Vital Records

Vital RecordsBirth, Death & Marriage Records

What are Vital Records? Civil record of a birth, death, or marriage kept

by the county, state, or town in which the event occurred.

Common Misconceptions about Vital Records in the U.S.

#1 They are kept by the federal government.

In the United States, each state has developed its own system of vital registration.

Common Misconceptions about Vital Records in the US

#2 Vital records are the same in every state and have not changed much over the years.

Each jurisdiction determines what information is collected.


#3 The states have always mandated vital record registration.

Each state adopted vital record registration in their own time.

Most states have limited birth and death records before the late 1800s.


#4 All vital records are open to the public.

While many vital records are available to the public, each state or jurisdiction determines the conditions of access. For example:

Public access to vital records in Illinois: Birth certificates that are 75 years or older Marriage certificates that are 50 years or older Death certificates that are 20 years or older

Common Misconceptions about Vital Records in the US#4 Vital records are all online.

While it is true that some states and some counties offer digitized copies of some vital records, it is still only a very small (but growing) percent.


#5 They are usually free.

Obtaining vital records is generally not free. The cost varies widely from state to state.

A Closer Look at Vital Records

What Information Might I Find on a Death Certificate? Information about the deceased

(i.e. date and place of death, cause of death, age, date and place of burial, date and place of birth, occupation, place of residence, marital status, military service

Information about the spouse (i.e. maiden name)

Information about the parents (i.e. father’s name and birthplace, mother’s name and

birthplace, mother's maiden name) Information about siblings or other relatives

(i.e. sibling may be listed as the informant. May learn married names and places of residence.)

Name of the funeral director

1888 Cook County Death Certificate

1911 Chicago Death Certificate

1926 Chicago Death Certificate

1972 Death Certificate Indiana

What Information Might I Find on A Birth Certificate?

Information about the child (i.e name of child, date of birth, place of birth, sex of

child) Information about the father

(i.e. age or date of birth, birthplace, occupation, and residence)

Information about the mother (i.e. maiden name, age or date of birth, birthplace,

occupation, and residence) Information about possible siblings

number of children born to the mother, and the number living at the time of the birth being recorded.

1884 Chicago Birth Certificate

1886 New York Birth Certificate

1904 New Jersey Birth Certificate

1917 Chicago

Birth Certificate

What Might I Learn from Marriage Records? Date of the marriage. Place of the marriage Names of Witnesses. Who performed the ceremony. Information about the Bride

(i.e. maiden name, age, birth date, birthplace, occupation, and address)

Information about the groom (i.e. age, birth date, birthplace, occupation, and address)

Information about the parents of the bride and groom (i.e. father’s name and birthplace, and mother’s maiden name

and birthplace.)

1872 Chicago Marriage Record

Corresponding 1872 Church Marriage Record

1910 New Jersey Marriage Record

In Class ActivityAnalyze a Death Certificate

Finding & Accessing Vital Records

Where Can I Find Vital Records? County Clerk's Offices Town Offices (New York and New England) State Health Departments State Archives LDS Family History Library

How Do I Request a Vital Record?

Step One: Make sure you know the date, location and name associated with the document.


Step Two: Determine the availability of records for the area and time you are researching.


Step Three: Determine the repository that maintains the records. Beware of county boundary changes.


Step Four: Submit your request as directed by the repository. Special forms or self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) may be required. Payment is usually required in advance.

Where can I find death dates and locations? Obituaries Published or

Online Death Indexes Social Security Death

Index (Since 1962)

Gravestones Probate Records Church Records Pension Records Funeral Homes

http://www.deathindexes.com/

Where can I find birth dates and locations? Published or Online

Birth Indexes Family Bible Social Security Card

Applications (SS-5) Church Records Baptismal Records

Death Certificates Social Security Death

Index Obituaries Gravestones 1900 Census (Month

and Year)

Where can I find marriage dates and locations? Published or Online Marriage Indexes Obituaries Church Records Pension Records 1900, 1910, 1930 Census (Approx. year) Newspaper articles

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/marriage.html

Vital Record Indexes Can Help Indexes allow you to search records by name. Indexes

may be in book format, on microfilm, or online. Check web sites of state and local archives,

genealogical societies and libraries.

Illinois Statewide Death Index Pre-1916

Local Library

McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society



genealogical societies and libraries. Check resources available at www.familysearch.org

http://www.familysearch.org/



genealogical societies and libraries. Check resources available at www.familysearch.org Browse Ancestry LE for Vital Record Indexes.




genealogical societies and libraries. Check resources available at www.familysearch.org Browse Ancestry LE for Vital Record Indexes. Browse portal sites such as Cyndi’s List and US

Genweb for links to online indexes.




genealogical societies and libraries. Check resources available at www.familysearch.org Browse Ancestry LE for Vital Record Indexes. Browse portal sites such as Cyndi’s List and US

Genweb for links to online indexes. Use the Social Security Death Index.


Social Security Death Index ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com An index of deceased persons possessing

social security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the SSA.

Only includes deaths since around 1962. Contains over 83 million records.

http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

Use the SSDI to identify dates and possible locations of deaths.

1966 Death Certificate for William Harrison Holton

Where Can I Find More Information?

Books Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources The Source : A Guidebook to American Genealogy Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. County Courthouse Book Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy Hansen, Holly. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America Kemp, Thomas Jay. International Vital Records Handbook

Web Sites www.vitalrec.com (Do NOT use the search boxes!) www.familysearch.org (Library Catalog, Historical Records, Learn Wiki) www.deathindexes.com http://usgenweb.org/ http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/ (Historical Boundaries)

http://www.vitalrec.com/


http://www.deathindexes.com/

http://usgenweb.org/

http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/

Vital Records

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