Source: Handy Book for Genealogists Edited by George B. Everton Sr., Sixth Edition The Everton Publisher, Inc. West Virginia came into existence as a direct result of the Civil War. That section had always been part of Virginia, even though the two sections never had much in common. One of the main reasons for this, no doubt, is the rugged Allegheny mountain range separating the two sections which made traveling between them rather difficult. When Virginia cast its lot with the Confederacy, the settlers west of the Alleghenies began to murmur. The complaint eventually became so loud and demanding that a separate government for the western section was organized in 1861 under the name of Kanawha. Two years later West Virginia was admitted into the Union as the thirty-fifth state with a total of 50 counties. Since then five counties have been added. Most of the counties in West Virginia were settled years before they were organized. Greenbrier and Ohio Counties were settled in 1769. Greenbrier County, was created in 1777 from Montgomery County. Lewisburg is the county seat. Census reports are available since 1820. The County Ckerk has b & d records from 1853; marriage records from 1780 & probate records from 1780. Hope this helps, Ira