered, he adopted a hit-and-hide strategy and employed several guerilla-style military tactics, many learned from the Indians during the French and Indian War. He often ambushed the British at night, and then vanished into the surrounding woods or swaps. British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton, who often chased Marion into the swamps, reportedly said that "The devil himself could not catch that old fox." The nickname stuck.

Following the American Revolutionary War, he returned to his plantation and was elected to the South Carolina state Senate in 1781, and was re-elected in 1782 and 1784. In 1786, he married Mary Esther Vidreau. In May, 1790, he participated as a member of the convention that created the state constitution. He died on February 26, 1795 at his plantation. Nationally, there are at least twenty-nine cities and towns and seventeen counties named in his honor.

See also Extended History for more historical details.

Areas adjacent to Marion County are Monongalia County (north), Taylor County (southeast), Harrison County (south), Wetzel County (west). Marion County Cities and Towns Include Barrackville, Baxter, Carolina, Colfax, Fairmont, Fairview, Farmington, Four States, Grant Town, Idamay, Jordan, Kingmont, Mannington, Metz, Monongah, Montana Mines, Pleasant Valley, Rachel, Rivesville, Worthington

Official County Government/ Community Website
Marion 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.

Marion 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.

Marion County Clerk has Land Records from 1842, Marriage Records from 1842, Probate Records from 1842 and Birth & Death Records from 1860 -Present and is located at th 1st Floor – Marion County Courthouse, 217 Adams Street, Fairmont, WV 26554; Telephone: 304 367-5440. Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1267, Fairmont, WV 26554.
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.

Marion County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1842 and is located at 2nd Floor of the Marion County Courthouse, 217 Adams Street,Fairmont, WV 26554; Telephone Numbers: 304-367-5361, 304-367-5364, 304-367-5365, 304-367-5371. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1269 Fairmont, WV 26554.
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.

This county seat was built in 1900 as a testament to community maturity. Fairmont was no longer subordinate to the urban centers of Clarksburg and Morgantown, but had achieved financial prosperity as a center of the northern coal and gas industries. Only the second building to be used as the courthouse, the first was removed in preparation for this building. Designed by Yost and Packard of Columbus, Ohio, this Beaux Arts styled building uses various classical ornamentation on the exterior, including the Corinthian order for the series of fluted columns supporting the porticoes. Within the tympanum are decorative figures of scales, an eagle with outstretched wings, a mining car, a shovel and a male figure representing justice, power, agriculture and mining. The building’s dome is capped by a classical figure holding the scales of justice. The Sheriff’s Residence is adjacent to the Courthouse and was also designed by Yost and Packard. In response to recent signs of deterioration and structural failure, the County has initiated steps to repair and stabilize the Courthouse dome, clock tower, balustrade, roofing and cornice. Using Survey and Planning Grant funding from the State Historic Preservation Office, the county will prioritize repairs and develop construction documents for the dome, clock tower and balustrade.

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

West Virginia Marriage Records, 1863-1900
Marion 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.

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

Marion County, West Virginia Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Marion County Genealogical Club, Marion County Library, 321 Monroe Street, Fairmont, WV 26554; Phone: (304) 366-1210
Marion County Historical Society, P. O. Box 1636, Fairmont, WV 26555-1636
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

Marion 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 Marion County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Marion 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 Marion County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Marion 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
Marion County, West Virginia Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Marion 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 Marion County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Marion 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
Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
Sites on USGenweb: [ Marion County ] [ West Virginia ] [ Main Page ]
[GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
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
Marion County, West Virginia Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

The First Settlers

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.

Marion County's European Pioneers and Settlers

The first permanent English settlers in present-day Marion County arrived in the Fairmont area during the 1760s. Some accounts suggest that John Beall was the first to arrive, in 1763. Others credit Jacob Prickett as the first settler. He arrived in 1766. Captain James Booth and John Thomas arrived in 1770 or 1772, as did Thomas Helen. David Morgan and Nicholas Woods constructed cabins about five miles south of present-day Fairmont in 1772. They were soon followed by Peter Straight, William Snodgrass, Henry Button, Thomas Button, John Dragoo and Frederick Ice. Together, with the assistance of Zackquill Morgan of nearby Morgan's Town and other area residents, they built Prickett's Fort in 1773-1774, now reconstructed and a tourist attraction.

Prior to their arrival, unconfirmed oral history suggests that Pompey Leggit, John Duvall, their wives, and the Burris and Bozarth families established a settlement, called Leggit's, near present-day Rivesville in 1694. It was destroyed by a flood in 1704, forcing them to abandon the site. They then reportedly founded a settlement near present-day Philippi, but it was burned to the ground in 1721 following an outbreak of smallpox that killed most of the settlers. Most of the survivors moved east and their story was reported by Thomas Leggit, Pompey Legitt's son.

Another early settler was Robert Eeds who reportedly lived in a cave with his wife on a hillside in present-day Marion County from 1742 until his death in 1772.

Important Events in Marion County during the 1700s

During the spring and summer of 1774, after learning that his brother and sister were murdered at the Yellow Creek Massacre, the famous Mingo Indian chief Logan led a series of attacks on settlements along the upper Monongahela River and in the neighborhood of Redstone Creek, where the settlers who committed the killings originated. On June 11, 1774, a company of rangers led by Captain Francis McClure, from the Wheeling area, left Prickett's Fort for Redstone Fort, in present-day Brownsville, Pennsylvania. The rangers included several local residents, including William Ice. They spent the night at Fort Prickett after scouting the Tygart Valley searching for Logan and his men. Shortly after leaving Prickett's Fort, the rangers were ambushed by Logan and fifteen to twenty Mingo warriors. Captain McClure was killed. The rangers chased the Indians, but they escaped into the wilderness. In early July, Logan and a party of ten to twenty Mingo warriors returned to present-day Marion County. They ambushed nine men hoeing corn on Dunkard Creek. Six of the men (including Reedy Anderson, Paul Minor, George Seal(s), John Farmer, and Josiah Prickett, Jr.) were killed. They also attacked William Robinson, Thomas Helen, and Coleman Brown while they were working in a field. Coleman Brown was killed in the attack. Thomas Helen and William Robinson were captured and taken to an Indian village. They were forced to run the gauntlet, and, after surviving the ordeal, were adopted into the tribe. They were later released following the Battle of Point Pleasant.

Following the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783), the Indians migrated from north-central West Virginia into Ohio. Recognizing that the Indians' departure meant that more people would be interested in settling in the area, land speculators began to purchase land throughout the region, including present-day Marion County. Henry Banks, of Richmond, purchased nearly 40,000 acres of land in the county. Thomas Laidley and William Robinson, both residents of present-day Monongalia County, also purchased large tracts of land that were later purchased by settlers.

Important Events in Marion County during the 1800s

Oral history indicates that in 1808 Boaz Fleming made his annual trek to Clarksburg to pay his brother's Harrison County taxes. While in Clarksburg he attended a social gathering that included Dolly Madison, his cousin. He complained to her about having to travel over a hundred miles each year from his home to pay his Monongalia County taxes and his brother's Harrison County taxes. Dolly Madison supposedly suggested that he create his own county to save him all that travel. Six years later, Boaz Fleming circulated a petition to do precisely that, naming the proposed county Madison County, in honor of Dolly and President James Madison. The petition failed to gain sufficient support to be presented to the Virginia General Assembly. He then focused on creating a town near his farm. In 1819, a road was built from Clarksburg to Morgantown. His farm was about halfway between the two, making a good resting point. He laid out the town on the west side of the Monongahela River in 1819. It was incorporated on January 19, 1820 as Middletown. It is unknown if the town was called Middletown because of its location mid-way between Clarksburg and Morgantown or because Boaz Fleming's first wife, Elizabeth Hutchinson, was originally from Middletown, Delaware.

Middletown was named newly-formed Marion County's first county seat on February 18, 1842. At that time, William Haymond, Jr. suggested that the town's name be changed to Fairmont because the town had a beautiful overlook of the Monongahela River, giving it a "fair mount." The Borough of Fairmont was incorporated in 1843 by the Virginia General Assembly.

In 1838, the town of Palatine was laid out on the east side of the Monongahela River, opposite Middletown. It was settled by Germans from the Palatinate States of southwestern Germany and they named the town after their homeland. It was incorporated in 1867. In 1899, Fairmont, Palatine, and neighboring West Fairmont were merged into a single city.

On January 22, 1852, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Fairmont, opening up the area for economic development, especially the development of the area's coal mining industry. Also that year a suspension bridge, the Great Iron Bridge, was constructed to accommodate foot and wagon traffic between Fairmont and Palatine.

In 1865, a privately-owned normal school opened in Fairmont to train teachers that would be required to fill the state legislature's mandate of having free public schools in every county. In 1867, Fairmont Normal School was accepted as one of three normal schools owned and operated by the state of West Virginia. In 1917, the school was named Fairmont State Teachers College and is currently known as Fairmont State College.