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Pleasants County History and Information |
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County History |
Court Records |
Vital Records |
CENSUS Records |
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Church & Cemetery | Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites | |
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Pleasants County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1851 from parts of Ritchie, Tyler and Wood counties. It was named in honor of James Pleasants, Jr. (1769-1839). The County Seat is St. Mary's, which was incorporated in 1872, but the charter was repealed in 1876. It was incorporated again in 1880. The discovery of oil in the area following the Civil War helped the city grow and prosper. James Pleasants Jr., was born in Goochland County, Virginia on October 24, 1769. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Goochland County. He served in the Virginia General Assembly from 1796 to 1803 and was the clerk of the Virginia lower house from 1803 to 1810. He represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1811 to 1819 and in the U.S. Senate from 1819 to 1822. He then was the Governor of Virginia from 1822 to 1825. He died on November 9, 1839. Robert Cavelier de La Salle was probably the first European to set foot in present Pleasants County. He sailed down the Ohio River in 1669. In 1749, Louis Bienville de Celeron sailed down the Ohio River, and may have set foot in present day Pleasants County. He claimed all of the lands drained by the Ohio River for King Louis XV of France. He met several English fur traders on his journey and ordered them off of French soil and wrote strong letters of reprimand to the colonial governors protesting the English's presence on French soil. Despite de Celeron's warning, many English fur traders and hunters continued to visit Pleasants County during the early 1700s, but their names have not been recorded. The first name that does appear in the memoirs of the era was an English fur trader named Tygart, who was said to have lived on Middle Island around 1765. In 1770, George Washington explored the area. The first, permanent settlers were Isaac and Jacob LaRue, Frenchmen who had been granted a large tract of land in the present county for their service to the colonies during the American Revolutionary War. They built a cabin on Middle Island in 1790. At that time, the entire county was a wilderness. In 1797, Basil Riggs settled above Raven Rocks narrows and starting in 1800 the county's population began to increase as several families moved into the county annually. The first meeting of the county court took place on May 15, 1851 at the home of Alexander H. Creel, at St. Mary's. At that time, there were less than 1,500 people living in the county. A collection was taken to raise $5,300 for the construction of a courthouse and jail, with Alexander H. Creel donating the most, $700. The county court then meet at the house of Isaac Reynolds while construction of the public buildings continued. The construction took a long time, and it was not until June 11, 1854 that the courthouse was completed and occupied. The land comprising St. Mary's, the county seat, was originally owned by Henry Thomas and was chartered as a town by the Virginia General Assembly in 1815. He transferred the title to the land to William McClerry, who transferred it to Stephen West. West's heirs later transferred the title to the land to Alexander H. Creel's father, who, in turn, passed it onto his son, the founder of St. Mary's, in 1834. Local legend had suggested that when Alexander H. Creel passed the area on a steamboat he had a vision in his sleep of the Virgin Mary who informed him that he was viewing “the site of what will one day be a happy and prosperous city.” Once fully awake, he supposedly opened the outer door to his state room and clearly saw the lower end of Middle Island and the cove beyond. He marked the sight in his mind, returned, bought the land, and started the city. Record books of the time, however, indicate that the land was actually purchased by his father. In any case, he apparently changed his mind because he sold the land in 1837 to Hugh L. Pickens and started another settlement nearby, called Vaucluse. In 1849, he returned to the area, repurchased that portion of his land that is currently St. Mary's, and had Thomas Browse, another prominent citizen of the area, lay out the town for him. Creel named the town, then known as Pickens' Bottom, in honor of the Virgin Mary. Most historians believe that Creel returned to St. Mary's in anticipation of the extension of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to the town. At that time, there were only three or four houses in the town. Its population grew some after being named the county seat (it is said that all of the inhabitants of Vaucluse moved to St. Mary's after St. Mary's was named the county seat). Unfortunately, the railroad line to Ohio was built through Wheeling, with a branch to Parkersburg, leaving St. Mary's isolated and with a population of less than 200 through the Civil War years. See also Extended History for more historical details. Areas adjacent to Pleasants County are Washington County, Ohio (north), Tyler County (east), Ritchie County (southeast), Wood County (southwest). Pleasants County Cities and Towns Include Belmont, Eureka, Saint Marys, Willow Island
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Pleasants County Clerk has Land Records from 1851,
Marriage Records from 1853, Probate Records from 1852 and Birth & Death Records from 1853 -Present and is located at the Courthouse,
301
Court Lane, St. Marys, WV 26170; 304-684-7637, Fax:
304-684-7569. Pleasants County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1851 and is located at the Courthouse,
301 Courthouse Lane, St.
Marys, WV 26170-1317; 304-684-3232, Fax:
304-684-3514 . Since West Virginia was part of Virginia prior to 1863, see Virginia Databases for all records before that date.
Below is a list of online resources for Pleasants County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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Vital Records, 350 Capitol St, Rm 165, Charleston, WV 25301-3701, Please allow up to approximately 2-3 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:
Order In Person: The certificates may be ordered by coming into this office. If you want the copy the same day, our hours for same day service are Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00 Eastern Time except for official holidays. The West Virginia Vital Records Office is located at Room 165, 350 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301-3701; Phone: 304-558-9100.
Map 1, Map 2 Since West Virginia was part of Virginia prior to 1863, see Virginia Databases for all records before that date. Below is a list of online resources for Pleasants County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Pleasants County, West Virginia are (See Virginia Censuses 1860) 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Pleasants County, West Virginia are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880. (NOTE: For the years 1860, Pleasants County was located in Virginia) See Also Statewide Records that exist for West Virginia Below is a list of online resources for Pleasants County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Census Records by clicking the link below: |
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Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for West Virginia and other states. Below is a list of online resources for Pleasants County Maps. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Maps by clicking the link below: |
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The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. Below is a list of online resources for Pleasants County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Pleasants County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
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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 Pleasants County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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There are many churches and cemeteries in Pleasants County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Pleasants 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 Pleasants County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Pleasants County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Pleasants County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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