West Virginia State Vital Records Office

Vital Registration, Division of Health 350 Capitol St, Rm 165 Charleston, WV 25301-3701 (304) 558-2931 Info: (304) 558-2931 Fax: (304) 558-1051

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Birth and death records are only available to immediate family members. Make check or money order payable to Vital Registration. Be advised, there was a fire in 1921 that destroyed many records, , however, most counties have records from 1853. Some counties also have marriage records from 1870.

• Search West Virginia Databases online for birth, marriage, census, death, immigration, naturalization, military records and more at Ancestry
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• Order birth and death records online quickly and easily via VitalChek

  Record		Cost	Dates	Ordering
  Birth		$10.00	since Jan 1917	Order Online	Mail Order
  	West Virginia is not an "open record" state. Access to certified copies of birth certificates is restricted. For earlier records, write to the Clerk of County Court in the county where the birth occurred. Fees vary.
  Death		$10.00	since Jan 1917	Order Online	Mail Order
  	Certificates will only be issued to a direct relative or to persons with a legal right to the certificate. Click here to search the Social Security Death Index
  Marriage		$10.00	since 1921
  	Records should be available from the County Clerk in the county where the license was issued.
  Marriage		$10.00	since 1964		Mail Order
  	from Vital Registration, Division of Health
  Divorce			since 1968
  	Certified copies are not available from the State office.
  Census			1790 through 1930	Search U.S. Federal Census Records Online

  *** The mail order form can be downloaded and viewed by using Adobe Acrobat Software

  

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Index to West Virginia County Vital Records Offices

Most counties have records from 1853. Some counties also have marriage records from 1870. Divorce records are kept by the county clerk of the circuit court. Probate records have been kept by the county courts and are found in deed books and court order books. Naturalization proceedings were recorded in the minutes and dockets of the courts until 1906, since any court could naturalize immigrants. After 1929, only federal courts handled naturalizations.

Follow this link to Rootsweb to determine what county a city or town is in.

Barbour . Berkeley . Boone . Braxton . Brooke . Cabell . Calhoun . Clay . Doddridge . Fayette . Gilmer . Grant . Greenbrier . Hampshire . Hancock . Hardy . Harrison . Jackson . Jefferson . Kanawha . Lewis . Lincoln . Logan . Marion . Marshall . Mason . McDowell . Mercer . Mineral . Mingo . Monongalia . Monroe . Morgan . Nicholas . Ohio . Pendleton . Pleasants . Pocahontas . Preston . Putnam . Raleigh . Randolph . Ritchie . Roane . Summers . Taylor . Tucker . Tyler . Upshur . Wayne . Webster . Wetzel . Wirt . Wood . Wyoming .

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• West Virginia USGenWeb Project
  genealogical gateway to the state and counties
• USGenWeb Archives for West Virginia
  online cemeteries, deeds, censuses, obituaries & other records
• Search West Virginia Databases Online
  Search for birth, marriage, census, death, immigration, naturalization, military records and more at Ancestry
• Search the 1790-1930 West Virginia Census Online
  Find your ancestor's year and place of birth, year of marriage, home address, occupation, property information and more at Ancestry
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• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - West Virginia
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• Genealogy Today
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• West Virginia Marriages, 1863-1900
  each record provides spouses' names, marriage date, and county of residence at Ancestry
• West Virginia Prominent Men
  a compiled biography of prominent individuals from the state of West Virginia, lists thousands of individuals with their vital information and background at Ancestry
• West Virginia Cemetery Readings, 1941
  each entry provides the decedent's name, birth date, death date, living relative, and survey date at Ancestry