When a West Virgina resident dies, his will must be filed with the proper county court clerk before it can be acted upon. The will is usually filed at the county clerk's office within 30 days of the person's death by a family member, friend or lawyer. The county clerk will then notify the executor and beneficiaries named in the document. The county clerk's office will keep the will while it goes through probate and then will maintain a copy of the will in its files after the will has been executed.
Determine which county court has jurisdiction over the will. If the deceased maintained a permanent home, the will should be probated in that county. If he did not have a fixed home, check in any counties where he owned real estate or other fixed property. If he had no real estate or fixed property, then the will should be probated in the county of his death. If he died out of state, any county could have jurisdiction.
Read More: How to Find a Registered Will
Call the county clerk's office in the county where you believe the document will be probated and ask if a will has been filed. You may have to wait 30 days or more before the will is filed.
Go the the clerk's office where the will has been filed and ask to see a copy. If you are not the executor, you will have to wait until after the will goes through probate before you can view the will. In some case, you may be required to show that you have a financial interest in the will before you can view it.