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Virginia Public Records
| How
To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
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Virginia Vital Records
Virginia registration of births, deaths, and marriages began on a
county level in 1853 and continued until 1896. Many counties abandoned
registration during the Civil War, or recorded only a small percentage
of events. Except in some independent cities, records were not kept
between 1896 and 14 June 1912, when statewide registration of vital
statistics began. Early records, 1853–96, have been microfilmed
and are available at The Library of Virginia and the FHL. Marriage
bonds and licensing were in place from the 1600s in Virginia, though
are sporadic and fragmented. They are usually found among the county
levels of records, and are often published.
For birth and death records from 1913-present and
marriages from 1936-present, write:
(There was no law requiring registration of births
and deaths between 1896 and 1912.)
Virginia Department of Health
Office of Vital Records
James Madison Building
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23208
Tel: 804-786-6228 (Recorded Message)
804-786-6201
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/misc/f_08.htm
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/misc/gene.htm (Genealogy Page)
For earlier marriage records, write to the clerk
of the county in question.
Virginia Census Records
Federal census enumerations exist from 1810, and were taken every
ten years. They are currently available through 1920, except for
the destroyed census of 1890. The 1810 census is incomplete for
many counties in the state, but has been reconstructed from tax
lists and can be found in published format in most genealogical
repositories. The 1790 and 1800 censuses were destroyed or lost,
except for the 1800 enumerations of Accomack and Louisa counties.
Tax lists from 1787 offer a substitute for the missing 1790 census.
Two early censuses of Virginia have survived intact;
only statistical abstracts remain of other censuses conducted. The
first census is dated 16 February 1624 and is a list of the names
of persons living in Virginia and the names of those who died since
April 1623. The colony conducted a second census in January and
February 1625. Another census was conducted in 1634, but is apparently
lost. The best transcription of the 1625 Musters is in Virginia
F. Meyer and John Frederick Dorman, Adventurers of Purse and Person,
Virginia, 1607–1625, 3d ed. (Richmond: Order of First Families
of Virginia, 1987).
Virginia Land Records
Early Virginia land records are readily available to researchers,
including original patents and land grants from 1619 to 1921; survey
plats from 1779 to 1878; Northern Neck (the area between the Rappahannock
and Potomac Rivers) land grants from 1690 to 1862; Northern Neck
surveys from 1722 to 1781 and 1786 to 1874; land warrants from 1779
to 1926; and miscellaneous land records from 1779 to 1923. Original
land office records are housed at The Library of Virginia. For more
information about the vast collections of land records for Virginia,
see the following publications.
Gentry, Daphne S., comp. Virginia Land Office Inventory, 3d ed.,
revised and enlarged by John S. Salmon. Richmond: Virginia State
Library and Archives, 1981.
Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts
of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, multiple continuing volumes.
1934. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983-.
Bounty-land warrants were issued to Virginia soldiers
for their war service. See Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, Revolutionary
War Records: Volume I, Virginia (1936; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical
Publishing Co., 1967), for an index of soldiers who received warrants
for Ohio. See also Willard Rouse Jillson, The Kentucky Land Grants:
A Systematic Index to All of the Land Grants Recorded in the State
Land Office at Frankfort, Kentucky, 1782–1924 (1925; reprint,
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1971).
For land transactions between individuals, check
the county, town, or independent city deed books. Most deed books
are indexed individually, and most Virginia cities and counties
have general indexes to grantees and grantors to facilitate research.
Most have been microfilmed and are available at the FHL and the
Virginia State Archives.
Virginia Court Records
Court records entail probate records, guardianship, naturalization,
and a wide variety of other sources. All contain information about
individuals within the area. It should be remembered that there
are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States,
all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances.
Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court,
Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those
encountered. To study more about court records in general, see:
"Research in Court Records" by Arlene H. Eakle, found
in Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds., The
Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City:
Ancestry, 1997).
Virginia Military Records
Service records of Virginia soldiers in the colonial wars (1622–1763)
offer more historical information and usually provide only the name
of the soldier and the unit in which he served. See Lloyd DeWitt
Bockstruck's Virginia's Colonial Soldiers (Baltimore: Genealogical
Publishing Co., 1988). There is no comprehensive list of Virginia
veterans of the Revolutionary War. Some published indexes exist,
such as John Hastings Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians
in the Revolution, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, 1775–1783 (Richmond:
Dietz Press, 1938). A card index of Virginia soldiers is also available
at the National Archives. John Frederick Dorman continues to compile
abstracts of files of Virginia soldiers who received pensions or
bounty land in Virginia Revolutionary Pension Applications, 44 vols.
(Washington, DC, 1958–). Also see Virginia Revolutionary War
Pensions (1980; reprint, Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press,
1982). Virginia Land Office records of Revolutionary War soldiers
are found in Louis A. Burgess, comp., Virginia Soldiers of 1776,
3 vols. (1927–29; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Co., 1973).
An index of the Virginia militia in the War of 1812
are included in a card index at The Library of Virginia and on microfilm
at the FHL. Original pension and bounty-land warrant applications
for the War of 1812 are at the National Archives. See also Stuart
Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812
(Athens, GA: Iberian Publishing Co., 1988). Compiled Service Records
of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State
of Virginia and Index to Compiled Service Records of Confederated
Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Virginia
are microfilm publications available at the National Archives, The
Library of Virginia and the FHL. For further information, see James
C. Neagles' U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State
Sources. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1994).
Additional Sources
Swem, Earl Gregg. Virginia Historical Index. 1934–36. Reprint.
Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1965).
"A Guide to the Counties of Virginia,"
published serially in volumes 3–25 of The Virginia Genealogist.
Falmouth, VA: John Frederick Dorman, 1957–.
Clay, Robert Young. Virginia Genealogical Resources.
Detroit: Detroit Society of Genealogical Research, 1980.
Jester, Annie Lash. Some Peculiarities of Genealogical
Research in Virginia: Colonial. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1969.
Livingston, Virginia Pope. Some Peculiarities of Genealogical Research
in Virginia: Post Revolutionary. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1969.
Virginia Vital Records:
Virginia Vital Records Information
(How to contact the Vital Records Department of Virginia)
Event: Birth or death
Cost of copy: $8.00
Address:
Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics
State Health Department
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23218-1000
Remarks: State office has had records from January
1853 to December 1896 and since June 14, 1912. Only the cities of
Hampton, Newport News and Norfolk have records between 1896 and
June 14, 1912.
Check or money order should be made payable to State
Health Department. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current
fees, the telephone number is (804) 225-5000. This is a recorded
message.
Search All Virginia Records
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: $8.00
Address:
Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics
State Health Department
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23218-1000
Remarks: Records since January 1853.
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Event: Marriage (county/city)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Clerk of Court in county or city where license
was issued.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: $8.00
Address:
Office of Vital Records and Health Statistics
State Health Department
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23218-1000
Remarks: Records since January 1918.
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Event: Divorce (county/city)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Clerk of Court in county or city where divorce
was granted.
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