Warren County (Va.) Marriage Records and Vital Statistics Records, 1850-1913 contains Registers of Birth and Deaths, 1854-1861; Registers of Birth and Deaths, 1872-1895; and Register of Marriages, 1850-1913.

Prior to 1853, when the Commonwealth began recording vital statistics, Virginia marriages were recorded at the county or city level. Beginning in 1661, in order to be married by license, the groom was required to go before the county clerk and give bond with security that there was no lawful reason to prevent the marriage. The license, issued then by the clerk, was given to the minister who performed the service. Written consent from a parent or guardian was needed for individuals younger than twenty-one years.

Marriage Register starting in 1853 recorded the date and place of marriage, the full names of both parties, the age and condition of both parties before marriage, their places of birth, their places of residence, the names of their parents, the occupation of the husband, the name of the minister performing the ceremony. There are references throughout the volume to both Free African American and African American marriages.

Birth registers contain headings for: date and place of birth; name of child (if named); color (if "colored," whether slave or free); sex; whether born alive or dead; name of father or owner; father's occupation; father's residence (county or locality in the county); mother's name; how many infants at this birth (whether this was a multiple birth); deformities or any circumstances of interest; name of the person giving the information; and the relation of the informant to the person born.

Death registers record: name, race of the deceased(if "colored," whether slave or free); name of the owner, if a slave; sex of the deceased; date and place of death; name of the disease or cause of death; age at death (years, months and days); names of parents of the deceased; place of birth; occupation; marital status; name of person giving the information; and description of the informant (whether a physician, consort, head of the family, or friend.)