Genealogy & Local History Collection
| Information and Technical Services Manager: Keith Hammersla |
| (304) 267-8933 ext. 4005 | keith.hammersla@mbcpl.org |
Make an Appointment
Researchers may access the local history and genealogical research room on the top floor of the Martinsburg library on Wednesdays between 3 and 5pm or on Saturdays from 10am to 12 noon by making an appointment witth the librarian. The room has printed books of some local vital and government records (primarily from around 1750 through about the 1890/1900 period) and one computer with access to an Ancestry.com subscription for persons to research on their own. We do not conduct genealogical research for individuals. The librarian there can provide limited help to guide persons to potential sources of information for their research. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact the adult services desk at 304-267-8933.
The C. E. Campbell Beall Room
The C.E. Campbell Beall Room (local history and genealogy research room) contains print materials related to history and genealogy of the region including Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, and Hampshire Counties in West Virginia, Frederick and Washington Counties in Maryland, and the City of Winchester, Frederick, Loudoun, and Clarke Counties and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, including many birth, death, and marriage records, cemetery records, tax and census records, deeds and land records, old Martinsburg city directories, and obituary indexes.
Knowledgeable library staff can help to direct researchers and provide family research and correspondence files on different local families.
A photocopier in the library enables users to make copies at the cost of 20 cents for a black and white copy or 50 cents for a color copy.
ACCESS TO THIS ROOM IS CURRENTLY BY RESERVATION. CONTACT THE INFORMATION SERVICES LIBRARIAN, keith.hammersla@mbcpl.org
Microfilm
The Microfilm Collection includes newspapers of Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties in West Virginia from 1791 to present. Images may be printed on the microfilm readers at the cost of 20 cents per copy or may be saved digitally on a USB drive provided by the user.
Online Resources
Online genealogy databases available to library users include:
- Ancestry.com (subscription database which may be used in the research room in the main library and at branch libraries in the county);
- HeritageQuest Online (subscription database which may be used in the library or remotely from home);
- West Virginia Vital Research Records Project (a database of birth, death, and marriage records and actual record images available online through the West Virginia Division of Archives & History, and the Department of Arts, Culture and History).
