West Virginia Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

This wiki article describes a collection that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search – Pilot Site. To access the collection, see West Virgina Deaths, 1853-1970.

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

Collection 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 Collection Was Created
The state required counties to begin recording deaths to track public health issues.

Collection 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.

Collection 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.

Collection 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 Collection
County 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 Articles
West Virginia Vital Records