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West Virginia Public Records
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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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West Virginia Vital Records
Since all but five of West Virginia's counties were formed before
20 June 1863, when Congress officially admitted it as a sovereign
state, counties in existence prior to statehood were governed by the
same laws as other Virginia counties, including the requirement to
register births and marriages beginning in 1853. State registration
began 1 January 1917, although fire destroyed many 1917–21 records.
For birth and death records from 1 January 1920 and marriage records
from 1 January 1964, write:
West Virginia Department of Health
Division of Vital Statistics
Capitol Complex
Charleston, WV 25305
For earlier records, write to the court clerk of
the county in question.
West Virginia Census Records
Federal censuses for West Virginia begin in 1870 and continue every
ten years thereafter. They are currently available through 1920
(except for the mostly destroyed census of 1890). All are indexed
in at least one format. For enumerations prior to 1863, see Virginia.
Transcripts of the 1870 census have been published for Barbour,
Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Lewis, Lincoln, McDowell,
Mason, Monongalia, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel,
Wirt, and Wood counties. Indexes, by county, for all individuals
listed in the 1880 census have been published for forty-three counties
by William A. Marsh in an ongoing project. There are no state sponsored
censuses for West Virginia.
West Virginia Land Records
Much of western Virginia was settled by land speculators who formed
land companies after 1744. Companies were awarded 1,000 acres of
land for each family they moved into the area. A survey was made
of each parcel of land, then the survey was sold to individuals
who received title to the land by patent from the secretary of the
colony. After 1779 the Virginia Land Office issued all patents.
Edgar Barr Sims, Index to Land Grants in West Virginia (Charleston:
E. B. Sims, 1952), lists the names of grantees by county. See also
Gertrude E. Gray, Virginia Northern Neck Land Grants, 2 vols. (Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987, 1988), particularly vol. 2 which
abstracts grants from 1742 to 1775, encompassing what are now Hampshire
and Berkeley counties in West Virginia.
Original state-land grants, sales, and surveys for West Virginia
are housed at the Office of State Auditor, Capitol Building, West
Wing 231, Charleston, WV 25305. Records on file at the Virginia
State Library are also valuable for the colonial period. When originally
patented land was sold, the transaction was recorded in county deed
books. Usually, deed books are indexed individually, and most West
Virginia counties have general indexes to grantees and grantors
to facilitate research. Copies of deeds can be obtained from county
clerks or clerks of the circuit court; however, most county records
in West Virginia have been microfilmed and are available at the
Archives and History Library in Charleston and the FHL. County clerks
are not always receptive to written inquiries, but records are open
for research in person.
West Virginia Court Records
Court records include probate records (which include wills), guardianship,
naturalization, and a wide variety of other sources, ranging from
criminal trials to simple road orders. 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, in:
Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds. The
Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City:
Ancestry, 1997.
West Virginia Military Records
For West Virginia's early military history, see Virginia. Virgil
A. Lewis, The Soldiery of West Virginia (1911; reprint; Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978), contains rosters of soldiers
from West Virginia who served in the French and Indian War, Indian
Wars, Lord Dunmore's War, Revolutionary War, Whiskey Rebellion of
1794, War of 1812, Mexican War, and the Civil War. A companion edition,
Paul Berckefeldt, ed., Index to the Soldiery of West Virginia (Pueblo,
Colo.: Pathfinders Books, 1985), is also available. Ross B. Johnson,
West Virginians in the American Revolution (Baltimore: Genealogical
Publishing Co., 1977), is considered the most complete list for
that conflict, while Anne Waller Reddy, West Virginia Revolutionary
Ancestors (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1973), indexes
claims reviewed by the "court of claims" for nonmilitary
service.
Although nearly 10,000 West Virginians fought for the Confederacy,
most of the state's Civil War soldiers served in the Union Army.
For Confederate soldiers, see Consolidated Index to Confederate
Service Records, microfilmed by the National Archives and available
at the FHL. Compiled service records are also available in those
same repositories. The Archives and History Library and the West
Virginia and Regional History Collection also have collections of
published military records and indexes.
Over 200 West Virginia soldiers made claims of damage for the Civil
War from the Southern Claims Commission. Those found in Gary B.
Mills, Civil War Claims in the South: an Index of Civil War Damage
Claims Filed Before the Southern Claims Commission, 1871–1880
(Laguna Hills, Calif.: Aegean Park Press, 1980), are listed in McGinnis
(see Additional Sources). For further information on military records,
consult:
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and
State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994.
Additional Sources
Brown, Stuart E., Jr. Virginia Genealogical Resources. Detroit:
Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1980.
McGinnis, Carol. West Virginia Genealogy Sources and Resources.
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. (This guide provides
a county-by-county breakdown of original source material and a thorough
list of microfilms available in the state's repositories.)
Stinson, Helen S. A Handbook for Genealogical Research in West Virginia.
South Charleston, W.V.: Kanawha Valley Genealogical Society, 1981.
Comstock, Jim. West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia. 25 vols. Richwood,
W.Va.: Jim Comstock, 1976.
West Virginia Vital
Records:
Event: Birth or death
Cost of copy: $5.00
Address:
Vital Registration Office
Division of Health State
350 Capitol Street, Rm. 157
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Remarks: State office has had records since January
1917. For earlier records, write to Clerk of County Court in county
where event occurred.
Check or money order should be made payable to Vital
Registration. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current fees,
the telephone number is (304) 558-2931.
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: $5.00
Address:
Vital Registration Office
Division of Health State
350 Capitol Street, Rm. 157
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Remarks: Records since 1921. Certified copies available
from 1964.
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Event: Marriage (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: County Clerk in county where license was
issued.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: See Remarks
Address:
Vital Registration Office
Division of Health State
350 Capitol Street, Rm. 157
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Remarks: Index since 1968. Some items may be verified
(fee $5.00). Certified copies are not available from State office.
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Event: Divorce (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Clerk of Circuit Court, Chancery Side, in
county where divorce was granted.
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