This collection includes birth certificates, registers of births, and delayed birth registrations. In some cases, more than one of these are available for the same person. In general, the certificates have a smaller file size than the registers, but it is always a good idea to check both.
When searching these records you may use wildcards which is very helpful with names that are commonly misspelled.
For example, if you enter the search: Oswell Kessinger you will find the entry for his birth in the register of births. This includes the date of his birth, his place of birth, the names of his parents, and a reference to the old record letting you know that this register is a hand-written copy of the original (or at least older) register.
But if you enter the search term: Oswell K*singer you will find the birth register entry above but also the older register (indexed as Oswell O. Kesinger), which includes all of the information in the above register, but also includes the father’s place of residence and the middle initial “O” that appears to have been missed when the copy was made.
Go to West Virginia Birth Records.
Original birth records are available online for:
Barbour: 1833, 1853 – 1920
Berkeley: 1860, 1862 – 1920
Boone: 1822, 1832, 1862, 1865 – 1910
Braxton: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1920
Brooke: 1852 – 1862, 1864 – 1920
Cabell: 1811, 1853 – 1854, 1856, 1864 – 1865, 1867 – 1920
Calhoun: 1855 – 1858, 1863, 1865 – 1945
Clay: 1858, 1860, 1866 – 1868, 1870 – 1920
Doddridge: 1853 – 1920
Fayette: 1852, 1861 – 1920
Gilmer: 1853 – 1859, 1861 – 1945
Grant: 1859, 1865 – 1920
Greenbrier: 1853 – 1862, 1864 – 1920
Hampshire: 1860, 1864 – 1920
Hancock: 1853 – 1858, 1863 – 1920
Hardy: 1853 – 1860, 1866 – 1869, 1871 – 1872, 1874 – 1945
Harrison: 1853 – 1928
Jackson: 1843, 1852 – 1854, 1856 – 1920
Jefferson: 1853 – 1860, 1866 – 1920
Kanawha: 1838, 1844, 1850, 1853 – 1919
Lewis: 1853 – 1920
Lincoln: 1859 – 1860, 1866, 1868 – 1920
Logan: 1825, 1853 – 1860, 1863 – 1864, 1866 – 1920
Marion: 1855, 1859 – 1913, 1918, 1920
Marshall: 1853 – 1920
Mason: 1853 – 1920
McDowell: 1867 – 1868, 1872, 1874 – 1919
Mercer: 1853 – 1861, 1865 – 1869, 1872 – 1918
Mineral: 1865 – 1945
Mingo: 1852, 1870 – 1871, 1873 – 1920
Monongalia: 1849, 1852 – 1916
Monroe: 1790, 1797, 1827, 1853 – 1860, 1863 – 1917, 1919 – 1920
Morgan: 1858, 1863 – 1920
Nicholas: 1853 – 1859, 1861, 1863 – 1916
Ohio: 1820, 1853 – 1920
Pendleton: 1853 – 1862, 1864, 1866 – 1930
Pleasants: 1842, 1853 – 1920
Pocahontas: 1853 – 1861, 1863 – 1920
Preston: 1861 – 1862, 1865 – 1910, 1920
Putnam: 1853 – 1920
Raleigh: 1853 – 1860, 1862 – 1863, 1865 – 1920
Randolph: 1853 – 1861, 1865 – 1920
Ritchie: 1853 – 1863, 1865 – 1920
Roane: 1853 – 1862, 1864 – 1920
Summers: 1868 – 1910, 1918
Taylor: 1801, 1810, 1812 – 1816, 1818 – 1825, 1827 – 1828, 1830 – 1831, 1834 – 1840, 1842, 1844 – 1920
Tucker: 1856 – 1920
Tyler: 1853 – 1920
Unavailable/Out of State: 1910
Upshur: 1846 – 1847, 1849 – 1920
Wayne: 1853 – 1862, 1864 – 1920
Webster: 1846, 1857 – 1858, 1861 – 1863, 1865 – 1920
West Virginia: 1880, 1882 – 1883, 1886, 1891, 1894, 1897, 1900, 1902, 1904 – 1905, 1907, 1909 – 1910, 1912
Wetzel: 1797, 1854 – 1863, 1865 – 1920
Wirt: 1852, 1865, 1867 – 1920
Wood: 1853 – 1862, 1864 – 1920
Wyoming: 1853 – 1858, 1863 – 1920