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Friday, December 7, 2012

West Virginia Genealogy Source

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has information on West Virginia records in their "Archives and History News" Subject Index.  Here you can find tips and clues for researching West Virginia or pre West Virginia folks who were Virginians.  The subjects include: Adjutant General Papers,  Archival Collections, Birth Records, Cemeteries,  Civil War, County Records, Death Records, Deeds, Statehood and many more subject of interest to genealogists.  "Archives and History News" is the newsletter for the WV Division of Culture and History
http://www.wvculture.org/history/ahnews/ahnewssubjectindex.html

I am researching William Ward of Hardy County Virginia who I believe was possibly born in 1782 and who married Sarah Shobe 19 February 1804.  Hardy County was created in 1786 from Hampshire County, Virginia.  Hardy County became part of West Virginia on October 24, 1861.


I followed the trail of land records from the BLM GLO.

 In 1808 William Ward of Franklin County purchased land in Amelia, Fairfield, Ohio.

William is also found on the 1830 Census for  Amelia, Fairfield County, Ohio.

WIlliam Ward  of Fairfield County, Ohio purchases land in Putnam County in 1838. (Note that is also where my ancestor Edward Ward resided). Also, found in the same section at the same time is Christian Miller.  Christian Miller is also found in the section just North of where Margaret Miller (Edward Ward's wife) is buried.  It is unknown whether Edward Ward is buried there and Margaret Miller's stone has been badly damaged.  Also in the same cemetary isburied John M. Ward who died Dec 19, 1878 aged 20 years 3 months.   The cemetary is "Wisely Cemetery" 40.9428,-84.018 (GPS coordinates) it is near Cranberry Creek.

Christian Miller records from BLM GLO are as follows:  1807 Military Warrant of 100 Acres in Lot 50 in the Military District. 7 North, 16W Section 2.

1820 Christian Miller of Perry County, Ohio in Ohio River Survey.
1835 Christian Miller of Perry County buys land in Fairfield County, Ohio.
1837 Christian Miller of Fairfield County, Ohio buys land in Putnam County, Ohio.

Also in Putnam County at the same time was James Ward also of Fairfield County, Ohio in 1838 same date as William Ward.

Edward Ward was born about 1794.  Could William possibly be his brother or other relative?

My next steps are to figure out who Williams parents were.

For the history of Putnam County, Columbus Grove (Pleasant)
see http://www.columbusgrove.org/history.htm