West Virginia Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Collection Time Period
Counties kept death records from 1853 to the present.

Record History
Clerks of each County Court recorded deaths beginning in 1853, when West Virginia was part of Virginia. West Virginia began collecting deaths from the counties in 1917. Most deaths in the counties were recorded because of the legal requirement for registration.

Why This Record Was Created
The state required counties to begin recording deaths to track public health issues.

Record Reliability
The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time the death occurred are quite reliable, though there is the chance of misinformation. Other data, such as date and place of birth, have more chance of error due to the lack of knowledge of the informant, transcription errors, and other circumstances.

Record Description
Death entries were recorded in pre-printed register books containing many entries per page beginning in 1853. Earlier records were handwritten. They were usually typewritten by 1930. After 1917, death records were submitted to the state on individual certificates, while registers were maintained in the counties.

Record Content
County death records contain some or all of these genealogical facts:


 * Name of deceased
 * Death date and place
 * Cause of death
 * Age at death in years, months, and days
 * Gender
 * Color or race
 * Marital status
 * Parents’ names
 * Birthplace
 * Occupation
 * Name of informant (earlier entries include relationship to deceased)

How To Use The Record
Death records are the best source after 1853 of death information. Use birth date and birth place information of the deceased to find earlier records of the deceased and his or her family. Use the names of parents, the place of residence, occupation, and marital status of the deceased as clues for further research. The informant could be a child, parent, or spouse of the deceased.

Related Web Sites
Online Index &amp; Digital Images: Search Death Records... (West Virginia Division of Culture and History)

Online Indexes: West Virginia Deaths, 1853-1970 (FamilySearch)

Related Wiki Articles
West Virginia Vital Records

Sources of This Collection
"West Virginia Deaths, 1853-1970," database, FamilySearch, 2009. Digital copies of originals housed in County Courthouses throughout West Virginia.

Original Records: The State of West Virginia has death certificates for 1917 through 1973 in the West Virginia Division of Culture and History in Charleston, West Virginia. The original county records are generally located in the courthouse for each county. The database published by FamilySearch, West Virginia Death, 1853-1970, indexes the following original records:

Barbour County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1853-1969.” Barbour County Courthouse, Philippi, West Virginia, United States.

Berkeley County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1865-1970.” Berkeley County Courthouse, Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States.

Boone County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1865-1968.” Boone County Courthouse, Madison, West Virginia, United States.

Braxton County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1853-1969.” Braxton County Courthouse, Sutton, West Virginia, United States.

Cabell County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1853-1967.” Cabell County Courthouse, Huntington, West Virginia, United States.

Grant County (West Virginia). County Clerk. “Births, marriages, deaths, 1865-1969.” Grant County Courthouse, Petersburg, West Virginia, United States.

Hampshire County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Births and deaths, 1888-1903.” Hampshire County Courthouse, Romney, West Virginia, United States.

Hampshire County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1866-1969.” Hampshire County Courthouse, Romney, West Virginia, United States.

Hardy County (West Virginia). County Clerk. “Birth, death records, 1853-1970.” Hardy County Courthouse, Moorefield, West Virginia, United States.

Harrison County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Birth and death records, 1853-1906.” Harrison County Courthouse, Clarksburg, West Virginia, United States.

Jackson County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Vital records, 1853-1919.” Jackson County Courthouse, Ripley, West Virginia, United States.

Kanawha County (West Virginia). County Clerk. “Death records, 1853-1967.” Kanawha County Courthouse, Charleston, West Virginia, United States.

Lincoln County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1909-1936.” Lincoln County Courthouse, Hamlin, West Virginia, United States.

Marion County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Death records, 1861-1986.” Marion County Courthouse, Fairmont, West Virginia, United States.

Mason County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Vital records, 1853-1968.” Mason County Courthouse, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, United States.

Mingo County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Vital records, 1882-1927.” Mingo County Courthouse, Williamson, West Virginia, United States.

Monongalia County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Births, deaths, 1853-1970.” Monongalia County Courthouse, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States.

Morgan County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Record of accidental deaths, 1913-1958.” Morgan County Courthouse, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, United States.

Preston County (West Virginia). County Clerk. “Deaths, 1868-1920, 1924-1969.” Preston County Courthouse, Kingwood, West Virginia, United States.

Tucker County (West Virginia). County Clerk. “Deaths, 1852-1970.” Tucker County Courthouse, Parsons, West Virginia, United States.

Upshur County (West Virginia). Clerk of the County Court. “Vital records, 1853-1970.” Upshur County Courthouse, Buckhannon, West Virginia, United States.

West Virginia. Division of Vital Statistics. “Certificates of deaths, 1917-1956.” West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Charleston, West Virginia, United States.

How to Cite Your Sources
An example of citing these records is: County Courthouses in West Virginia. West Virginia Deaths 1853-1970. Death record. From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org), April 23, 2010. Margaret Cummings, Reynoldsville, Harrison Co., West Virginia, film number 847172, image number 39.

Instructions for citing this source can be found at: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections