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How to Find Virginia Birth Records


Statewide registration of births began in June 1912 in Virginia.



Next Step: When did the birth occur?

Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's birth record:

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1853

Before 1853, no births were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.

Records that give birth information:
Death Records
Cemetery Records
Newspapers
Bible Records
Church Records
Census
Military Records
Tax Records
Return to top: Choose another birth year


Births from 1853 thru 1913

In 1853, Virginia passed a law requiring counties to record births, although not all counties complied or continued to record them on a consistent basis. Birth registers during the Civil War period (1861-1865) are incomplete. From 1896-1911, births were not recorded. Delayed birth registrations for the years 1896-1912 exist. If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that occurred during the time period, try the following databases.

Try;
Virginia Births, 1853-1917 FamilySearch - Free; Virginia, Births and Christenings, 1853-1917. Most counties only have records to 1896.
Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 FamilySearch - Free; Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866. Index, incomplete.
Try;

Virginia, Birth Records, 1864-2014 ($) Index. Image of record
is available for years
1864 to 100 years ago. 		Free at FamilySearch Centers and Libraries; Virginia, Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917: Find your local FamilySearch Center OR use your own Ancestry subscription.

Virginia, U.S., Birth Registers, 1853-1911 ($) Index and images Free at FamilySearch Centers and Libraries; Find your local FamilySearch Center OR use your own Ancestry subscription.
Can't find your ancestor in the online index? Tips for searching online indexes
No birth record for your ancestor? Other records with birth information

Obtain the Record

With approximate birth years and places, you can locate birth records from 1853-1896 on microfilm available through the Library of Virginia and the FamilySearch Library.

Delayed birth records for the years 1869-1912 are available for a fee at the Virginia Division of Vital Records (PDF file).


There are no restrictions on these records.

Return to top: Choose another birth year


Births after 1913

Statewide registration of births began in June 1912 in Virginia.


Try;
Virginia Births, 1853-1917 FamilySearch - Free; Virginia, Births and Christenings, 1853-1917. Most counties only have records to 1896.
Try;

Virginia, Birth Records, 1864-2014 ($) Index. Image of record
is available for years
1864 to 100 years ago. To Obtain an copy of the image if born less than 100 years ago, See Obtain the Certificate 		Free at FamilySearch Centers and Libraries; Virginia, Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917: Find your local FamilySearch Center OR use your own Ancestry subscription.
Can't find your ancestor in the online index? Tips for searching online indexes
No birth record for your ancestor? Other records with birth information

Obtain the Certificate

With full names, dates and places of an event, you can order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from the Virginia Division of Vital Records (PDF file) or VitalChek.


Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:

  • The person on the certificate
  • The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate
  • The spouse of the person on the certificate
  • The child of the person on the certificate
  • The sibling of the person on the certificate
  • The legal guardian of the person on the certificate
  • Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another birth year


Related Wiki Articles

v • d• e
Links to Virginia-related articles (see also West Virginia-related articles)
Topics
Counties
Accomack • Albemarle • Alleghany • Amelia • Amherst • Appomattox • Arlington • Augusta • Bath • Bedford • Bland • Botetourt • Brunswick • Buchanan • Buckingham • Campbell • Caroline • Carroll • Charles City • Charlotte • Chesterfield • Clarke • Craig • Culpeper • Cumberland • Dickenson • Dinwiddie • Essex • Fairfax • Fauquier • Floyd • Fluvanna • Franklin • Frederick • Giles • Gloucester • Goochland • Grayson • Greene • Greensville • Halifax • Hanover • Henrico • Henry • Highland • Isle of Wight • James City • King and Queen • King George • King William • Lancaster • Lee • Loudoun • Louisa • Lunenburg • Madison • Mathews • Mecklenburg • Middlesex • Montgomery • Nelson • New Kent • Northampton • Northumberland • Nottoway • Orange • Page • Patrick • Pittsylvania • Powhatan • Prince Edward • Prince George • Prince William • Pulaski • Rappahannock (New) • Richmond • Roanoke • Rockbridge • Rockingham • Russell • Scott • Shenandoah • Smyth • Southampton • Spotsylvania • Stafford • Surry • Sussex • Tazewell • Warren • Washington • Westmoreland • Wise • Wythe • York
Independent
Cities
Extinct Counties/Cities
Counties
gone to KY
Counties
gone to WV
Barbour • Berkeley • Boone • Braxton • Brooke • Cabell • Calhoun • Clay • Doddridge • Fayette • Gilmer • Greenbrier • Hampshire • Hancock • Hardy • Harrison • Jackson • Jefferson • Kanawha • Lewis • Logan • Marion • Marshall • Mason • McDowell • Mercer • Monongalia • Monroe • Morgan • Nicholas • Ohio • Pendleton • Pleasants • Pocahontas • Preston • Putnam • Raleigh • Randolph • Ritchie • Roane • Taylor • Tucker • Tyler • Upshur • Wayne • Webster • Wetzel • Wirt • Wood • Wyoming
Colonial
Parishes
Abingdon • Accomac • Accomack • Albemarle • Amherst • Antrim • Appomattox • Argall's Gift • Augusta • Bath • Beckford • Berkeley • Blisland • Blount Point • Botetourt • Boutracy • Bristol • Bromfield • Brunswick • Bruton • Camden • Cameron • Charles City • Charles • Charles River • Chickacoan • Chickahominy • Chippokes • Chiskiack • Chotank • Christ Church (Lancaster Co.) • Christ Church (Middlesex Co.) • Chuckatuck • Cople • Cornwall • Cumberland • Dale • Denbigh • Dettingen • Drysdale • East • Elizabeth City • Elizabeth River • Fairfax • Fairfield • Farnham • Flowerdew Hundred • Fluvanna • Frederick • Fredericksville • Hamilton • Hampton • Hanover • Harrop • Henrico • Hog Island • Hungars • James City • Jordan's Journey • Kecoughtan • Kingston • King William • Lancaster • Lawnes Creek • Lee • Leeds • Lexington • Littleton • Lower (Elizabeth City Co.) • Lower (Isle of Wight Co.) • Lower (Lancaster Co.) • Lower (Nansemond Co.) • Lower (Northampton Co.) • Lower (Stafford Co.) • Lower (Upper Norfolk Co.) • Lower Suffolk • Lunenburg • Lynnhaven • Machodick • Manchester • Marston • Martin's Brandon • Martin's Hundred • Meherrin • Middle Plantation • Middletowne • Montgomery • Mulberry Island • New Poquoson • Newport • Nomini • Norborne • Northampton • North Farnham • Nottoway (Prince Edward Co.) • Nottoway (Southampton Co.) • Nutmeg Quarter • Occohannock • Overwharton • Patrick • Petsworth • Piankatank • Piscataway • Poropotank • Portsmouth • Potomac • Raleigh • Richmond • Rockbridge • Rockingham • Russell • St. Andrew's • St. Anne's (Albemarle Co.) • St. Anne's (Essex and Caroline Cos.) • St. Asaph's • St. Brides • St. David's • St. George's (Accomack Co.) • St. George's (Spotsylvania Co.) • St. James Northam • St. James Southam • St. James's (Goochland Co.) • St. James's (Mecklenburg Co.) • St. John's • St. Luke's • St. Margaret's • St. Mark's • St. Martin's • St. Mary's • St. Mary's Whitechapel • St. Patrick's • St. Paul's (Hanover Co.) • St. Paul's (King George Co.) • St. Peter's • St. Stephen's (King and Queen Co.) • St. Stephen's (Northumberland Co.) • St. Thomas • Shelburne • Sittenburne • Smith's Hundred • South • Southampton • South Farnham • Southwark • Stafford • Stanley Hundred • Stratton Major • Suffolk • Tillotson • Trinity (Lancaster Co.) • Trinity (Louisa Co.) • Truro • Upper (Elizabeth City Co.) • Upper (Isle of Wight Co.) • Upper (Lancaster Co.) • Upper (Nansemond Co.) • Upper (Northampton Co.) • Upper (Stafford Co.) • Upper Suffolk • Varina • Wallingford • Ware • Warrosquyoake • Warwick • Washington (Westmoreland Co.) • Washington (Washington Co.) • Waters Creek • West • West and Shirley • Westbury • Westover • Weyanoke • Wicomico • Wilmington • York • Yorkhampton
Major
Repositories
Bristol Public Library · Germanna Foundation Library · Handley Regional Library · Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) · Historical Society of Washington, D.C. · John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg · Jones Memorial Library · Library of Congress (Washington, DC) · Library of Virginia · Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library · Maryland State Archives (Annapolis, MD) · National Archives I (Washington, DC) · National Archives II (College Park, MD) · National Archives at Philadelphia (PA) · National Genealogical Society · New York Public Library (New York City, NY) · Pennsylvania State Archives (Harrisburg, PA) · Portsmouth Public Library · Roanoke County Public Library · Salisbury University Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture (Salisbury, MD) · Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown (Santa Cruz, CA) · University of Virginia Library · Virginia Department of Health · Virginia Historical Society · Virginia Theological Seminary · Washington National Records Center (Suitland, MD) · William and Mary College Swem Library
Migration
Routes
Routes: Chesapeake Bay • James River • Potomac River • Rappahannock River • York River • Chesapeake and Ohio Canal • Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad • Fall Line Road (or Southern Road) • Great Indian Warpath • Great Trading Path • Great Valley Road • Kanawha Trail • King's Highway • National Road (Cumberland Road) • New River and Southern Trail • Occaneechi Path • Old Cherokee Path • Old Northwestern Turnpike • Pamunkey-New River Trail • Pioneer Road • Richmond Road • Richmond-Williamsburg Road • Saura-Saponi Trail • Secondary Coast Road • Upper Road • Wilderness Road • Wilmington, Highpoint, and Northern Trail • Ports: Atlantic Coast Ports • Accomack • Alexandria • Belvoir Plantation • Bermuda Hundred • Dumfries • Falmouth • Fredericksburg • Hampton • Jamestown • Leedstown • Norfolk • Port Royal • Portsmouth • South Quay • Suffolk • Tappahannock (aka Hobb's Hole) • Urbanna • Williamsburg • Yorktown
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