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Finding Vital Records

As a person begins researching his/her family, one of the questions that comes to mind is, " How do I find vital records including birth, death, marriage and divorce dates about my ancestors?" This will not include web sites which would be a separate topic. What we will look at in this article is how to find actual documents.

The first thing needed is the full name of the person being researched. This includes the maiden name of the female ancestor. Where the event took place will be useful in locating records and knowing the approximate year of the event is also helpful.

After these facts are known lets look at some of the places that can be searched to give the documents needed to verify the info in your family charts. For those persons who lived in the 20th Century most of the documents can be found in Vital Records kept by the states in which they lived. The marriage records are found in the county where the couple married. The birth and death records are kept by their respective states usually the state's department of health.

Since the death certificate is the last record made for a person, this is a good place to begin. This record usually includes not only the date of death, but also the date of birth, the parents and a spouse, if married. Another place to look is the Social Security Death Index. These are available for most of those who died after the 1960s. By using those dates birth and death certificates may be obtained.

Birth dates can be estimated by census records. Beginning in 1850 the census enumerator recorded the age of each household member. These are only approximations because the person giving the information may not have known the correct date, but they are good helps. From this data a birth certificate can be obtained or if too early for that, it will give clues as to what other documents to look for.

To find death dates for older generations, an estimate can be made from records such as wills, deeds and estate settlements. Cemetery tombstones and funeral home records are also good places to find death dates as are funeral notices or obituaries in the local newspaper.

Since most states did not begin issuing birth and death certificates until the 20th century, other documents will need to be used to give the information desired. Places that may give important information are: church records; bible records; military including service records, pension files, draft registrations and discharge papers; county histories; immigration records, including citizenship papers, ship passenger lists, and port of entry records; land records and probate records. Some of these may be found in the possession of your older living family members.

While you are doing your search for information, it is important to keep a record of where you have looked. This record will assist you in not repeating yourself. Once you get started you may find that this is an addicting hobby, so have fun.

Learn more about this author, Annalou Mack.
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