MONROE COUNTY, VA HISTORY AND LOOKUP (EXTINCT COUNTY, NOW IN WV)
Table of Contents
- In-Print County History Books
- Free Public Domain County History Books
- Related Books
- Concise County History
- Comments & Suggestion
In-Print County History Books
These titles are currently in print and selected for their relevance to local and county history. Click anywhere on the book listing below, each listing links directly to the book’s purchase page.
Book Title TBD
This book is still being located or processed. Details will be added once available.
Free County History Books
This section features a curated collection of county history books sourced from public domain archives. Each book provides valuable insights into local history and heritage. Click anywhere on the book listing below, each listing links directly to the book’s public domain resource.
Book Title TBD
This book is still being located or processed. Details will be added once available.
Related Books
This section highlights additional county and local history titles that complement the main collection. These books are selected for their relevance, historical value, and research usefulness. Click anywhere on the book listing below, and each listing links directly to the corresponding resource or purchase page.
Book Title TBD
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Monroe County, Virginia: A Genealogical Overview
Located in the Allegheny Mountains of what is now the state of West Virginia, Monroe County is an area rich in frontier, Revolutionary, and Civil War history. For genealogists, its past is defined by its origins as a vast Virginia frontier county, its unique development around mineral springs and agriculture, and its political separation from Virginia during the Civil War. All records created prior to 1863 are Virginia records.
I. County Formation and Evolution
Monroe County’s relationship with its parent county and its inclusion in the state of West Virginia are the most critical pieces of information for researchers tracing family lines in the region.
- Year of Creation: 1799.
- Parent County: It was formed entirely from Greenbrier County, (then) Virginia. Researchers seeking records that pre-date 1799 must consult the records of Greenbrier County.
- Original Territory & Daughter Counties: Monroe County’s territory has been reduced since its formation by the creation of a new county. Summers County, West Virginia, was formed in 1871 in part from Monroe County land.
- Boundary Changes: The single most significant boundary change occurred on June 20, 1863. On that date, Monroe County was one of the 50 Virginia counties admitted to the Union as the new state of West Virginia. This politically separated it from Virginia, and all records created after this date are West Virginia records.
- Bordering Counties:
- Greenbrier County, WV (north)
- Alleghany County, VA (east)
- Craig County, VA (southeast)
- Giles County, VA (south)
- Mercer County, WV (southwest)
- Summers County, WV (west)
II. Settlement and Early History
- Early Inhabitants: Before European colonization, the area was a key hunting ground and travel route for Native American peoples, primarily the Shawnee and Cherokee nations.
- First Pioneers and Settlement: Settlement by Scots-Irish and German colonists began in earnest in the 1760s, pushing over the mountains from the established Valley of Virginia. The county was named for James Monroe, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress and future fifth President of the United States. Unlike eastern Virginia, the society that developed was based on small-scale farming and livestock, with several notable mineral springs (such as Red Sulphur Springs and Salt Sulphur Springs) becoming popular resorts in the antebellum period.
- Civil War Significance: As a mountainous county with an economy not dependent on slavery, sentiment in Monroe County was deeply divided during the Virginia Secession Crisis of 1861. While the county’s delegates ultimately voted for secession, there was a strong pro-Union faction. The county contributed soldiers to both the Confederate and Union armies. Its primary significance was its inclusion in the new state of West Virginia in 1863, which effectively separated it from the Confederacy and the Old Dominion. The county was the site of several small skirmishes and troop movements throughout the war.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
This section provides the practical information needed to locate ancestral records, keeping the statehood change in mind.
- County Seat: Union, West Virginia. This has been the only county seat since the county’s formation in 1799.
- Record Loss & Preservation: Monroe County is a treasure for genealogists as it is one of West Virginia’s “unburned” counties. Its records are remarkably complete and were not destroyed during the Civil War. The courthouse holds a nearly complete run of historical records from the county’s formation in 1799.
- Location of Records:
- Monroe County Courthouse: Located at 216 Main Street, Union, WV 24983. This is the central repository for historical records from its creation in 1799. This includes a full run of deeds, wills, court orders, and marriage records.
- Vital Records:
- Birth and Death Records: As a Virginia county, records were kept from 1853-1862. These may be at the courthouse or the Library of Virginia. As a West Virginia county, official registration began at the county level in 1863. Statewide registration began in 1917. Inquiries should be directed to the Monroe County Clerk or the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
- Marriage Records: Marriage bonds and licenses are available from 1799 onward and are held at the courthouse in Union.
- Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
- Monroe County Public Library: Located in Union, it serves as a starting point for local history research and holds published family histories, local histories, and other genealogical resources.
- The Library of Virginia: Located in Richmond, VA, this is an essential resource for any pre-1863 research, holding state-level records such as tax lists, land patents, and military service records for when Monroe was part of Virginia.
- West Virginia Division of Archives and History: Located in Charleston, WV, this is the primary state archive for all post-1863 records and holds a vast collection of supplemental materials for West Virginia research.
This county history was generated by AI and may be inaccurate or incomplete; please verify important information independently.