Collections : [West Virginia and Regional History Center]

West Virginia and Regional History Center

West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Primary Collecting Areas:
West Virginia and Appalachia History and Culture
Description:
The West Virginia & Regional History Center preserves and provides access to the records that document the history and culture of the state and the central Appalachian region. The Center is part of West Virginia University Libraries.
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Start Over Repository West Virginia and Regional History Center Date range 1782 Subjects Surveyors and surveying.

Deakins Family Papers 0.25 Linear Feet Summary: 3 in. (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (1 oversize folder, 1/2 in.)

Deakins family

Additional Deakins family papers, consisting of correspondence, bond of conveyance, deeds, surveys and plats. [ALS] to Colonel Francis Deakin from John Compton, 1793, relative to surveys made by John Compton in 1792; bond of conveyance for land in Randolph County owned by Deakins heirs, 1809; five deeds for land owned by the Deakins family in Randolph and Preston counties W. Va., 1808-1885; 1848 deed from Francis Deakins to Northwestern Turnpike Co.; seven surveys and plats for lands in Preston, Tucker, Harrison and Upshur counties, largely owned by the Deakins family, 1788-1881.

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Deakins Family Papers and Surveying Compass 2.5 Linear Feet 2 ft. 6 1/4 in. (5 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 5 in.); (1 oversize folder, 1/4 in.)

Deakins family
Includes records from several generations of the Deakins family of Montgomery County, Maryland and north central West Virginia. William (1742-1798) and Francis (1739-1804) Deakins, among the first generation, were active as land speculators after the American Revolution, applying their skills as surveyors to leverage acquisition of western lands. From 1778 their activities are documented through deeds, agreements, surveys, plats, surveyors' field books, court papers, and letters related to land purchased in Harrison, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Tucker, and Upshur counties. Other papers concern Leonard M. Deakins (1747-1824) and his descendants. Of special significance in the collection is the compass used by Francis Deakins to survey the "Deakins Line" in 1787-1788, a north-south line separating western Maryland from (West) Virginia.
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Hardy and Hampshire Counties Records 0.15 Linear Feet 1 reel of microfilm (1 vol.), 1.75 in.

Copies of Fairfax grants and surveys made or copied by James William Kuykendall, county surveyor; record of the town lots in Moorefield; extracts from Hardy and Hampshire County records; cemetery readings; muster roll of the McNeill's Rangers, 1861-1865; prospectus for Kuykendall family history, and local history items. The volume contains detailed records for Cunningham, Harness, Kuykendall, Parsons, and Van Meter families. Other records pertain to the Casey, Fisher, Hite, Hopkins, McMechan, McNeill, Marshall, Moore, Pancake, Renick, Seymour, Sherrard, Welton, and Yocum families.
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James William Kuykendall Papers 3 Linear Feet Summary: 2 ft. 11 1/2 in. (7 document cases, 5 in. each); (3 oversize folders, 1/2 in.)

Kuykendall, James William
Papers of a land surveyor from Hardy County include family and business correspondence, 1888-1926; letters from George Benson Kuykendall on family genealogy, 1911-1914; Kuykendall's correspondence as a member of the county board of education, 1908-1915; account books, diaries, surveying notes, Sunday school class book, 1876-1923; and plats, surveys, and deeds of land in the Hardy-Grant County area.
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McCoy Family Papers 1.7 Linear Feet 1 ft. 8 in. (3 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 5 in.); (1 oversize folder, 1 item)

McCoy family
Business correspondence and papers, including land grants and deeds, 1761-1881, surveys, wills, and account books of William McCoy, Sr. and Jr., of Pendleton County. There are papers on the administration of estates; management of property in Mercer, Pendleton, and Randolph counties, and in Augusta and Highland counties, Virginia, for absentee owners; and on farm operations. There is material on the Central Bank of Virginia at Staunton; the Moorefield and North Branch Turnpike Company; and on military units in the eastern parts of West Virginia during the Civil War, including letters, orders, and requisitions. Also includes record of land transaction between Levi Hollingsworth and Robert McCulloh regarding 11,435 acres in Pendleton County (1803).
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Monongalia County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers 273.54 Linear Feet (343 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 records carton, 15 in.); (1 flat storage box, 3 in.); (83 record books, 17 ft. 7 in.); (175 flat boxes (nonstandard), 4 in. each); (340 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each); (58 reels of microfilm, 0.75 in. each)

Monongalia County Court

County court records consisting primarily of records of court proceedings including dockets, executions, orders, and fees as well as case papers and public records consisting primarily of land and property records including deeds, land, and personal property books. There are also some records of private businesses, private organizations, Sheriff's records, and voting records. This collection consists of three series and an addendum.

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Preston County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers 4.15 Linear Feet Summary: 4 ft. 1.75 in. (5 document cases, 5 in. each); (2 large flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (1 Oversized record carton, 17 in.); (1 reel of microfilm, 1.75 in.)

Preston County
Records of the Preston County court, consisting almost entirely of land records such as maps, surveys, plats, deeds, and indentures. There are also some personal papers and correspondence of Preston County residents, including Israel Baldwin and Julius K. Monroe, and the Fairfax family. Some photographs from this collection have been digitized.
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Roy Bird Cook (1886-1961), Collector, Tavenner Family Papers and Other Material 1.1 Linear Feet 1 ft. 1 in. (2 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 large flat storage box, 3 in.)

Cook, Roy Bird, 1886-1961
Papers of Thomas Tavenner and the Tavenner family of western Virginia, including correspondence; memoirs; journals; financial and legal documents; pamphlets; newspapers; and other material. Much of the material in this collection regards the Civil War. The Tavenner family were Confederate sympathizers.
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Roy Bird Cook, Collector, Tavenner Family Papers and Other Material 0.25 Linear Feet 3 in. (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (1 oversize folder, 1/4 in.)

Cook, Roy Bird, 1886-1961
Papers of the Tavenner family of western Virginia, including correspondence, newspaper clippings, maps, and other material. Much of the material in this collection regards the Civil War. The Tavenner family was sympathetic to the Confederate cause. One member of the family, William Cabell Tavenner, served in the Confederate army; his letters are part of the collection. This collection also contains material related to families allied to the Tavenner family by marriage, particularly the Withers family, including material regarding Alexander Scott Withers and his book Chronicles of Border Warfare . The collection is organized into six series, including: 1. Genealogy (1868-1952); 2. Correspondence (1778-1953); 3. Maps (1863, 1939, undated); 4. Miscellaneous (1822-1950, undated); 5. Newspaper Clippings (1829-1931); and 6. Oversize Materials (1829-1861). Please see "Scope and Content Note" and "Historical Note" for further information.
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Samuel Hanway Papers 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1/4 in. (1 oversize folder)

Hanway, Samuel
Manuscript surveys and plats of land in Monongalia and Preston counties, West Virginia, by Samuel Hanway, county surveyor. There are papers showing acreage and owners; an early plat of Morgantown showing streets, lots and numbers; plat of courses of the Monongalia and Preston County boundary; maps of Monongalia and Preston counties, including a map of eleven tracts of land on Prichard and Whiteday Creek, Monongalia County, which notes the Morgantown-Clarksburg Road, Cratzer's Tavern, and the Van Swearing(en) Walnut Tavern and Mill.
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