Locating Birth Certificates

There are a number of places you might look when you're trying to locate birth certificates. Sometimes this is a simple task. In other cases, records may have been lost or destroyed by fire or flood. Or children may have been delivered at home by a midwife or by the family. Fortunately, there are often several places you can obtain records of birth --- if you know where to look.

CITY/COUNTY/STATE GOVERNMENT

Depending on the place of birth, government institutions maintain vital records in different places. In some places, birth certificates are maintained by the board of health; in others, all records are kept by a bureau of vital statistics; in still others, the office of the county clerk may be the repository for these records. In any case, all births are registered and a certificate of birth is issued. This happens regardless of whether the infant lives or not; all births are to be recorded.

Once you determine the locale where the birth occurred, you can usually locate a record of the birth. Depending on the location and agency, you may or may not be able to get a copy of the birth certificate itself. You may only be able to obtain a copy of a register or log book. In other places, the government organization can provide you with a copy of the birth certificate for a nominal charge.

These are excellent "primary records" to verify your genealogical research. (A copy of your own certified birth certificate is required for passports, driver's license, and other documents.) So don't hesitate to contact government organizations for this proof of birth.

Written and contributed by George G. Morgan

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