West Virginia, County Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of births, marriages, and deaths from county courthouses. The content and time period varies by county. Some indexing has been done and other indexed records will be added as they become available. Some records exist prior to West Virginia becoming a state in 1863. See also the West Virginia statewide collections of births, marriages, and deaths. This collection covers the years 1794 to 1969.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The information varies by record. You may find any of the following:


 * Name of the primary individual
 * Date and place of the birth, marriage or death
 * Birthplace
 * Names of parents or other family members
 * Age
 * Race
 * Residences
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of the officiator
 * Name of the informant or person registering the event
 * Marital status
 * Occupation

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date and place of the event.
 * The names of family members and their relationships.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Record Type
 * 2) Select Year Range, and Volume number or letter to view the images

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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

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

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * Use a marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of West Virginia.
 * West 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.