From the Editor:
History Day 2001 at the West Virginia Legislature will be March 22.
Genealogical, historical and preservation societies should have
received their History Day flyers and History Hero nomination forms
from the Division of Culture and History, Archives and History. If
your organization is not on our mailing list or did not receive
these items, please call Sharon Newhouse (304-558-0230) in Archives
and History for further information. Each organization is entitled
to nominate one person as a West Virginia History Hero. Please take
advantage of this opportunity to recognize someone in your
community who has made outstanding contributions to furthering
knowledge and preservation of West Virginia history. Individuals
who are not members of any of the qualified organizations are
encouraged to direct their suggestions for nominees to a society in
their community. We hope you will visit the Archives Library while
you are in Charleston!
HISTORIC WEST VIRGINIA
NOW AVAILABLE
Historic West Virginia, a 156-page soft-cover compendium of the state's listings in the National Register of Historic Places, is available free while supplies last from the State Historic Preservation Office of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. If you would like to have a copy, please call Katherine Jourdan, (304) 558-0220, Ext. 156, and give her your name and full mailing address. A copy will be mailed to you. If you are visiting the Capitol Complex, you may pick up a copy in the Cultural Center. Congratulations to the State Historic Preservation Office for their excellent work!
THREE WAYS TO SEARCH
BY SURNAME
THROUGH THE
WEST VIRGINIA ARCHIVES LIBRARY
AND WEB SITE
SURNAME FILES
The Archives Library maintains files of family history and notable individual biographical information by surname. Previously this material was divided between folders on individuals in our Clipping File and surname folders in our Family History File. We have combined the two into a new system we call the Surname File. We currently have files for almost 1000 names, from Abbott to Zumwalt. A typical Surname File will contain newspaper clippings about persons or families with that name, whether it is a feature article or a report from a reunion. We try to clip articles and obituaries for anyone 100 years or older, as well as wedding anniversary or 75 years or older birthday announcements that include biographical information of interest to genealogists. We do not clip engagement, wedding and birth announcements, unless there is something particularly unusual or notable about the article, such as first baby of the year in a community, etc. We also clip four and five generation family photographs.
Some patrons donate regularly to their family's Surname Files, giving us copies of recent obituaries and other announcements, updated family trees, surveys of family cemeteries on private property, or copies of family photos and Bible pages. Family histories of less than 50 pages are also placed in this file if they are not suitable for the Library's Pamphlet File. (Family histories of over 50 pages are evaluated for binding.) If you wish to donate original materials relating to your family, we ask that you identify the source of the information, such as the name and address of the genealogist who prepared the document. Clippings should include the full name ("Charleston Gazette," not just "Gazette") of the newspaper or magazine, plus the date, written in pencil. Identify all persons and places in photographs, preferably in pencil or acid-free ink. (Do not donate items for the Surname File unless you are willing to make them public and to allow photocopying. We discourage placement of copies of documents and official records in these files. Items you wish to restrict possibly may be donated in other ways.)
We are in the process of compiling a list of the contents of each surname file for placement on our Web site. Once this bibliography is completed, users will be able to request copies of articles or other items listed, just as they can currently request copies of clippings as listed in our County History Resources bibliography on line. There will be a nominal charge for the photocopies and postage.
GENEALOGY SURNAME EXCHANGE
The Genealogy Surname Exchange is a service provided by the Archives as a means for genealogists to aid each other in family history research. Persons who have information to share on specific surnames may register with West Virginia Archives and History for up to five names per researcher. Over 1400 researchers from almost every state and several foreign countries are currently listed, providing contacts for over 3000 family names. The Surname Exchange list is accessible on our Web site, and in a notebook in the Archives and History Library. Simply find the surname you are interested in on the surname list, jot down the registration numbers of the researchers associated with that name, then look them up in the researcher section. Many genealogists now include their e-mail addresses, which Joe Geiger has turned into a hot link for you so that all you have to do is click on the e-mail address for access.
If you would like to be included as a researcher on the Genealogy Surname Exchange, simply submit the on-line form available through our Web site, or write to Joe Geiger at our address. Please direct any questions concerning listings on the Surname Exchange to Joe as well.
FAMILY HISTORY BOOKS
Most family histories only list one surname in the title, although the family is obviously composed of persons with many different surnames. Others list the full names of both ancestors in a marriage, such as "Descendents of John Brown and Mary Miller Brown." Because a book can be cataloged with only the main family name as part of the Dewey Decimal number, such as "929.2 M647" for a predominantly Miller family history, browsing the Library shelves in the "M" section of family histories under 929.2 will only find a portion of our books on Millers. As new family history titles are being added to the Archives Library collection, an effort is being made to include as subject headings any other surnames significantly mentioned in each book. For this reason, when looking for material on a specific surname such as "Miller" in the Archives Library, be sure to check the on-line library catalog under the subject heading of "Miller Family" to be sure you find more books that have information on Millers, not just the books shelved under the Miller name. For example, Baxter Family USA includes a lot of Millers, as do books about the Lockhart, Cherrington and Morris families that are in the Archives and History Library collection. Some family histories are also kept in the Pamphlet File in our Closed Stacks and will not be found except through use of the Library catalog. Our Library staff is always willing to assist you in using the computerized catalog.
WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNORS'
INAUGURAL ADDRESSES
NOW ON-LINE
The texts of all available inaugural addresses of West Virginia's governors can now be read on the Archives and History Web site. As the state prepares to inaugurate our 33rd governor, see what past governors have had to say to the citizens of West Virginia after taking their oaths of office.
Biographies of West Virginia governors can be accessed from the same page. Both history buffs and school students should find this addition to our on-line services interesting and helpful.
This newsletter is a publication of :
The Division of Culture and History
Archives and History
The Cultural Center
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300
(304) 558-0230
Commissioner: Louis A. Capaldini
ARCHIVES PROVIDES
INAUGURAL FILM FOOTAGE
Dick Fauss, Archivist, has provided film footage of past West Virginia gubernatorial inaugurations to both WSAZ and West Virginia Public Television to be used in their 2001 coverage of the inauguration of Bob Wise. The clips will be used to provide historical perspective and background information for the current ceremony.
ARE YOU AN AUTHOR?
Have you written a novel, a family history, or perhaps a special newspaper story for your hometown paper? Have you published a book of poetry or of reflections on life in your community? Is your historical or genealogical society distributing a county records index or compiling members' family trees? The Archives is interested in anything you or your organization have had published or have prepared in manuscript form that we can add to our collection. Your work would be available to researchers and would be kept for posterity. Remember, we are not just a depository for all things about West Virginia and West Virginians, but also for materials written by West Virginia natives and residents. Please call or write us to find out if your publication or manuscript meets our collection guidelines.
DECEMBER NEW TITLES
French Harding: Civil War Memoirs: Victor L. Thacker, editor, 2000.
Some descendants of Robert Barnhill, I: Immigrant Who Settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania: A. Virgil Barnhill, Jr., 1994.
Santa Claus 1999 Collection: Better Homes and Gardens, 1999. [Includes photograph of belsnickles provided by the Archives.]
Early Art and Artists in West Virginia: An Introduction and Biographical Directory: John Cuthbert, 2000.
Historic West Virginia: The National Register of Historic Places: West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation Office, 2000.
Faith in the Mountains: A History of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston: 1850-2000: Tricia T. Pyne, 2000.
ARCHIVES AND HISTORY STAFF
Fredrick Armstrong: Director
Debra Basham: Archivist (photographs, special collections)
Greg Carroll: Historian (Civil War, Native American history)
Dick Fauss: Archivist (microfilm and moving images)
Elaine Gates: Part-time Library Assistant (microfilming and
microfilm repairs)
Joe Geiger: Historian (Web page)
Ed Hicks: Photographer (archival photography, darkroom)
Mary Johnson: Historian (West Virginia History)
Jaime Lynch: Library Assistant (Records of the 1700's and early
1800's, Pennsylvania)
Cathy Miller: Library Assistant (WV State documents,
periodicals)
Sharon Newhouse: Secretary to the Director
Harold Newman: Library Assistant (microfilming, Revolutionary
War)
Pat Pleska: Part-time Library Assistant (Clipping File)
Susan Scouras: Librarian (cataloging, Kentucky, library collection,
newsletter editor)
Bobby Taylor: Library Manager
Nancy Waggoner: Office Assistant
Contract employees working on special projects:
Constance Baston and Allen Fowler.
We need volunteers to assist with several different projects in the Archives and History Library. High school and college students seeking public service hours are welcome. Please call for further information.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
CHECK OUR WEB SITE (http://www.wvculture.org/history) FOR GENEALOGICAL and HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND FOR MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES LISTED BELOW:
MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY, JAN. 15. Archives Library will be open.*
LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY, FEB. 12. TBA#
WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY, FEB. 19. TBA#
HISTORY HERO NOMINATIONS DEADLINE, FEB. 24. (Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 24.)
HISTORY DAY 2001, MARCH 22. Capitol Complex, Charleston.
"STANDING ON THE MOUNTAIN, LOOKING TO THE FUTURE." MARCH 30- APRIL 1. Annual Conference of the Appalachian Studies Association, Snowshoe Mountain Conference Center.
ANNUAL WEST VIRGINIA BLACK HISTORY CONFERENCE, APRIL 30-MAY 1. West Virginia State College History Dept., Institute.
GENEALOGY FAIR, MAY 12. West Virginia Genealogical Society, Elkview.
#Please call before coming to see if the Archives Library will be open. *Only the Archives Library will be staffed--all other Archives offices will be closed.
The State Museum will be open any time the Archives Library is open. The West Virginia Library Commission Library in the Cultural Center is closed weekends and all holidays.
ARCHIVES LIBRARY HOURS ARE 9:00 A.M. TO 5:00 P.M. MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND 1:00 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M. ON SATURDAYS. HOLIDAY HOURS ARE AS POSTED.