The Jefferson County, WV Historical Society

The Jefferson County Historical Society no longer maintains its own library and archives; after moving out of its headquarters at Hilleary House on S. George Street, the Society did not have the space to house them. All of the the Society's archives are now housed in the Perry Room at the Charles Town Library and in the Jefferson County Museum.

There are many other repositories in Jefferson County and the surrounding area that hold records of interest to genealogists. Websites and contact information for each is listed below.

If you live out of the area and are interested in working with a local genealogist to further your research, please see our listing of local genealogists.

If you know of a genealogy resource you would like to see here, or if you find a broken link, please email Johnna Armstrong.

REPOSITORIES WITH JEFFERSON COUNTY RECORDS

COURTHOUSE

Jefferson County Clerk's Office
100 East Washington Street | Charles Town, WV 25414 | Phone: (304)728-3215
Hours: 9:00 A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday-Friday

Vital records, probate and wills, deeds, plat maps, etc. from the county's inception in 1801 to present. Some records are now available online, however, copies can only be obtained from within the County Clerk's Office.

LIBRARIES

Shepherd University Library
301 North King Street | Shepherdstown, WV 25443 | (304) 876-5420

Has a collection of local history and genealogy books in its West Virginia Room. (Materials are retrieved by staff.) The Library also has an excellent collection of the local newspapers on microfilm and every issue of the Magazine of the Jefferson County Historical Society, including indexes.

Charles Town Library
200 East Washington Street | Charles Town, WV 25414 | (304) 725-2208

The Perry Room, the genealogy room named for Thornton Perry who donated his vast collection of local history and genealogy books, is a terrific resource for genealogist. Every book in the room is indexed in the general catalog, but it's worth browsing the shelves, because there are lots of little treasures there that you wouldn't necessarily think to search for.

Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library
101 West King Street | Martinsburg, WV 25401 | (304) 267-8933

The Library has a very nice genealogy and local history collection on its top floor. Keith Hammerla, Director of Information Services for the library, has over 30 years of experience conducting genealogy research in the local area and is happy to help as time permits. Free access to HeritageQuest.com and Ancestry.com is available from within the Library.

Shepherdstown Public Library
100 West German Street | Shepherdstown, WV 25443 | (304) 876-2783

Has a small collection of local history books and family genealogies. Also has recent copies of the Magazine of the Jefferson County Historical Society.

HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

Berkeley County Historical Society
136 East Race Street | Martinsburg, WV 25402 | (304) 267-4713

Jefferson County was a part of Berkeley County until 1801, so the BCHS has lots of information for genealogists researching in Jefferson County. Has a terrific collection of local history and genealogy materials, including land grants, church records, vital records, wills, newspapers, photos, surname files, and so much more. Don Wood, BCHS Historian, has 40+ years of experience doing genealogy in the region.

Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society
P.0. Box 569 | Ranson, WV 25438 | (304) 725-7242

MUSEUMS

Jefferson County Museum
200 East Washington Street | Charles Town, West Virginia 25414 | (304) 725-8628

Museum has exhibits from the time of Native American settlement to World War II.

Historic Shepherdstown & Museum
129 East German Street | Shepherdstown, WV 25443 | (304) 876-0910

Has a museum as well as an archives room that includes donated items from local Shepherdstown families. Newspapers indexes (a work in progress), surname files, local history and genealogy books, photos, and account books from local stores are just some of the goodies available in the archives room.

OTHER

George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of Civil War Research
136 West German Street | Shepherdstown, WV 25443 | (304) 876-5429

The Center has an in-house database of soldiers, plus an extensive library of books relating to the Civil War. The staff are happy to help you with your research as time permits.

WEBSITES

West Virginia Division of Culture and History - West Virginia Vital Records

FamilySearch Beta - West Virginia Vital Records

HeritageQuest - available at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library or can be accessed from the Library website if you have a Jefferson or Berkeley County library card.

Ancestry - available at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library



	The Jefferson County Historical Society no longer maintains its own library and archives; after moving out of its headquarters at Hilleary House on S. George Street, the Society did not have the space to house them. All of the the Society's archives are now housed in the Perry Room at the Charles Town Library and in the Jefferson County Museum. There are many other repositories in Jefferson County and the surrounding area that hold records of interest to genealogists. Websites and contact information for each is listed below. If you live out of the area and are interested in working with a local genealogist to further your research, please see our listing of local genealogists. If you know of a genealogy resource you would like to see here, or if you find a broken link, please email Johnna Armstrong. REPOSITORIES WITH JEFFERSON COUNTY RECORDS COURTHOUSE Jefferson County Clerk's Office 100 East Washington Street \| Charles Town, WV 25414 \| Phone: (304)728-3215 Hours: 9:00 A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday-Friday Vital records, probate and wills, deeds, plat maps, etc. from the county's inception in 1801 to present. Some records are now available online, however, copies can only be obtained from within the County Clerk's Office. LIBRARIES Shepherd University Library 301 North King Street \| Shepherdstown, WV 25443 \| (304) 876-5420 Has a collection of local history and genealogy books in its West Virginia Room. (Materials are retrieved by staff.) The Library also has an excellent collection of the local newspapers on microfilm and every issue of the Magazine of the Jefferson County Historical Society, including indexes. Charles Town Library 200 East Washington Street \| Charles Town, WV 25414 \| (304) 725-2208 The Perry Room, the genealogy room named for Thornton Perry who donated his vast collection of local history and genealogy books, is a terrific resource for genealogist. Every book in the room is indexed in the general catalog, but it's worth browsing the shelves, because there are lots of little treasures there that you wouldn't necessarily think to search for. Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library 101 West King Street \| Martinsburg, WV 25401 \| (304) 267-8933 The Library has a very nice genealogy and local history collection on its top floor. Keith Hammerla, Director of Information Services for the library, has over 30 years of experience conducting genealogy research in the local area and is happy to help as time permits. Free access to HeritageQuest.com and Ancestry.com is available from within the Library. Shepherdstown Public Library 100 West German Street \| Shepherdstown, WV 25443 \| (304) 876-2783 Has a small collection of local history books and family genealogies. Also has recent copies of the Magazine of the Jefferson County Historical Society. HISTORICAL SOCIETIES Berkeley County Historical Society 136 East Race Street \| Martinsburg, WV 25402 \| (304) 267-4713 Jefferson County was a part of Berkeley County until 1801, so the BCHS has lots of information for genealogists researching in Jefferson County. Has a terrific collection of local history and genealogy materials, including land grants, church records, vital records, wills, newspapers, photos, surname files, and so much more. Don Wood, BCHS Historian, has 40+ years of experience doing genealogy in the region. Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society P.0. Box 569 \| Ranson, WV 25438 \| (304) 725-7242 MUSEUMS Jefferson County Museum 200 East Washington Street \| Charles Town, West Virginia 25414 \| (304) 725-8628 Museum has exhibits from the time of Native American settlement to World War II. Historic Shepherdstown & Museum 129 East German Street \| Shepherdstown, WV 25443 \| (304) 876-0910 Has a museum as well as an archives room that includes donated items from local Shepherdstown families. Newspapers indexes (a work in progress), surname files, local history and genealogy books, photos, and account books from local stores are just some of the goodies available in the archives room. OTHER George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of Civil War Research 136 West German Street \| Shepherdstown, WV 25443 \| (304) 876-5429 The Center has an in-house database of soldiers, plus an extensive library of books relating to the Civil War. The staff are happy to help you with your research as time permits. WEBSITES West Virginia Division of Culture and History - West Virginia Vital Records FamilySearch Beta - West Virginia Vital Records HeritageQuest - available at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library or can be accessed from the Library website if you have a Jefferson or Berkeley County library card. Ancestry - available at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library
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