Virginia, Richmond Birth Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of a card index to births in the city of Richmond, Virginia for the years 1870 to 1912. The cards are generally arranged alphabetically by the surname and given name(s) of the individual. Many of the cards are typed.

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 Family History Library. 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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Full date of birth
 * Race of Child and Parents
 * Full name of Father
 * Child's given name
 * Full name of Mother
 * Certificate number

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search in the index you need to know the following:


 * Child's name
 * Approximate birth date
 * General birth place

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents
 * If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby
 * The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records, such as employment or military records
 * The parents' birth places can tell you former residences and help establish a migration pattern for the family

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Virginia.
 * Virginia Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.