Alice, As to your first question, when I contacted the VA Dept. of Vital Records a few years ago, they indicated that they had no birth or death records for 1896-1912. If there were any exceptions to that "blanket statement," they certainly made no mention of them to me. Bill To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html