KYOWVA Genealogical and Historical Society
Serving the Tri-state region of Eastern Kentucky, Southern Ohio and Western West Virginia
Founded
in 1978, the KYOWVA Genealogical and Historical Society is a dynamic
and growing organization dedicated to the collection and preservation
of the genealogy and history of Cabell County, West Virginia and the
surrounding area we serve. The Society is located in the heart of the
tri-state region containing the counties of Northeastern Kentucky, Southern
Ohio, and Western West Virginia.
Our meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the third Tuesday of each month in our library room at the Second Presbyterian Church, 901 Jefferson Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia. There are no meetings held during the summer months of July and August although our library will continue to maintain regular library hours through the summer months.
Membership
Annual memberships are $15.00 for the January through December calendar year for individuals or family members residing in the same household. Included is a subscription to the quarterly KYOWVA newsletter and free use of the KYOWVA Library. Membership is not required to attend our open meetings, programs or participate in other Society functions and projects. You may join by mailing your check for $15.00 payable to KYOWVA Genealogical and Historical Society, to KYOWVA, PO Box 1254, Huntington, WV 25714-1254. Write your name and "Membership" on the memo line of the check. For your convenience, a printable application form is available here.
Reminder to Current Members: Your 2010 Renewals are due!
President's Message
Merry Christmas to everyone! Have a Happy New Year!
Our volunteers have been very busy putting together our newest history book. We expect to publish in 2010. We want to present you with the best product possible.
Our library has expanded with the collection donated by the Kanawha Valley Genealogy Society when they closed their doors. Our librarian, Anne Shuff, did a great job getting everything on our shelves. We also received over 1,000 family pedigree charts which we will catalog and file over this winter. Many of the charts have extra generations and information with them not used in their pedigree books.
KYOWVA had a book signing at the Wayne Public Library in November. The Owens-Illinois Volume 2 book and The Regimental Court of Enquiry Ledger – 120th Regiment Virginia Militia, 1839-1845 were both well received. Both would make someone a nice Christmas present. See our Publications Page for ordering information.
Don't forget our Christmas Dinner, December 15th at 6 p.m. at the 2nd Presbyterian Church's Dining Hall. Should the weather become snowy or icy, please contact one of us before starting out to see if the meeting has been changed.
We are showcasing "You" at our January meeting. Join us with a story to tell or an historical item to talk about. Our new 2nd Vice President, Wayne Worth, is putting together a unique lineup of speakers for next year. If you know of someone who speaks on a historical topic, please let him know.
"Thank you" to all KYOWVA members who furnished refreshments at the Civil War lecture series held in Guyandotte. Next year will be the 20th Guyandotte Civil War Days re-enactment; don't miss it!
KYOWVA would like to thank Peggy McComas for painting a new sign for the library. Peggy is Mary Chatterton's sister. How we do impose on our relatives to accomplish our goals. Thanks again, Peggy.
I was able to visit the Archives on Veterans Day and look at the Adjunct General's Military Collection. I copied several items that will appear in future volumes of our Newsletter. Thank you to June for continuing to be our editor and for always doing a wonderful job.
Spring will be here soon. Just as soon as hunting season is over, we plan to read and document several cemeteries in Cabell and Wayne Counties that we were not able to get to before the snakes came out. Please keep Ralph and Sara Marcum in your prayers. Ralph has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. We miss them at the meetings.
Member Janet Mayenchein has a book for sale about the early minutes of the Union Missionary Baptist Church in Lawrence County, Ohio. If interested, please contact KYOWVA.
We wish to let Rachel Harbour, Virginia Graham, Charlene Leist, Ernie Midkiff, Karen LeGrand, Sherri Pettit, Elena Chafin and any of our loyal members who are unable to come to the library know that we miss seeing you. Thank you for your continued support.
Debbie Campbell, President
What's New at KYOWVA
Featured New Books: The 120th Militia Book project is back from the printer and orders are being filled. This book covers the years 1839 to 1845 prior to the Civil War and also contains extra Militia lists including the year 1858. In the book are the names of every able bodied man aged 18 to 45 from the counties of Cabell, Wayne and surrounding areas. Also included are some biographies of the men who served, descriptions of their uniforms, muster locations and the transition period when Wayne County was split off of Cabell County. The cost of the 118 page book is $25 picked up at the KYOWVA Library, $30 if shipped. Due to the nature of this book, it is not indexed.
Also just out is the reprint of the 150th Cabell Anniversary Book, first published for Cabell County's 150th Anniversary Celebration in 1959. The book is $10 picked up or $12 shipped.
The History of Owens-Illinois, Volume II is now available. The Owens-Illinois glass plant in Huntington, West Virginia was one of the city's major employers until the early 1990's when the plant was shut down. This 302 page edition covers the time period of 1950 to its closing and contains 149 plant cartoons. The book is available for $25 picked up at the KYOWVA Library or $30 shipped.
The Woodmere Cemetery in Huntington's Beverly Hills section is one of the city's larger cemeteries. Established in 1917, the cemetery contains more than 1800 marked graves as well as over 600 unmarked plots. The earliest marker is dated 1885. We have available the Woodmere Cemetery book for $25 picked up at the KYOWVA Library or $30 shipped. Get your copy while they last.
See our Publications Page for ordering information for these and other publications.
Stop by the KYOWVA Library and look over the collection of new family histories and vital statistics to our library received from the Kanawha Valley Genealogical Society. These are items we have never had before. We will be publishing a list of the new materials both here and in the next issue of the KYOWVA Newsletter.