West Virginia Birth Records

Enter a first and/or last name to search West Virginia birth records. This website was created to provide genealogists with access to the West Virginia birth records from a single place. Additional information on how to obtain West Virginia birth certificates is available below.

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West Virginia birth records

Birth records contain information about a person's birth, including the date of birth, place of birth, sometimes the names of the mother and father, and even the physician who attended the birth. Birth certificates issued by state and local governments will often include the place of residence, and the mother's maiden name.

This webpage gives you access to all of the online databases containing West Virginia birth records, West Virginia birth ceritificates, West Virginia birth notices, West Virginia birth indexes, and other related West Virginia genealogy records.

Birth records have long been used to help with genealogy research. They are considered to be "primary source" records, because the information is recorded by an eye witness, at the time the birth takes place. The Internet has allowed people to store birth records into various online archives. This has brought access to online birth records much more easier for genealogy researchers.

Newspapers frequently publish notices of births, and in addition to birth certificates, are a popular source of research by genealogists. Newspapers typically do not announce the names of the newborn, but list the sex of the child, the names of the parents, the place and date of birth.

On this page you will find the most comprehensive databases containing birth records of West Virginia. We also suggest searching for "West Virginia birth records" using Google.com, which will yield all such databases.

Search the West Virginia Birth Records Database

       
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How to Obtain West Virginia Birth Certificates

Since all but five of West Virginia's counties were formed before 20 June 1863, when Congress officially admitted it as a sovereign state, counties in existence prior to statehood were governed by the same laws as other Virginia counties, including the requirement to register births and marriages beginning in 1853. State registration began 1 January 1917, although fire destroyed many 1917–21 records.

For birth records from 1 January 1920, write:

West Virginia Department of Health
Division of Vital Statistics
Capitol Complex
Charleston, WV 25305

For prior records, write to the clerk of the county in question.

Other West Virginia Birth Records Websites

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