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How to Search Vital Records
How To Search Vital Records
(Ancestry.com)
Vital records are records of life events important enough that some
level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves them. While
the term "vital records" is often applied to a wide variety
of life events, family historians use the term to refer specifically
to birth, marriage, divorce, and death events. Since at least the
Middle Ages, governments have considered these events so significant
that their occurrence is required by law to be recorded in some type
of official ledger, generally accessible by the public. As a general
rule, these records are maintained by the level of government closest
to where the event actually took place. In most of the United States
a clerk in the city, town, or county government maintains the records.
And since the end of the nineteenth century, each state also records
each of these events. These are maintained at the state’s capital
by an office of vital records, vital statistics, etc. A good guideline
to keep in mind is: If the event occurred before 1900, the local community
would be the best place to seek the vital record; if the event occurred
after 1900, either the local or state level would be a good place
to start.
It is rare for the researcher to be able to view
these records personally. Instead, a records request form must be
completed, either at the appropriate office or by mail. After doing
so, and as long as the necessary information is supplied, you will
receive a copy of the record(s) requested. As you might expect,
there are fees for these copies which vary from locality to locality.
Some localities also distinguish between a "copy" and
an "official copy"–the latter is impressed with a
seal of the office.
The obvious problem in conducting vital records research
is knowing where to go or where to write for the information. Fortunately,
the solution is readily available from several prominent sources.
1. For those who enjoy library research, use the
reference shelves of the genealogy section in your public library.
There you will find several books, such as Ancestry’s Redbook:
American State, County and Town Sources edited by Alice Eichholz,
Ph.D., C.G., or The Source edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra
Hargreaves Luebking. Appendix F, "Where to write for vital
records," lists the addresses and names of the offices that
maintain these records.
2. For those who enjoy having a handy, inexpensive
guide available in their own home, the U.S. Government Department
of Health and Human Services publishes a handy little guide entitled
"Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages,
and Divorces." This guide, available from the Government Printing
Office (PHS 93 1142), is updated regularly and currently sells for
$2.50.
3. For researchers who are Internet savvy, there
are several Web sites dedicated to locating vital records, some
of which are maintained directly by the level of government responsible
for the vital records. These are best accessed by connecting to
a general genealogy Web site such as Ancestry.com and following
links to find the Web site of your desired locality. Another excellent
site for learning how to get copies of vital records is http://www.vital
rec.com.
Should you decide to write and request a copy of
a vital record, there are some general guidelines you should follow:
A. Determine the cost of the copy of the vital record
you seek using one of the sources listed above.
B. Write your request letter as simply as possible.
• Indicate who you are with name, address, and
phone number.
• Indicate the type of record you are seeking–birth, death,
marriage, divorce or death.
• Supply as much information as possible about the person or
persons involved in the event (their full names and any other identifying
information). Be as thorough as possible.
• Enclose your payment.
C. Provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
D. Be patient and wait for a reply. It is not unusual
for this process to take two or three letters to complete successfully.
Once you have located either a primary source document
or a copy of a vital record, extract the information from it. Again,
there are some important points to remember. As you copy the information
from the record to your genealogical chart–pedigree chart or
family group sheet–be certain to copy the information accurately.
This copying process, known as transcription, is often where errors
are made.
Copy the information exactly as it appears on the
original source even if the information appears to be incorrect
on the original. This is especially true of spelling. As mentioned
earlier, copy the original and then make a footnote. If a census
record shows the person to be WILLIARD, Charles Morse, then record
it by that spelling. Then make a footnote to the effect that his
name was spelled WILLARD (without the second "I") on all
other documents.
Do not make assumptions about the data. If a birth
date recorded in a family Bible appears as 2-12-94, enter it that
way. Do not assume it is 12 February 1894, because it could also
be 2 December 1794.
Whenever possible, attach a copy of the source document
to your genealogical chart. In the future, should you decide to
convert your research into a family history book, some of these
documents would make excellent illustrations. Most importantly,
record the source of your information everywhere you write the information.
Most genealogists agree that the three general rules of research
are:
1. Document your sources
2. Document your sources
3. Document your sources
If you follow this simple advice, anyone who sees
your work in the future will know exactly where you discovered your
information. Who knows? This could be next summer at a family reunion
or a hundred and fifty years from now.
Records expert, John Phillip Colletta, describes
records research as the "great fun of genealogy." Nothing
is more rewarding than to see your ancestors’ names as they
appear on a record that proves a connection you have sought for
some time. All the discomfort of research–the eyes red from
hours of reading difficult handwriting in bad lighting, the backaches
from sitting long hours in uncomfortable chairs, the frustration
of waiting for a copy of a birth certificate being sent from Anywhere,
USA–quickly disappears the minute you discover another piece
of your family puzzle.
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