Kanawha County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 0145
County court records consisting primarily of court case papers, related court record books (dockets, execution books, fee books, witness books, etc.), and public records concerning a variety of topics including land records, schools, and marriages. There are also a few private account books relating to various local industries, including salt, mining, sawmills, steamboats, and general stores.
Series 1-Microfilm consists of 373 reels of microfilm. The first 271 reels, KAN 1-271, are copies of the first 296 boxes of paper materials (see series 2). Reels KAN 272-KAN 290 are copies of most of the record books in the collection (see series 3), excluding items 83, 87, 88 and 96. The remainder of the reels are copies of the card index to this collection, an extensive alphabetical, chronological, and subject index to the paper materials in Series 2.
Series 2-Paper Materials, consists of 541 boxes of county court records, primarily case papers. Boxes 297-541 have not been microfilmed. This collection also includes an 1869 Reward Poster for Ed Sullivan (formerly in Box 256, env. 1869-35, now in oversize folder 1) and 4 bank notes for the “Bank of the Union” (Box 171, env. 1851-1). See Series 1, reels KAN 358-373, the subject index, for more information on what kind of topics appear in the paper materials. Highlights of Series 2 include records of enslavement, military affairs, the jail, early land, and other miscellaneous records of note, as well as many records of the Ruffner Family. See Series 2 scope and content note for more details.
Series 3-Record Books, consists of 18 original copies of record books. Apart from court records, there are a few private records of local businesses, including mining companies, a sawmill, and a steam ship.
For materials in boxes 1-296 and most record books, researchers should use microfilm. Boxes 297-541 and items 96, 87, 88, and 83 have not been microfilmed, but are open for research.
All microfilm, item 201 (SC folders 1 and 2), and noted materials formerly in boxes 46, 68, and 256 (now in oversize folders 1 and 2) are stored on-site. All other original material is stored offsite; please make an appointment prior to visiting.
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.
274.85 Linear Feet (Summary: 274 ft. 10 in. (541 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 records carton, 15 in.); (2 ledgers, 1.5 in.); (2 oversize folders, 4 items); (2 folders, .5 in.); (290 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each); (83 reels of microfilm, .75 in. each); (1 small flat storage box, 3 in.); (1 record storage box, 3.5 in.))
English
County court records consisting primarily of court case papers, related court record books (dockets, execution books, fee books, witness books, etc.), and public records concerning a variety of topics including land records, schools, and marriages. There are also a few private account books relating to various local industries, including salt, mining, sawmills, steamboats, and general stores.
This collection is arranged into three series: Microfilm, Paper Materials, and Record Books. For Series 2-Paper Materials, the papers are sorted into envelopes, which are arranged chronologically. The envelopes are labeled with the year followed by the envelope number (ex. 1804-2 would be envelope 2 of the records for 1804). Envelopes may also indicate the level of court (i.e. County Court, Circuit Court, etc.).
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 from Kanawha County Court, 1938.
Item 200, Typed Transcript of Minute Book #46, is a gift of Dr. Roy Bird Cook, 1939.
Beginning with reel KAN 188, the title cards incorrectly identify the box numbers where the originals can be found. All of the envelope numbers are correct; box numbers should be disregarded. To identify the correct box number, see the contents list for this collection.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository