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This detailed guide to genealogical sources and resources in West Virginia covers what records to look for, what is available, and where it can be found.

From the large to the small, it identifies records on the state and regional level and then county level (county by county), providing details of vital records, Bible records, church records, cemetery records, newspapers, naturalizations, military records, county and regional records, census records (including special schedules, indexes, and census substitutes), land records, maps, and city directories. Also included is a detailed bibliography of West Virginia genealogical sources--again statewide, regional, and countywide. Also there are appendices with: (1) a complete inventory of the Historical Records Survey Archives on microfilm, and (2) a list of West Virginians who filed Civil War damage claims, 1871-1880. The main focus of the book, however, is on the holdings of the various institutions whose resources support the genealogist's special needs. County by county, it lists the names, addresses, and business hours of libraries, archives, societies, courthouses, and other record repositories; describes their manuscript and record collections; highlights their special holdings; and provides details regarding queries, searches, and restrictions on the use of their records.