Finding a specific life story in North Central West Virginia shouldn't feel like a digital scavenger hunt, but honestly, it often does. If you are looking for exponent telegram clarksburg wv obituaries, you've likely realized that the "good old days" of just picking up a paper at the GoMart are fading. Now, the information is scattered across paywalls, legacy archives, and library microchips.
It's kinda frustrating. You want to find out about a service or verify a family connection, and instead, you’re clicking through three different "WV News" portals.
The Exponent Telegram has been the heartbeat of Harrison County since the late 1800s. It isn’t just a newspaper; it’s basically the official record of who we were and who we lost. But between the 2002 merger of the Exponent and the Telegram and the recent shift to the "WV News" digital umbrella, the trail for obituaries has gotten a bit muddy.
The Reality of Searching Exponent Telegram Clarksburg WV Obituaries Today
Most people start by Googling a name and the newspaper. Sometimes it works. Often, it doesn't.
Since the paper is now part of the NCWV Media group, the "official" home for these records is technically WVNews.com. But there's a catch. If the death happened more than a couple of months ago, you might hit a subscriber-only wall. It’s a common gripe among locals. You’re trying to find a piece of your own family history, and the website wants you to sign up for a monthly plan just to read 300 words about your great-uncle.
Here is the breakdown of where the data actually lives right now:
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- Current Deaths (Last 30 Days): Usually free to view on the WV News obituary page or the funeral home's own site.
- The "Middle" Years (2000–2023): This is the danger zone. You’ll find these on Legacy.com or hidden deep in the newspaper's digital "e-edition" archives.
- The Deep History (Pre-2000): You aren't going to find these with a simple Google search. You’re going to need a library card or a subscription to a genealogy service like GenealogyBank.
Why the Funeral Home Site is Often Better
Honestly? If you know which funeral home handled the arrangements—like Amos Carvelli, Davis-Weaver, or Burnside—just go straight to their website. They don't have paywalls. They keep those obituaries up for years. The exponent telegram clarksburg wv obituaries are essentially the "official" version, but the funeral home site is the "user-friendly" version.
How to Find "Lost" Obituaries Without Paying a Fortune
If you are doing genealogy or looking for a record from 1985, the internet might fail you. This is where you have to go "old school."
The Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library on West Pike Street is basically the holy grail for this. They have the Clarksburg Exponent, the Clarksburg Telegram, and the combined Exponent-Telegram on microfilm dating back decades.
Pro Tip: If you live out of state, the library staff is usually pretty amazing. You can actually call them (304-627-2236) or use their online request form. They usually limit you to a couple of requests at a time because they are busy, but they can pull the actual scan of the newspaper page. There is something special about seeing the actual clipping with the old fonts and the surrounding news of that day. It feels more real than a plain-text digital copy.
The 2002 Shift
It's worth noting that the newspaper underwent a massive change in January 2002. Before that, the Exponent (the morning paper) and the Telegram (the afternoon paper) were separate entities under the same roof. If you’re looking for someone who passed away in 2001, you might find two different versions of the obituary—one in each paper. After 2002, they merged into the single seven-day publication we know now.
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Writing and Submitting an Obit to the Exponent Telegram
If you are on the other side of this and need to place an obituary, be prepared for the cost. Gone are the days of the free three-line notice.
In 2026, most local papers charge by the word or by the inch. A standard obituary with a photo in the Exponent Telegram can easily run $200 to $500 depending on length.
What you need to include (The Essentials):
- Full Name and Age: Don't forget the nickname if everyone knew them by it (e.g., "Buck" or "Sis").
- The "Clarksburg Connection": Mentioning they worked at Hazel-Atlas or the VA Hospital helps people identify them.
- Specific Service Details: Make sure the date and time for the Nutter Fort or Bridgeport service are bolded.
- Memorial Contributions: If the family wants donations to the Harrison County Humane Society instead of flowers, put that at the very end.
You can submit these directly through the WV News "Place an Obit" portal, but most people just let the funeral director handle it. The director has a login and can usually format it to fit the newspaper's specific requirements, saving you the headache of dealing with a clunky web form while you're grieving.
The Digital Legacy Problem
One thing nobody talks about with exponent telegram clarksburg wv obituaries is the "link rot."
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I’ve seen dozens of people share a link to a loved one's obituary on Facebook, only to find that three years later, the link is broken because the newspaper changed its website structure. If you find an obituary you want to keep, do not just bookmark the link.
Take these steps instead:
- Print it to a PDF.
- Take a high-resolution screenshot.
- Copy the text into a Word doc.
- Use the "Wayback Machine" (Internet Archive) to save the URL.
Families in West Virginia are tight-knit. We care about our roots. Whether you are looking for a recent loss in Shinnston or researching a 1940s coal miner from Spelter, these records are the only bridge we have to that past.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are stuck right now and can't find what you're looking for, try these three things in order:
- Check Legacy.com first: They partner with the Exponent Telegram and often have the records cached even if the main newspaper site is acting up.
- Search the West Virginia Vital Research Records project: This is a free state-run site. It won't give you the "story" of the obituary, but it will give you the official death certificate, which lists the parents' names and the cause of death.
- Email the Library: If it’s an old record, the microfilm at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library is your best bet. Give them the name and a rough date (month/year), and they can usually track it down.
The record of a life lived in Harrison County deserves to be found. Don't let a "404 Error" or a $15 paywall stop you from connecting with your history.