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Virginia Vital Records

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Virginia Vital Records Dates

Government Registration Births Marriages Deaths
County/Town 1853-1896 County Formation 1853-1896
Statewide Registration 1912* 1912 1912*
General Compliance 1917 1853 1917
* Between 1896 and 1912 there was no law to collect births and deaths. Some counties/cities did keep them.

Online Resources

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Get Copies

Restrictions: [3]

  • Birth records become public information 100 years after the date of the event.
  • Death, marriage, and divorce records become public information 25 years after the event.


Virginia Department of Health
Office of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 662-6200
Website

  • The Office of Vital Records has records of births, deaths, and marriages, 1853-1896 and since June 14, 1912.
  • Between 1896 and June 14, 1912, there was no law for the registration of births and deaths.
  • Unrestricted records from Virginia Department of Health are Online
  • Restricted vital records are available with valid identification to immediate family members only: mother, father, spouse, child, brother, sister, and grandparents or a legal guardian.


Library of Virginia
800 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-692-3500; Library Reference: 804-692-3777; Archives Reference: 804-692-3888
Fax: 804-692-3556
Contact Us
Website

  • The Archives Division, has copies of surviving Virginia birth and death records for the period 1853 to 1896 and marriage records prior to 1936. [4]
  • Available on microfilm for use by the public. Copies of the microfilm may be lent to other libraries from The Library of Virginia - Archives Division, Inter Library Loan Department.
  • Any "Marriage Bonds" prior to 1853 that are still in existence are also in the Virginia State Library and Archives.


County Courthouses
Contact the clerk of the court of the county or independent city for copies of the certificates, licenses, and registers kept by the county.

Coverage and Compliance

Births and Deaths:
During the years, Virginia laws changed regarding whether registration of births and deaths was required. After the final change in the 1912 law, general compliance of registration wasn't until about 1917.

Marriages:
There was customarily high compliance with marriages, due to the community's interest and to civil or church authorities recording marriages.

Information in the Records

Birth Records

Virginia Birth Records May Include*
Name of Child x
Birth Date/Place x
Sex/Race x
Parents' Names x
Parents' Birthplace x
# of Children Born/Living x
Residence/Occupation x
Midwife/Doctor x
* Early records may have less information

Between 1853 and 1896, the information recorded in birth registers changed very little. The registers may also contain enslaved status and name of enslaver (until 1865).

  • 1853-1896: counties and cities maintained birth registers. Annually, a copy was sent to the state Auditor of Public Accounts [5][6]
  • 1898-1911: On March 4, 1898, per an Act of Assembly, the state halted the recordings of births and deaths. Some cities did maintain records during this time [7]
  • 1912-Current: Statewide registration began and has been continuous


Delayed Birth Records
Delayed birth records were created in the 1940s for adults without birth certificates in order to be eligible for Social Security benefits or for passports.

  • These will include some births missed in 1898-1911 when recording was halted


See also:

Marriage Records

Virginia Marriage Records May Include:*
Names of Bride/Groom** x
Date/Place of Marriage x
Presiding Official x
# of Times Married x
Dates/Places of Birth x
Residences/Race x
Parents' Names x
* Early records may have less information
** May be previous married name of bride

County marriage records are generally the earliest and most complete vital records for Virginia.

  • Records before 1853: Beginning in 1660, a couple could receive approval to marry by posting a bond [8] with a civil authority or by announcing banns [9] in church.
  • 1660-1780: The colonial government required church officials to record all marriages in church registers
  • 1780-1853: Churches were required to report marriages to the county clerk, loosely enforced
  • 1853 to current: Clerk of the court in the county or independent city issued marriage licenses. When the marriage was performed, the minister returned the information to the clerk, who recorded it in the county or city records. Couples or their parents applying for a license provided the following information for the bride and groom (Beginning in 1858, a standard form was used):
  • Full names
  • Ages
  • Places of birth and residence
  • Proposed marriage date and place
  • Whether single or widowed
  • Parents' names
  • Groom's occupation
  • Minister's name
  • For many counties the certificates no longer exist, but the county marriage record books generally provide the marriage information and the parents' names.
  • 1866-1870's Virginia Cohabitation Records are a record of free African American families living in Virginia immediately after the end of the Civil War.


Gretna Greens. When eloping, couples would get married in alternate places instead of the county they lived in.
For those from Virginia, these locations include:[10]


See also:

Death Records

Virginia Death Records May Include:*
Name of Decedent x
Date/Place of Death x
Sex/Race x
Occupation x
Age/Date of Birth x
State/Country of Birth x
Length of Residence x
Name of Spouse x
Parents' Names x
Birth Places of Parents x
Physician x
Cause of Death x
Informant x
Cemetery x
* Early records may have less information

From 1853 through 1896, the information recorded in death registers changed very little. They may contain name of enslaver, if enslaved (before 1865)

  • 1853-1896 counties recorded births and deaths.
  • 1898-1911 On March 4, 1898, per an Act of Assembly, the state halted the recordings of births and deaths. [11]
  • Some metropolitan areas did maintain records during this time.
  • 1912-present Statewide registration began and has been continuous


See also:


Cause of Death

  • Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate.

Additional Information

See also:

Strategy

Tips for Using Vital Records

  • Certificate or record is not found:
  1. Couples often married in the county where bride lived or they may have eloped
  2. Search the towns and cities where the event took place. Also search surrounding counties to locate the document.
  3. The record may not exist because of record loss at the the county courthouse. See Burned, Lost, or Missing Records.
  4. The event may not have been recorded by the government at that time. Substitute Records.
  • Examine the record to determine accuracy:
  1. Person providing information may not remember events accurately
  2. Informant may not have been present at the time of the event
  3. Informant may give false information to hide age, race, religion, or illegitimacy
  4. Grieving relatives may not have remembered correctly
  • Review the informant on the document:
  1. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record
  2. See if records about the informant may have clues about the family
  3. Verify vital information with other sources


See also:


Burned, Lost, or Missing Records

The following counties had record loss. Click on the county for more information.

See also:


Substitute Records

For other records that may give birth, marriage, or death information, see:

References

  1. ↑ Includes Accomack, Albemarle, Amelia, Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Brunswick, Buckingham, Campbell, Caroline, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Culpeper, Cumberland, Elizabeth City, Fauquier, Goochland, Halifax, Harrison, Henrico, Henry, Lancaster, Louisa, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, Montgomery, Norfolk, Northampton, Orange, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Richmond, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Surry, Sussex, Washington, Westmoreland, Wythe, and York counties. Includes (in addition to the counties previously named) Berkeley, Franklin, Isle of Wight, Loudoun, Northumberland, and Shenandoah counties. Vols. 1-5, 6-12, 13-17, 18-22, 23-25.
  2. ↑ Includes Accomack, Amelia, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Brunswick, Campbell, Caroline, Charles City, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Culpeper, Dinwiddie, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Frederick, Goochland, Greensville, Halifax, Hanover, Harrison, Henrico, Henry, King William, Lancaster, Louisa, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Middlesex, New Kent, Nottoway, Orange, Pittsylvania, Powhatan, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Richmond (both City and County), Rockbridge, Southampton, Spotsylvania, Surry, Sussex, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.
  3. ↑ Office of Vital Records slide down for vital record restrictions at Virginia Department of Health
  4. ↑ per Genealogy at Virginia Department of Health
  5. ↑ Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1853–Present) at Library of Virginia, Research Guides and Indexes.
  6. ↑ Circular from the Auditor's Office, Richmond, Virginia, dated April 5, 1864 "duties relating to births and deaths... are subordinate to listing property for taxation.... "you will therefore abstain from ascertaining the births and deaths... for the present year."
  7. ↑ Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1853–Present) at Library of Virginia, Research Guides and Indexes.
  8. ↑ A bond was usually posted by a relative of the couple. This individual went to a county court clerk and made a written agreement to forfeit a sum of money as a guarantee that there was no reason to prevent the marriage. Records of marriage bonds sometimes include the parents' consent to the marriage if the bride or groom was a minor. The county clerk then gave the couple a license to be given to the minister who would perform the ceremony.
  9. ↑ Marriage banns were announcements or publications of the intended marriage presented at three church meetings. This avoided the need to post a bond or obtain a license. The banns were recorded in the church records and the minister then performed the ceremony. A law passed in 1780 required ministers to report all marriages to the county clerk.
  10. ↑ Arlene H. Eakle,"Have you searched and searched for a marriage without finding it?" in Genealogy Blog at http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress/2007/02/19/have-you-searched-and-searched-for-the-marriage-without-finding-it/ (accessed 8 January 2011).
  11. ↑ Birth, Marriage, and Death Records (1853–Present) per Library of Virginia site
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