Brooke County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 0043
County court and public records consisting primarily of case papers and record books related to court proceedings, as well as some personal property and land tax records and private account books.
This collection is divided into three series, Microfilm, Original Paper Materials, and Record Books.
Series 1 is microfilm copies of most of the material in the collection, predominantly copies of the paper materials in boxes 1-148. Reels 129-156 are filmed copies of record books, about half of which are books of court proceedings, such as Dockets, Plea Books, Process Books, and Order Books; the other half are public records including tax records and private account books.
Series 2 consists of 156 boxes of papers, predominantly civil case papers, as well as some criminal case papers and public records. These cases have to do with debt and chancery proceedings, as well as some marriage, estate, survey, and election records. Survey and plat records span from 1790-1862. Furthermore, this series also has lunacy records from 1798-1876, including examinations, bonds, warrants, executions, depositions, and reports from 1798-1876, and records of accounts for running jail, care for prisoners, and inspections. There are also records of enslaved and freedpeople (see card index entry under “Negro,” including 1813 “Lists of Free Negroes,” (Env. 8); a case against Joseph Wheatley for entertaining Charles, a man enslaved by Absalom Wells, without Wells’ permission (1814, env. 89); and a suit of Pero Smith, Sarah Smith, and Sidney, free persons, against Fergus Smith for a charge of false imprisonment (1812, env. 285). Pero, Sarah, and Sidney also appear on the first page of the “Free Negro Register.”
Series 3 contains the original court record books for Brooke County as well as some private account books that were in the court's possession, likely used as exhibitions in cases. All of the record books except for an account book of John Connell’s inventories (item 145-A) have been microfilmed. The books include records of court proceedings, including dockets, executions, orders and pleas, as well as public records. Public records include land and property, deeds, overseers of the poor, and a register of Free Black people in the county.
For materials in boxes 1-148, and all record books except item 145-A, researchers should use microfilm.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
99.15 Linear Feet (Summary: 99 ft. 1.8 in. (156 document cases, 5 in. each); (4 records cartons, 15 in. each); (1 flat record box, 3 in.); (21 ledgers, 4 ft. 2 1/2 in.); (156 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each); (31 reels of microfilm, .75 in. each))
English
County court and public records consisting primarily of case papers and record books related to court proceedings, as well as some personal property and land tax records and private account books.
This collection is arranged in three series by material type. The paper materials in series 2 are in envelopes and are arranged numerically by envelope number. The envelopes are generally arranged chronologically, and the envelope number, year, and court level are written on the outside of the envelope.
All original material is stored offsite; please make an appointment prior to visiting.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Gift of the Brooke County Seat, 1936.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository