Virginia began keeping birth and death records in 1853 until 1896 on a "COUNTY" level. Slave births are recorded you need to know the slave owners name. Not all births or deaths are recorded for everyone. For the most part the records that do exist (and not lost or burned etc.) for this time period are on microfilm at the LVA in Richmond.

Several independent cities in VA continued to keep records after 1896 Lynchburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke and the county of Elizabeth City (now known as Hampton). I can't tell you how complete any of them are.

Systematic STATEWIDE registration began again in JUNE 1912.

SElma