West Virginia Division of Culture & History has free West Virginia death records online.
Each county has a slightly different date range of digitized records. The earliest death records are from 1753 and the latest death records are from 1964. Records continue to be added, so the counties and date ranges listed below may change (current as of May 2018).
Current West Virginia death record collections by county and date range:
Barbour: 1853 – 1859, 1861 – 1967
Berkeley: 1859, 1865 – 1967
Boone: 1865 – 1873, 1877 – 1883, 1885 – 1967
Braxton: 1853 – 1861, 1865, 1867 – 1967
Brooke: 1853 – 1860, 1862, 1865, 1867 – 1868, 1874 – 1880, 1885 – 1967
Cabell: 1853 – 1854, 1865 – 1866, 1868, 1871 – 1967
Calhoun: 1855 – 1859, 1864 – 1867, 1891 – 1967
Clay: 1858 – 1861, 1866, 1868 – 1873, 1875 – 1878, 1880 – 1896, 1899 – 1967
Doddridge: 1853 – 1855, 1858 – 1859, 1865 – 1967
Fayette: 1866 – 1874, 1876 – 1967
Gilmer: 1853 – 1854, 1856, 1858 – 1859, 1861 – 1863, 1865 – 1873, 1875 – 1876, 1878 – 1893, 1895 – 1899, 1901 – 1967
Grant: 1865 – 1967
Greenbrier: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1967
Hampshire: 1866, 1868 – 1967
Hancock: 1883 – 1884, 1886 – 1967
Hardy: 1853 – 1860, 1866 – 1869, 1871, 1873 – 1875, 1877 – 1967
Harrison: 1853 – 1967
Jackson: 1753, 1853 – 1862, 1864 – 1967
Jefferson: 1853 – 1860, 1866 – 1967
Kanawha: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1967
Lewis: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1967
Lincoln: 1909 – 1967
Logan: 1853 – 1860, 1872 – 1877, 1885 – 1886, 1888 – 1967
Marion: 1859 – 1863, 1865, 1867 – 1967
Marshall: 1853 – 1967
Mason: 1853 – 1862, 1864 – 1967
McDowell: 1882, 1894 – 1967
Mercer: 1853 – 1860, 1865 – 1867, 1869, 1872 – 1967
Mineral: 1865 – 1967
Mingo: 1894 – 1895, 1897 – 1898, 1900, 1902, 1904 – 1908, 1910 – 1967
Monongalia: 1853 – 1863, 1865 – 1967
Monroe: 1853 – 1860, 1865 – 1967
Morgan: 1865 – 1967
Nicholas: 1853 – 1855, 1859, 1864 – 1870, 1872 – 1874, 1876 – 1887, 1889, 1891 – 1893, 1899, 1902, 1904 – 1967
Ohio: 1853 – 1967
Pendleton: 1853 – 1854, 1856 – 1860, 1866 – 1869, 1872 – 1879, 1881 – 1903, 1905 – 1967
Pleasants: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1868, 1871 – 1967
Pocahontas: 1854 – 1860, 1864 – 1878, 1880, 1882 – 1885, 1887 – 1900, 1904 – 1967
Preston: 1868 – 1967
Putnam: 1853 – 1861, 1863 – 1967
Raleigh: 1853 – 1860, 1865 – 1967
Randolph: 1853 – 1859, 1861, 1864 – 1876, 1878 – 1892, 1896 – 1967
Ritchie: 1889 – 1967
Roane: 1856 – 1860, 1865 – 1869, 1871 – 1873, 1875, 1877 – 1878, 1880 – 1967
Summers: 1871 – 1872, 1874 – 1905, 1908, 1917 – 1967
Taylor: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1967
Tucker: 1856 – 1866, 1868 – 1871, 1873 – 1874, 1877 – 1878, 1880 – 1882, 1884 – 1967
Tyler: 1853 – 1862, 1865 – 1967
Unavailable / Out of State: 1917 – 1923, 1927, 1936, 1950, 1958, 1963
Upshur: 1845, 1853 – 1967
Wayne: 1853 – 1857, 1859 – 1860, 1863, 1866 – 1867, 1871 – 1967
Webster: 1888 – 1889, 1892 – 1967
Wetzel: 1854 – 1861, 1863, 1865 – 1867, 1869 – 1871, 1874 – 1875, 1877 – 1967
Wirt: 1870 – 1873, 1879 – 1881, 1883 – 1967
Wood: 1853 – 1861, 1863 – 1874, 1876 – 1967
Wyoming: 1853 – 1859, 1865 – 1867, 1875 – 1967
“The West Virginia Vital Research Records Project is a collaborative venture between the West Virginia State Archives and the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) to place online via the West Virginia Archives and History Web site selected West Virginia county birth, death and marriage records, and selected statewide death records in a viewable, downloadable and searchable format accessible at http://www.wvculture.org/vrr. While the majority of the eligible records are now in the database, the project is on-going, with more records being added when possible and the system undergoing refinement as needed…. All three types of records are still reported to county clerks today. In 1917, the West Virginia Dept. of Health Vital Registration office began collecting the county reports of births and deaths and issuing official state birth and death certificates from that year through the present, as well as creating “delayed” birth records by affidavit.”
For more background on the West Virginia Vital Records Project visit: http://www.wvculture.org/history/vitalrecordsarticle.pdf
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