Braxton County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:: West Virginia and Regional History Center

West Virginia & Regional History Center

West Virginia University

P.O. Box 6069

1549 University Avenue

Morgantown, WV 26506

Contact for questions and access:: POC: Lori Hostuttler

Email: lori.hostuttler@mail.wvu.edu

Phone: (304) 293-3536

Web: wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu

Restrictions:

For materials in boxes 1, 14-16, 26-30, and 44, and items 6, 9, 17, 19, 66, 69, 72, 104, 156, and 176, researchers should use microfilm (boxes 1, 28, 30, and 44 are only partially microfilmed). Materials that have not been microfilmed are open for research.

The child hygiene records in boxes 46-48 are restricted until 2043, 100 years from the date of creation in 1936-1943, unless an individual grants permission to access their record or the WVRHC is given proof of death that occurred in excess of 50 years prior to the date of request. Researchers collecting summary data may submit an Access Request Form.

Microfilm copy of Boxes 1 and 14

Microfilm copy of Box 15

Microfilm copy of Box 16

Microfilm copy of Box 26

Microfilm copy of Box 27

Microfilm copy of Box 28

Microfilm copy of Box 29

Microfilm copy of Box 30

Microfilm copy of Box 44

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of item 156, no other original material available

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of item 156

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of item 66, no other original material exists

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of item 66, no other original material exists

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of item

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of items 69 and 72

Microfilm copy of item 176

Microfilm copy of item 6

Microfilm copy of item 17

Microfilm copy of item 9

Microfilm copy of item 19

Microfilm is only copy, no original material available

Microfilm copy of originals

Microfilm copy of 1873-1875 available on BRA 1

No Microfilm Copy Available

Microfilm copy available on BRA 1

Microfilm copy available on BRA 2

Microfilm copy available on BRA 3

No Microfilm Copy Available

Microfilm copy available on BRA 4

Microfilm copy available on BRA 5

Microfilm copy of Election Records available on BRA 6

No Microfilm Copy Available

Microfilm copy available on BRA 6

Microfilm copy available on BRA 7

Microfilm copy of 1857-175 available on BRA 8

No Microfilm Copy Available

Microfilm copy of 1838-1875 available on BRA 9

No Microfilm Copy Available

Microfilm Copy available on BRA 95

No Microfilm Copy Available

Microfilm Copy available on BRA 157

Microfilm Copy available on BRA 17

Microfilm Copy available on BRA 156

Microfilm Copy available on BRA 154

Microfilm Copy available on BRA 155

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:: [Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Braxton County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers, A&M 0789, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:: 61.42 Linear Feet Summary: 61 ft. 5 in. (74 document cases, 5 in. each); (2 small flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (4 record cartons, 15 in. each); (10 wrapped packages, 26.25 in.); (157 reels of microfilm, 1.75 in. each)
Creator:: Braxton County Court and West Virginia. Department of Health
Abstract:: County court and public records consisting primarily of case papers; records of county officers; estate settlements; birth, marriage and death records; and land and tax records. There are also election records; deeds and deed indexes; and records of the administration of public health and welfare.
Language:: English .
Preferred citation:: [Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Braxton County (W. Va.) Court Records and Miscellaneous Papers, A&M 0789, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

County court and public records consisting primarily of case papers; records of county officers; estate settlements; birth, marriage and death records; and land and tax records. There are also election records; deeds and deed indexes; and records of the administration of public health and welfare.

This collection consists of two series: microfilm, and original materials: Series 1-Microfilm, and Series 2- Original Materials

This collection is minimally processed; materials are stored mostly as they arrived: in their original envelopes, or loose in boxes, and so that records produced for the same reason are generally together. Records have not been chronologized or alphabetized, and there is no indexing for the collection.

Series 1- Microfilm, consists of 157 reels of microfilm. Reels 1-9 contain materials from boxes 1, 14-16, 26-30, and 44, primarily marriage, land, and bond records. The remaining reels are of various records relating to court proceedings, including execution, fee, and rule books as well as dockets (both civil and criminal). Other record books include vital records (marriage, birth, and death), taxation (land and property), and deeds. There are also a small number of records of railway and lumber companies, and a record of World War I enlisted men and officers of Braxton County.

Shows accounts, items sold, and amount owed. Owner unknown.

Includes a folder containing 12 items from 1899-1905, tucked inside.

Series 2- Original Materials, consists of 76 boxes of various records, and 18 "wrapped packages." The boxed material consists of various court and public records, primarily relating to court cases, financial records, and marriage records. Court cases include a variety of cases, including estate and chancery cases, as well as financial matters, working conditions, and liquor. Many of the cases include extensive and detailed transcripts of court proceedings and witness statements. Packages 1-7 are sets of envelopes or folders wrapped in paper, not bound volumes. Packages 4-7 are shorthand notes for various cases, sometimes including additional materials relating to the case such as newspaper articles and other papers. The notes are collected in folders which are labeled with the case and arranged alphabetically. In addition to the estate cases, there are also some deeds (boxes 27-28) and various bills of sale, contracts, estrays, etc. Financial records include tax records, road funds, sheriff's expenses, and financial records of the Public Health Service and the department of Public Administration County Relief Records. These records are mainly related to the expenses of administration and staff. This series also includes poll books and election returns from 1836-1860, and tally sheets, nomination certificates, lists of voters, and election results for 1936.

Boxes 45 and 75 contain correspondence to C.H. Bland, clerk, and Earl W. Underwood, sheriff. Correspondence to Underwood is primarily related to tax returns. Bland's includes court related business as well as personal papers related to the Standard Home Company fraud case in Birmingham, his Free Masons membership card, and other financial matters. Box 66, Tax Receipts, are also in envelopes addressed primarily to Underwood. Records are in their original envelopes. Box 74 contains blank forms for various county records including; tax documents (circa 1923-1951), absentee ballot applications, employee compensation, court summons, case envelopes, and other assorted records, none of which have been filled out. There is also a blank parole form attached to a letter from the warden in box 72.

Highlights for this series include roughly 3,600 records of State Health examinations performed by the Division of Child Hygiene from 1936-1943 (boxes 46-48). These records can provide statistical information on the health, history, and living conditions of children in Braxton County such as height, weight, history of disease, how long they were bottle or breast fed, parents' occupations, and brief notes about home life. These records are restricted for general use, but access may be requested for their use in research. Many of the court cases for Braxton county include extensive transcripts and witness statements, which provide detailed accounts of the court proceedings (predominantly boxes 49-57). Several of these are related to cases against companies including the Elk Lead Zinc Company (1906, Box 53); the Pittsburgh Railway Company (1896, Box 50); and the Novelty Mill Company (1894, box 49). The cases in box 52 include extensive details of a case concerning sale of liquor and a doctor writing prescriptions for liquor (circa 1908).

Various cases, including a large bundle of papers relating to a chancery case of Elwood D. Fulton (1917-1924).

Also includes undated cases

Regarding administration of estate of William Crennel jr., deceased

Not inclusive

Not including 1860, 1863-1866.

Not including 1899. Records of the State board of health.

Not inclusive. References I. II. III., and IV. Bills of sale, estate records may contain information about enslave persons.

Not inclusive, missing 46-49, 62-64, 72.

Not inclusive

Public Health, overview of expenses for the program. Includes information on the general statistics of conditions of districts in Braxton County, including diseases, race statistics, hygiene, maternity, defects, etc. Statistical information on treatment and prevention efforts for Tuberculosis and Veneral diseases.

Not inclusive. One bundle has note that says they belong with "report of delegate bonds up to 1871"

Relating to land taxes and receipts

Records of State Health examinations for Children and Preschoolers. Records include personal information, as well as other statistics such as height, weight, history of disease, how long they were bottle or breast fed, parents' occupations, and brief notes about home life. Records are restricted for general use, but access may be requested for their use in research.

Financial matter, includes decisions, witness testimonies, etc. and the "Novelty Mill Co." Flour, meal, and mill feed company

Possibly also has materials from unrelated cases

Land Records (abstracts and estates); Testimonies in the State vs. R.M. Ross (something to do with liquor, Dr. prescribing liquor, circa 1908); depositions for case concerning Elizabeth S. Squires, admx.

Testimonies, Exhibits, Opinions etc. Concerning $20,000 of fraudulent stock

Testimonies, etc.

Depositions, Exhibits

Includes two bound volumes of "Transcript of Record, US Court of appeals 4th circuit"

Materials are in regular envelopes, like correspondence.

Financial Records: travel expenses, funds, expenditures paid to individuals (names, amounts, reasons) appears to mostly be for administration, not applicants.

A variety of blank forms, primarily tax, county financial and a few absentee ballot. A lot of Statement of Levy.

Also undated. Financial, citizenship and passports, miscellaneous materials relating to court cases and courthouse.

1914 calendar (mostly blank); 1911 diary (mostly blank); small notebook (mostly blank); account book for account at Juergens and Walker, druggist; Land book blotter for unknown estate

Mostly monthly reports of sheriff's costs, a rough itemized inventory with information on dates is available in the control folder for this collection. Also includes several sheets of coupons/bonds for the West Virginia Midland Railroad company, c. 1922-1926

Includes Tally sheet, absentee ballot application, nomination certificates, lists of voters, and election result certificates

"Officers and Enlisted men- World War I. And 1 envelope containing 45 soldiers' record forms giving World War I Military records of men from Braxton County, 1 also, 2 pages 1919 Mrs. Rebecca Davis, Service Roster of three sons."

For the years 1876, 1877, 1880, 1885, 1887, 1888, 1892-1895, 1897, 1900, 1901

Contains information on titles, with surveys and plats

Includes a folder containing 12 items from 1899-1905, tucked inside.

Acquisition information:

Gift of J. S. Perrine, President of Braxton County Court of Sutton, W.Va., 1955 September 24.

Second Accession: Gift of William W. Jack of the Braxton County Court, 1956 October 29.

Processing information:

This collection was originally two accessions, one in 1955 and one in 1956. The second accession was briefly A&M 913. Processing efforts throughout the years have gradually merged the two together, but some elements of the original separation remain. Boxes 1-48 were part of the original accession, and boxes 49-76 (accessioned as 1-28) for the second. As part of the most recent reprocessing efforts in March 2026, boxes 67-76 were renumbered so that box numbering was sequential (they had been relabeled as boxes 78-87, and the skipped numbers were used for some of the wrapped packages). Assistance can be provided for researchers needing to match old box numbers to new box numbers.

Arrangement:

The collection was loosely arranged into topical series for each accession, so that the first accession contained four series (court records, public records, county financial records, and county health records), and the second accession had seven series (court, tax statements, road funds, DPA [Department of Public Assistance?] records, blank forms, box 75, and county financial records). The materials remain loosely grouped in these topical categories.

Some of the materials are grouped together by case, and have a note about record type (deeds, marriage licenses, etc.), persons involved, or the year on the envelope, or on a paper attached to the records.

Physical / technical requirements:

Only microfilm is stored onsite, all original material is stored offsite; please make an appointment prior to visiting.

Physical location:

West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Birth, marriage, and death records.
Elections
Estate settlements.
Railroads
Taxation
County courts
Court calendars
Public health
Real property
Justice, Administration of
Public records
Probate records
Vital statistics
Places:: Braxton County (W. Va.)
Braxton County (W.Va.) -- archives
Indexes:: This collection has not been indexed. A rough, itemized list of the materials in box 76 and packages 1-3 include minimal information on the date, and type of record, but the list does not provide exact locations and may not be inclusive. This inventory, and another, are located in the control folder for this collection.

Collection