Givens Family

 

Briefing Document: Historical Assessment and Genealogical Analysis of the Givens Family of Pocahontas County, West Virginia

Executive Summary

The Givens family (frequently recorded as Given, Givin, or Givins) is an influential Ulster Scot pioneer dynasty of the central Appalachian highlands. Settling along the Edray District, upper Elk River basin (Slaty Fork and Old Field Fork), and mountain passes extending into Webster, Braxton, and Nicholas counties, the family established major livestock holdings, mountain farmsteads, and civic leadership. Givens freeholders participated in the 1822 inauguration of Pocahontas County court sessions and helped construct early trans-mountain road networks.

1. Ethno-Cultural Origins and Trans-Allegheny Push

The family traces to Scotch-Irish Covenanters who emigrated from Ulster in the 1730s and 1740s, settling in Augusta County, Virginia. Patriarch Samuel Givens and his sons held lands on Middle River and the Jackson River, serving in colonial militias during the French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War, and the American Revolution.

Following the Revolution, younger branches crossed the Allegheny Divide to patent tracts along the upper Greenbrier River and the high-altitude plateaus of the Upper Elk River (elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 feet).

2. Micro-Regional Settlement and Livestock Economy

Geographical Branch	Primary Locations	Economic Activity	Structural Connections
Upper Elk & Slaty Fork	Slaty Fork, Old Field Fork of Elk	High-altitude bluegrass pasture grazing, cattle drives	Allied with Hannahs and Burnsides
Edray & Central District	Limestone benches north of Marlinton	Mixed agriculture, water-powered saw/grist milling	Active in local school boards & churches
Western Borderland (Given)	Webster, Braxton, & Nicholas counties	Wilderness timber clearing, mountain farming	Established prolific Given lines along Holly/Elk rivers

Givens settlers utilized the natural bluegrass turf of the "Old Fields" to raise cattle and sheep, participating in annual stock drives along the Warm Springs and Staunton turnpikes.

3. Civic Leadership and Civil War Service

• Inaugural County Service: In March 1822, Givens household heads served on the first grand juries, estate appraisal panels, and road overseer commissions at Huntersville court.
• Civil War Service: Positioned along strategic mountain passes between the Kanawha and Greenbrier valleys, Givens men served in the 19th and 20th Virginia Cavalry and the 31st Virginia Infantry as couriers, scouts, and mountain guides.
• Timber Era: During the 1890s–1920s timber boom, Givens land boundaries supplied timber to band sawmills at Cass and Marlinton, with family members working as sawyers, woodsmen, and teamsters.

4. Matrimonial Alliances

• Hannah & Burnside: Close kinship networks across the Elk River basin and Slaty Fork.
• Mollohan: Foundational alliance connecting the Givens to prominent pioneer families of the central West Virginia interior.
• Gibson, Cochran, Sharp, Barlow, and Hamrick: Marriages recorded across Pocahontas, Webster, and Nicholas county registers.

5. Primary Archival Repositories

• Pocahontas County Courthouse (Marlinton, WV): Deed Books, Will Books 1–4, and Court Order Books 1–4.
• Webster & Braxton Courthouses: Records for collateral branches along the lower Elk River.
• Cemeteries: Edray Cemetery, Marlinton Cemetery, and Upper Elk River family burial plots.