We frequently get this question, and the short answer is that we would
love to make birth, marriage, and death certificates digitally
available, but we are not the legally-recognized custodians of the
certificates - That would the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the Virginia
Department of Health and Human Services.  In fact, our current ability
to serve any vital records in the LVA reading room and through microfilm
is based on an agreement with the bureau.   We do have the original
registers (indexes), but Vital Statistics retains the original copies of
the certificates.  They continue to microfilm these records and provide
one copy to the LVA to be served with the restriction that "no
photographic copies of these records should be prepared for sale or
general distribution to the public." We share your eagerness to see
these records online, but, in the meantime, you can find out more
information about how to acquire a copy of a birth, death, or marriage
certificate at http://www.vdh.state.va.us/vital_records/vtlapp.htm.

John Metz
Director, Collections Management Services Interim-Director, Archival and
Records Management Services  

-----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sam Lantz
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 9:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-ROOTS] Records online

Is there any chance that LOV will put birth, death, and marriage records
online like our sister state West Virginia does at www.wvculture.org.  I
cannot say how much help this site has been to me as I research my West
Virginia roots.  

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