A genealogy search involves finding information about people in order to fit them into a family history, connecting one relative to another. To do that, it helps to have access to information related to the important milestones that take place in everyone’s lives. Events like births, marriages, and divorces can help establish someone’s identity and confirm that they are indeed the person you are looking for.
These milestones are typically captured in what are known as “vital records” and recorded at institutions such as hospitals and courts. In the United States, vital records are fairly standardized and mostly maintained at the state level of government. (In some jurisdictions, vital records may also include records of civil unions or domestic partnerships.)
Vital records are important to genealogists for a number of reasons. Let’s look at each of the more common records available to the public.
Birth Certificates
The one thing everyone has in common is a birthday. And for most of us in the United States, details about the day of our birth are recorded in a document called a “Birth Certificate“. A birth certificate usually identifies the date, time, and location of an individual’s birth. And if the birth took place in a hospital or some other medical facility, then the birth certificate is usually issued by that medical facility and is certified by the attending physician who performed the delivery. For non-traditional deliveries a birth certificate is usually obtained from a state registrar and then certified by the midwife, doula, doctor, or other certifier approved by the state.
While the U.S. Public Health Service has standardized the U.S. birth certificate form, each state is free to issue its own form, so some variations do exist. In general, you can expect to find the following items on a typical birth certificate:
- Mother’s information
- Father’s information
- Child’s name and sex/gender
- Date and time of birth
- City and county of birth
- Place of birth (hospital, residence, etc.)
- Demographic details, such as race, marital status, pregnancy history
- Certifier/Attendant (must be approved by the state)
Once established, a birth certificate is used in a number of different ways. First of all, the document is kept in each state’s registrars office to support the collection of census data. That agency will issue certified copies or representations of the original birth record upon request. For example, you must have a certified copy of your birth certificate in order to do any of the following:
- Apply for a social security number
- Receive a driver’s license
- Obtain a passport
- Apply for government benefits
In addition, a birth certificate is widely accepted as a credible form of identification. And, for those doing genealogy searches, birth certificates help establish a family’s history.
Death Certificates
Like a birth certificate, a death certificate is another type of vital record that captures pertinent details surrounding the loss of a loved one, such as the date, time, and location of the death. It is typical for a coroner or other government official to identify the cause of death and then issue a death certificate. These details provide important morbidity statistics and become part of the public health record. Death certificates are also used to:
- Officially verify the death of an individual
- Support a life insurance claim
- Facilitate estate probate
- Determine family history
Between living and dying, the two other types of major milestones in a person’s life center around their marital status. As you would expect, these changes to one’s married state are also capture as vital records.
Marriage Licenses
A marriage license, or marriage certificate, is a legal documentation of the marriage between two people recognized by the state as being eligible for marriage. The specifications for obtaining a marriage licence vary between states, which is where the records are issued and kept. While marriage licenses have been the subject of some controversy, with some groups believing that the requirement to obtain a marriage license is unnecessary or immoral, most people in the United States do obtain a license.
A marriage certificate is signed by both parties of the marriage and an officiant, and it is also filed with a state government agency, which is usually a registrar or county clerk. The certificate includes the date of the wedding and the county in which the marriage took place. Marriage certificates can be used to:
- Prove the validity of a marital union
- Obtain spousal insurance
- Construct a family history
Divorce Records
Legal documents are created during the dissolution of a marriage. These are often written by an attorney and filed in county courts. During the divorce proceedings, a lawyer will usually outline the specific duties of each spouse as they relate to dividing up marital assets and paying spousal or child support.
Because each divorce is unique to each married couple, there is no standard form for a divorce document itself. However, it is quite common for the documentation to include the full names of the parties, when and where the marriage originally took place, and the date the divorce was finalized in the court and signed by a judge. Divorce documents may also contain sensitive information such as income records, tax records, lists of assets, and any criminal records.
Divorce records are often used to:
- Determine the marital status of an individual
- Reveal a person’s criminal history
- Identify someone’s last known address
As you can imagine, all of these vital records can be used to fill in the missing pieces during the genealogical search process. And now, more than ever, online genealogical research tools simplify the process of gaining access to these vital records.
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