Vital records for deaths are an important part of genealogical research, but before the 20th century finding these can be difficult, especially in a state like Pennsylvania. Combing a cemetery might provide some information, but like death notices of the time, the information is often minimal, and may not be entirely accurate. Fortunately, some states, including West Virginia, started recording deaths at the county level in the mid 19th century.
West Virginia, which at the time was part of Virginia, began collecting death information in each of its counties around 1853. Besides the basic information of date, place, and cause of death, these files might also provide names of parents, marital status with spouse’s name if married, attending physician, and place of burial. Finding these records in the Mountain state can certainly help with one’s genealogical research.
When I made my first research trip to Morgantown, WV, the county seat of Monongalia, I was researching my Fowler line. At the courthouse I was amazed to find records that extended so far back. Among some of the first pages in the register of deaths book, I came across Martha Fowler, who was my 3rd great grandmother, and the informant was John C. Fowler, her husband. To my delight, her parents, Doctor and Ruth Lewellen, were named, adding another generation to my tree. Martha died in 1853 from cancer; although her age was given, no death date was recorded. Locating a death date on her tombstone, I estimated her birth to be about August 29, 1793, using the age listed on her death record.
Looking through the pages for my 3rd great-grandfather John Fowler, I found he had lived another 15 years, with his death occurring November 30, 1868, in Monongalia County. John was a farmer and had died from heart disease. He had remarried, and his second wife Hannah survived him. Using his given age, I calculated his birth date as February 20, 1790. John’s parents were listed as Caleb and Lydia Fowler, providing evidence of his parentage and with a validated link to the next Fowler generation.
From census records, I confirmed John’s mother Lydia was living in Monongalia County in 1850. Although the records were instituted a few years after this, Lydia was not listed in the county’s deaths. If she died in Monongalia County, her death likely occurred before the implementation of record keeping. It is also possible that she travelled across the border to Pennsylvania and died outside the state where her death would have gone unreported.
During that first afternoon of research, I found a couple other Fowlers and was satisfied with my initial success. Over the next few years, I returned several times to the area, stopping by the courthouse to expand my search to other Fowler related lines, such as families with the Lewellen and Conn surnames. Some of these relatives went back and forth from PA to WV, and where they died determined whether a death record existed for them.
When I located the records for my relatives, I pondered getting a photocopy, but the books were large and clunky, with one line of light ink extending across two pages. I don’t remember if I tried without success, or learned it was impractical from the clerk, so rather than a copy, I documented the death information in my notebook, writing the information provided. Now thanks to modern technology, I can view these documents from the comfort of my home and verify I copied the information correctly.
As the names of cousins on my family tree continues to grow, I occasionally find other family lines who spent part of their lives in WV. Ancestry.com might indicate that a death record exists in a WV county with a minimal extract of the record, but examining the original document is best. Whenever I discover a relative who died in WV before 1971, I visit the WV digital records site to view the entire death certificate and glean any additional information.
The West Virginia archive website has been around for a while, and one can find births and marriages, in addition to death records. It is part of the WV Vital Research Records Project, a partnership of the state’s archives and the Genealogy Society of Utah. The effort makes these vital records available for online research, providing a resource for genealogists researching family in this state. At the start of each year, new batches of records are added as they become available to the public, so it is a good idea to review these records annually to search for recently added documents of relatives.
Visiting the website for death records, one can search with various filters and criteria. The search screen is straightforward and can be filtered by county, year of death, and name of deceased. Once search results are displayed, clicking on a name will open a new tab that lists the detail of the record and a “view record link” at the top of the page. Clicking on this link, at least for the browsers I use, opens a new tab, but with no image. To load the document image, right click on the small icon by “record image” and select “open image in a new tab”. Although it takes a few clicks to get to the original, it can be downloaded for future reference.
When some regions are deficient in official documents from the 19th century, having death records for this period, such as those in West Virginia, is a tremendous resource. There are almost 120 years of county death records available in the state of West Virginia, and when you consider the earlier records, like those for my 3rd great grandparents, many of those individual’s births extend back to the late 18th century. These records have been invaluable in providing proof of my Fowler lineage, especially those earlier generations. With the online availability of these vital records, doing family research is now easier for anyone with roots in West Virginia regardless of where one lives.
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