West Virginia roots run deep, but the records that prove them are scattered and half hidden. This is where we share what we find: research guides, overlooked record collections, and the methods that actually work. When you want to compare notes, join us on The Front Porch, our free private community. Let's see if we're related?
Here is a truth that changes how you research. A huge share of the records you need are already digitized and completely free. They are just invisible. Not because they sit behind a paywall, but because no one has indexed them, so a name search finds nothing and...
Most genealogy advice treats every state the same. Start with yourself, work backward, check the census. That gets you exactly as far as everyone else, and then you hit the wall every West Virginia genealogy research project eventually hits. The Mountain State is not...
If you have read my earlier post about qualifying for DAR membership, you know that my gateway ancestor is Captain Benjamin Clement of Virginia. With America 250 arriving this July, I have been sitting with his story more than usual. This post goes deeper than what I...
One day, as I was searching the web to learn more about my genealogy, I stumbled upon the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Descendants Database. I found information about my ancestor, Stephen Butterworth and discovered I could purchase record copies (copies...
The information I have about Edward (Edwin) Wills is very limited and comes primarily from census data. I have not been able to pinpoint his exact year of birth, his age varies from one census to another by just a couple of years. I am a descendant through his...
John Harvey Wills, the father of my great grandmother Lottie Mae Wills, was born in Bedford County, Virginia according to his reporting in various census records. The 1900 census has him in the Cabin Creek District of Kanawha County WV. It gives his birth date...
Honzura Rider was born April 7, 1888. His birth record has him named Hans Ulrich Rider. Somehow this became Honzura but there isn't much record to explain when he started using Honzura. I've just assumed it was a breakdown of pronunciation of Hans...
Virgil Floyd Rider in an undated photo. Meet my grandfather, Virgil Floyd Rider. Virgil was born August 11, 1912 in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The birth certificate that I have was generated from an affidavit from his father when Virgil was 27 years...
The image featured above is located on USGen Web and is identified as Kemp, Z Willis As I did some exploring on this name, I found quite a lot of information and it reaffirmed the identity of the man whose name I found on the back of a cabinet photo in an album I...
After a long time away from my blog, my genealogy projects and my other hobbies I finally had the opportunity to work them back into my routine. I decided to do a little exploring at some area shops and spend some time with two of my favorite people, my daughter...
Join our private community! 100% free. Our interactive social community is for our followers ONLY.
Join discussions, share your thoughts, the same way you would on an actual front porch, chatting with friends.
