Boone County, West Virginia Genealogy Records

Which records survive from Boone County, the years each set covers, and where to find them.

Formed
1847
County seat
Madison

Records that survive

These are the record books from Boone County that the Library of Virginia has on microfilm, grouped into series with the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps. The original books are still kept by the county.

Wills and estates

  • Fiduciary and Officials' Bond Book1865
  • Register of Wills1865–1899
  • Will Book1865–1938
  • List of Fiduciaries1900–1908
  • Fiduciary Record Book1909–1937

Marriages, births and deaths

  • Register of Marriages1860–1899
  • Register of Births1865–1890
  • Register of Deaths1865–1899

Court records

  • Record Book1855–1881
  • Order Book1865–1902

Military and pensions

  • Discharge Book1917–1927

See every volume and reel at the Library of Virginia

Source: Library of Virginia, West Virginia County Records Microfilm. The reels can be viewed in Richmond but can't be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Counties began recording births and deaths in 1853; the state began collecting them in 1917, though most state records from 1917 to 1920 were lost in a fire.

Where to find the records

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Cabell County, Kanawha County, Logan County

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Cabell County, Kanawha County, Logan County

Later formed partly from Boone County: Lincoln County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1847, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

West Virginia was part of Virginia until 1863, so for an ancestor here before then, also use Virginia's statewide records at the Library of Virginia, such as land grants and land tax lists. The county clerk's birth and death registers from 1853 often name parents.