The LVA Spotlight Newspapers Local newspapers are a valuable source of birth and death information, especially after the 1850s when local newspapers became more numerous.
Obituaries appear more frequently than announcements of births.
In most instances there are no indexes to vital statistics recorded in local newspapers, so an approximate date of the event is important before beginning a search. Microfilm copies of newspapers from across Virginia are available in the General Library. Newspapers published by religious denominations, such as the Baptist Religious Herald, the Episcopal Southern Churchman, or the Presbyterian Standard, are also helpful. Refer also to The Virginia Newspaper Project .