Virginia, Slave Birth Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
This collection contains an index and images of birth registers of enslaved persons from Virginia compiled by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The index is arranged alphabetically by the name of the slave holder.

The original collection consists of five sections:
 * 1) Old birth index, 1853-1866, found in volumes 1-8, 13-50
 * 2) Birth index of slaves, 1853-1866, volumes 9-12
 * 3) Birth index, 1866-1899, volume 50-51,
 * 4) Delayed birth index, 1912-1950, in three volumes separately numbered
 * 5) Births, 1853-1896, unnumbered volumes grouped by county and independent city

Some years are missing from the fifth set. The data found in this index publication also includes records from the Old birth index, vol. 13, A-Blyth, 1867-1879.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of owner, former owner, overseer, employer, informant
 * Name of enslaved person
 * Name of mother
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the child.
 * The approximate date of birth.
 * The place of birth.
 * The names of the child's parents.

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 birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

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

 * Add any new information to your records

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Virginia.
 * Researching African American Genealogy
 * Virginia Guided Research
 * Quick Guide to African American Records
 * Virginia Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Virginia Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Birth records (Virginia), 1853-1896; indexes, 1853-1899; delayed birth indexes, 1912-1950
 * Leslie Anderson Morales, ed. ''Virginia Slave Birth Index, 1853-1865. FS Library 975.5 V22v 6 vols.
 * Virginia General Assembly. Public claims, slaves and free blacks, 1781-1865.
 * Leslie Anderson Morales, editor ; Ada Valaitis, assistant editor. Virginia slave births index, 1853-1865. 6 vols. Westminster, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c2007;Berwyn Heights, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c2014. FS Library 975.5 V22v
 * Magazine of Virginia genealogy Richmond, Virginia : Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983- FS Library 975.5 B2vs
 * Heather Andrea Williams. Help me to find my people : the African American search for family lost in slavery Chapel Hill, North Carolina : University of North Carolina Press, ©2016 FS Library 973 F2wh

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.