Records that survive
These are the record books from Kanawha County that the Library of Virginia has on microfilm, grouped into series with the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps. The original books are still kept by the county.
Deeds and land
- Deed Book1790–1865
- General Index to Deeds1790–1923
Wills and estates
- Register of Wills1778–1899
- Will Book1820–1882
- Estate Records from Circuit Superior Court1831–1881
Marriages, births and deaths
- List of Marriages1792–1869
- Marriage Records1794–1875
- Birth Records vol.1853–1902
- General Index to Births1853–1931
- General Index to Death1853–1934
- General Index to Deaths1853–1934
- Register of Births vol.1853–1879
- Register of Deaths1853–1912
- Index to Marriages1854–1933
- Marriage Record vol.1854–1917
- Register of Marriages1869–1884
- Register of Births vol. III1882–1890
Court records
- Abstracts of County Court Record Order Books1789–1831
- Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery Chancery Record vol.1831–1845
- Docket Book1831–1872
- Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery and Circuit Court Chancery Orders1845–1854
- Issue Docket1846–1865
- Circuit Court Chancery Orders1854–1897
- Circuit Court Chancery Record1897–1901
Military and pensions
- Discharge Records vol.1919–1944
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Register of Free Negroes1794–1855
Tax records
- Names of Early Landowners Taken from Tax Lists1791–1813
Other records
- Kanawha County1922–1935
See every volume and reel at the Library of Virginia
Source: Library of Virginia, West Virginia County Records Microfilm. The reels can be viewed in Richmond but can't be borrowed through interlibrary loan. Counties began recording births and deaths in 1853; the state began collecting them in 1917, though most state records from 1917 to 1920 were lost in a fire.
Where to find the records
- Find Kanawha County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the county clerk and the circuit clerk.
- The county clerk
Deeds, wills and estate (fiduciary) records, marriages from the county's beginning, and births and deaths from 1853.
- The circuit clerk
Lawsuits, chancery cases and divorces.
- The West Virginia Archives and History
In Charleston: some counties' original court records, microfilm of county records, and the state's online vital records.
- Library of Virginia: West Virginia county records on microfilmfree
Every filmed volume for Kanawha County, with its years and reel number.
- West Virginia Vital Research Recordsfree
Search scanned county birth, death and marriage records by name, county and year.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "West Virginia, Kanawha" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Greenbrier County, Montgomery County (Va.)
Check the parent county for earlier records: Greenbrier County
Later formed partly from Kanawha County: Boone County, Braxton County, Cabell County, Clay County, Fayette County, Gilmer County, Jackson County, Lincoln County, Logan County, Mason County, Nicholas County, Putnam County, Roane County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1789, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
West Virginia was part of Virginia until 1863, so for an ancestor here before then, also use Virginia's statewide records at the Library of Virginia, such as land grants and land tax lists. The county clerk's birth and death registers from 1853 often name parents.