News and Announcements
This is the website for the Wheeling Area Genealogical Society. It is a place for news, announcements, and coming events in the Wheeling area.
Notice for Research Assistance
Anyone requesting research assistance should contact the Ohio County Public Library first before making any request. The requestees need to arrange in advance with the library staff who will then fulfill the research request.
WAGS Online Genealogy Series
WAGS held their first class in their online genealogy series on February 13th, 2021. This class was titled: Class 1: Who Were My Ancestors? . It was held on the Zoom platform. The second presentation was titled: Class 2: Where Were My Ancestors From? .We hope to have additional presentations on the Zoom platform every month on the second Saturday at 1:00 pm eastern time. To reserve a spot, please send an email to: reservations@wagswv.org with “Zoom Workshop #” in the Subject Line, along with your name and phone number. The April presentation will be Zoom Workshop 3 (What Did My Ancestors Do?).
Here are some useful tips for using Zoom
Watch the Zoom Workshops here.
New Link – WAGS Family Files Index (at Ohio County Public Library)
New Link – Deed Index for Belmont County (Index A – Last Name A)
WAGS 2021 West Virginia History Hero
Announcing the West Virginia History Hero Award for 2021 Nominated by WAGS.
West Virginia History Hero 2020 nominee – Wendy Elswick
I am honored to be nominated by WAGS for the 2020 WV History Hero. The recognition will be March 1, 2021, but there will not be an in-person ceremony this year in Charleston, so watch for the “next” issue of The Lookout. See the virtual awards ceremony here.
WAGS Board holds a “first” –a Zoom meeting –so watch for “potential” Zoom genealogy classes, meetings…
Yes, we –Scott, Jeanne, Wendy, Lou and Carol –signed on for a Zoom meeting January 15th. That was the first step. There are details to be worked out for holding “group” meetings, classes, workshops, etc., but as the ongoing “uncertainty” of future meetings continues, we are trying to be proactive to the “new” possibilities. If you are reading this and have NOT submitted your email address to WAGS, please forward your name and email to: wagswv@gmail.com.
If you are reading this and have a “particular interest” in participating in a Zoom genealogical workshop, please send an email with “Zoom Workshop 1” in the Subject Line, along with your name and phone number to reservations@wagswv.org.
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New Links – State Vital Records and Archives
New Link – Ohio County Public Library Wheeling Area Maps Archive 2021
New Link – Map of the City of Wheeling and Suburbs Ohio Co. Virginia, 1853 (Ohio County Public Library)
Friends of Wheeling – February 2021
Friends of Wheeling – Virtual Tours
Message from WAGS President
Date: November 13, 2020
To: Future and Current Members
From: Scott Bradley Owen, President
Re: Volunteer Support and Membership Financial Help Needed
Most everyone is aware of the “changes” occurring in our society and in the United States. Due to the reduction of freedoms and conveniences associated with in-person meetings, etc., our organization, no different than most, must adapt its mission and purposes for a “new reality.” This “new reality” has made it difficult to survive as an all-volunteer non-profit. As technologies continue to improve, less human relational activities have occurred. Having a government clamp down on freedom to meet only adds to difficulties to promote volunteer-based organizations.
As such, the Wheeling Area Genealogical Society [WAGS] will not survive if volunteers are not available and willing to help for the long run. We, with limited resources, have attempted to overcome many limitations. We have done our best to honor the hard work of our founders. Now, our website, and others’ websites, have become our defacto home. However, we still need human volunteerism to power the future needs of our stakeholders.
Therefore, we ask that you consider volunteering, providing generous financial support, and/or doing both. We must “pass the baton” to another generation of volunteers to continue preserving our [and perhaps your] area’s rich individual and family legacies. As a reminder, our “home base” is the Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling, West Virginia. When this physical location is closed, we must operate via our website. This is only possible due to the hard work of Louis Yurkovitch et al. When you register, your contact information will be available so we can update our membership. If possible, please indicate your availability and interests to provide “hands on” help.
Please visit our website, and pass this along to many friends by cutting and pasting the below link:
WAGS Website Registration Link
We sincerely thank you for your continued assistance in preserving the legacy of the Wheeling, West Virginia region’s genealogical legacy, our educational lectures, ancestral research, and past and present volunteerism.
WAGS Celebrates 50th Anniversary!
Due to the Covid19 pandemic, all WAGS and CTGS meetings are cancelled until further notice. Please watch this website for notices when they will start up again.
Upcoming History and Genealogy Events Calendar (New)
WAGS 2020 West Virginia History Hero
Lou Yurkovitch was honored in Charleston, W.V. at the annual “West Virginia History Heroes” event on February 20, 2020. He a former president of the Wheeling Area Genealogical Society and continues to serve as a member of the board of directors and as the organization’s webmaster and information technologist.
Lou continues to serve the local genealogical community by teaching genealogy classes. He also helps promote local and regional history, both in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and the Upper Ohio Valley in Ohio.
We congratulate him on his designation as this year’s local “West Virginia History Hero”!
Scott Owen,
President, W.A.G.S.
WAGS 2020 Speaker Series
March 14 – The Catholic Church in Wheeling (Jon-Erik Gilot)2020 Civil War Roundtable Speaker Series
February 24 – The Experiences of two Ohio National Guard Regiments During the Summer of 1864 (Jon-Erik Gilot)
To see past videos – please become a WAGS member. To join WAGS please click HERE and fill out this application. Dues are only $10 per year. Membership includes access to past videos, past newsletters, and a current newsletter every 3 months.
Thanks to Erin Rothenbuehler of the Ohio County Public Library we now have direct links to the Library’s Genealogy Resources.
Ohio County Public Library Genealogy Database Resources (New)
Ohio County Public Library Genealogy Newspaper Resources (New)
Wheeling Area Genealogical Society Coming Events
Friends of Wheeling Coming Events
Cumberland Trail Genealogical Society Coming Events
Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable Coming Events
Thanks to the Generosity of Don Pickenpaugh and the Cumberland Trail Genealogical Society, We now have Maps Showing Land Patents, Cemeteries, and Old Schools in Belmont County. You Can View Them Here.
WAGS New Website is Live!! Please Register Here.