West Virginia Research Tips and Strategies

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West Virginia

Research Tips and Strategies

Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page The West Virginia Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for West Virginia. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

West Virginia Research Strategies

Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in West Virginia

• West Virginia Online Genealogy Records
• How to find West Virginia Birth Records
• How to find West Virginia Marriage Records
• How to find West Virginia Death Records

West Virginia Research Tips

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in West Virginia.

• Birth information: Statewide registration of births began in 1917 in West Virginia and was generally complied with by 1925. A helpful substitute record to find birth information is a death record. However, date and place of birth on a death record is considered secondary information, as it was not recorded at the time of the birth event. The birth information should be corroborated with other substitute records to improve accuracy.
• Finding Parents: Statewide registration of deaths began in 1917 in West Virginia and was generally complied with by 1925.  They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search West Virginia death records
• Look in all censuses: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.

West Virginia Record Finder

This brief Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research. For a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see West Virginia Record Finder.

1. What you are looking for:	2. Try these records first:	3. Other useful records
Birth information	Birth records Death records Obituaries Church records	Cemeteries Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) Bible records Military records
Marriage information	Marriage records Obituaries Bible records	Church records Probate records Military records
Death information	Death Records Cemeteries Obituaries	Probate Records Church Records Bible Records
Parents	Birth records Death records Obituaries Census Church records	Biography Genealogy
Maiden name	Marriage Records Obituaries Probate records	Church Records Military Records
Immigration date	Emigration and Immigration Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) Census	Obituaries Biography History
Naturalization	Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) Census Court Records	Voting Records Biography Periodicals
Physical description	Military Records Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) (after 1906)	Biography History

Further West Virginia Research

• Remember, for a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see West Virginia Record Finder.
• For online record collections, go to West Virginia Online Genealogy Records.
• For more research on West Virginia, including research at the county level, visit the West Virginia page on the Research Wiki.
• Search all of the West Virginia record collections at FamilySearch.