Clay County is located in the center of the state of West Virginia today and was created by an act of the General Assembly of Virginia on March 29, 1858. It was named in honor of Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. Clay was a native Virginian by birth himself. These records of Births and Deaths are a part of Virginia’s records when they began requesting each county to have a book on hand to records these events on a volunteer basis in 1853. Someone would come into the county office and record the Births and/or the Deaths in a family over an eighteen month period for each year. The year’s books were not closed until after June so that each family would have plenty of time to record the events. These records are taken from the original ones found in the Virginia State Archives. When one reads the West Virginia copy of these records, one has to be very careful as there are differences in the two different lists. One is the original (Virginia) and the other is a copy made sometime after West Virginia became a state in the early 1860s. It is interesting to note that some of the records were given by the grandparents which will list three generations in one entry. There are over 1,400 names in the index.

 

Example

“1860 - Caroline Samples WF b. Jan. 5th - F: Thomas Samples, farmer - M: Virginia Samples - Inf. Thomas Preston - grandfather.
“1859 - Melissa Smith WF d. April [no day given] on Elk Lick Run - consumption - age 21 yrs - d/o Isaac & N. Henderson - consort John Smith - Inf. Ralph Smith - father-in-law.”

 

Surnames Included in This Publication

ADKINS, ARBOGAST, ARNOLD, ASH, ASHBURN, ATKINS

BELCHER, BIRD, BLANKENSHIP, BOGGS, BOND, BRAGG, BROWN, BURDET, BURNSIDES, BUTCHER, BUTLER

CAMPBELL, CARPENTER, CART, CHAPMAN, COBB, COCHRAN, COLLISON, COOK, CORLEY, COTRELL, COTRILL, COULTER, COULTON, COX, CROOKSHANK

DAVIS, DAWSON, DEAL, DEVERICK, DORSEY, DUFFIELD, DUNFORD, DUNHAM

EAGLE, EWING

FERRELL, FITZWATER, FLINT, FORSYTHE, FOX, FRAME, FRANCIS, FRIEND, FUGATE

GASTON, GIBSON, GOOD, GRAIN, GRAY, GREY, GROSE

HALL, HAMRICK, HANSHAW, HARMON, HAWKINS, HAYS, HENDERSON, HICKS, HIGDARD [?], HOLCOMB, HOWEL, HUGHES, HYATT, HYER

JARRETT, JARVIS, JEFFREY, JEFFREYS, JOHNSON, JOHNSTON, JONES, JONSON [SIC], JUSTICE

KAFFER, KEITH, KELLEY, KINCADE, KINCAID, KING, KINNEY, KYLE

LANE, LEGG, LYONS

McKINLEY, McMILLIN, McQUAIN

MARTIN, MASTON, MEEKS, MILLER, MOLLOHON, MONTON, MOORE, MORE [SIC], MORETON, MORGAN, MORRIS, MORTON, MULLINS, MURGES, MURPHEY, MURPHY, MYERS

NEAL, NELSON, NICHOLAS, NICHOLS, NICHOLSON, NOTTINGHAM, NUTTER

ODELL, O'NEAL, OSBOURNE

PAXTON, PAYNE, PEYTON, PIERSON, PRESTON

RAMSAY, RAMSEY, RANDOLPH, READ, REED, REID, RHOADS, RICHARD, RIFFLE, RILING, RIPETOE, RIPPETOE, ROAD, RODGERS, ROGGERS, ROLLENS, ROLLINS, ROSE, ROSS, RUSH

SAMPLES, SARGENT, SAYRE, SCHOONOVER, SEABERT, SHAMBLIN, SHANNON, SHERMAN, SIERS, SIMMONS, SIZEMORE, SMITH, SNIDER, SNODGRASS, STANLY, STEMESPRING, STEPHENSON, STONE, STUTLER, SUMMERS, SWAN, SWEENY, SWIGER

TALIFERO, TANNER, TAYLOR, TRIPLETT, TURNER

UPTON

VAUGHAN, VAUGHN

WALKER, WAUGH, WHITE, WILLIAMS, WILLSON, WILSON, WOOD

YOUNG

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