West Virginia, Deaths, 1804-1999

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of name indexes of West Virginia statewide and county death records. The statewide death index covers years 1917-1956 and includes all 55 West Virginia counties. The county deaths index covers years 1853-1970. Data is searchable for all state and county records. However, records within each county may not be available for the full year range.

Collection Content

Death entries were recorded in pre-printed register books containing many entries per page beginning in 1853. Earlier records were handwritten. They were usually typewritten by 1930. After 1917, death records were submitted to the state on individual certificates, while registers were maintained in the counties.

Clerks of each County Court recorded deaths beginning in 1853, when West Virginia was part of Virginia. West Virginia began collecting deaths from the counties in 1917. Most deaths in the counties were recorded because of the legal requirement for registration.

The state required counties to begin recording deaths to track public health issues. The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time the death occurred are quite reliable, though there is the chance of misinformation. Other data, such as date and place of birth, have more chance of error due to the lack of knowledge of the informant, transcription errors, and other circumstances.

The State of West Virginia has death certificates for 1917 through 1973 at West Virginia Division of Culture and History in Charleston, West Virginia. The original county records are generally located in the courthouse for each county.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records: