Kanawha County West Virginia Records

We have determined to publish the names of the owners of the lands in Kanawha County in the year 1791, and we selected this year for the reason that the names were more plainly and better written. We do not give the figures which would tell of the number of acres they owned, or of the tax with which they were charged, but the names, only 74 of them and but few of them residing in the county. We then will publish the names of the residents of the county whose names are listed for taxation and called "tithables," and which also shows the number of horses and slaves owned by each. Of these there are 118 names on the book for 1792.

The taxes charged on these books are made in English money, the pound, shilling and pence. The year 1799 being the first in which the dollar and cent was used.

We would call attention to the difference of the names on these books. One would suppose that they would be very similar, but they are as different as if they were for separate counties. Of course many of the residents had not then acquired their title to these lands, which were afterwards charged to them, and the books were as not as accurate as they might have been made.

Kanawha extended from Gauley to Harrison County, from near Parkersburg to Big Sandy and up to the Cumberland Mountain and hack to Gauley.

1792-Tithables

1791 Land Books

West Virginia AHGP

Source: The West Virginia Historical Magazine Quarterly, Charleston West Virginia, 1901.