West Virginia Genealogy
My genealogy research starts in West Virginia since both of my parents were born and raised there. In addition to my parents, a few more generations back from me also involve this area of the country. I’m accumulating a lot of detailed information about it. Libraries and other places to look only carry each of us so far in our hunt for family connections, so I share what I find here in case someone else can use it. Explore the resources on this page and throughout my website:
- Free files to explore and download
- A blog category devoted to West Virginia Genealogy and further sorted into cities, counties, old coal mining towns and communities.
- A robust group of fellow researchers on Facebook in my West Virginia Genealogy Group. Over 4,000 members!
Wood Ducks Arrive at The Pond in the Fall
Wood ducks arrive at our Alabama pond in the Fall and Winter months. Here’s our first glimpse of them in 2019.
Expecting fish, but turtles show up
Turtle sunning itself out by our pond. We seem to have our own private "Turtletopia". Our pond is swarming with a variety of turtles. I love watching them and trying to discover more about them. Up to now, I've only rarely seen one outside a pet shop or someone's...
Christmas Open House Tour of Three of Alabama’s Historic Homes Dec 2, 2018
This year the Lily of the Cahaba Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution volunteered to decorate two of the three historic home-places of influential pioneer families in Bessemer Alabama. The Sadler, Owen and McAdory Homes are all dressed up...
Use Historic Ship Replicas to Share Your Family History
I found these beautiful historic ship replicas to add to the general mercantile here at White Oak Attic. I think they are a perfect fit to our objective of home decor aimed at telling a family story because our genealogy trail often leads to a moment in history that...
How to put a genealogy fact into your room for people to see …beautifully!
I just finished a little DIY project. I found a way to easily use a genealogy fact as part of my home decor. This helps get these little details out in the open, where they remain top of mind to inspire more research and a fun way to share the information with...
How to Tell Your Family Story with Home Decor
I've been on a mission for the past couple of years to de-clutter but also hang onto my keepsakes. That sounds impossible, doesn't it? Turns out, it isn't. I read an interesting article suggesting the new generation isn't interested in holding onto...
DAR Membership through my ancestor Benjamin Clement
DAR Membership through my ancestor Benjamin Clement I finally got around to pursuing membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution over the course of the past couple of years. I am not really sure why I put it off for so long since it turned out I had most...
Edward (Edwin) Wills b. 1826-1829
The information I have about Edward (Edwin) Wills is very limited and comes primarily from census data. I have not been able to pinpoint his exact year of birth, his age varies from one census to another by just a couple of years. I am a descendant through his son...
John Harvey Wills b. 1853 d. between 1901 – 1907
John Harvey Wills, the father of my great grandmother Lottie Mae Wills, was born in Bedford County, Virginia according to his reporting in various census records. The 1900 census has him in the Cabin Creek District of Kanawha County WV. It gives his birth date as...
Lottie Mae Wills b. 1888 d. 1975
I don't know a lot about my great grandmother Lottie Mae Wills but her family line has proved to be one that's more documented than any of my others. There are interesting stories and a lot of historical records to read. Her lines trace to revolutionary war...
West Virginia Genealogy Group
Join the discussion in my West Virginia Genealogy Group on Facebook. Over 4,000 members! Be sure to check out the files there too, members of the group are posting their photos, documents and information for the community to see. Just visit the group and request to join. Approval usually takes place with 24 – 36 hours.