Basically, there was no law in Virginia before 1853 that required the state-wide civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths. Therefore, 1853 is the magic number. Before that year, you must rely on county and/or church records. Beginning in that year, you should be able to get a birth, marriage, or death certificate from the state of Virginia.

But, please see the following link to the Virginia Department of Vital Records: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/vitalrec/index.asp

You will find a much fuller explanation on this web site.

Donald W. Moore, CGRS
Virginia Beach, Virginia

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