Many sites like to imply that they can provide you with free vital statistics documents. The fact is that you can only go so far with them before they want to charge you for the information they provide. Truthfully, it is worthwhile paying for these documents, even if they aren’t certified copies.
Searching the State Vital Records FilesEach state keeps files, at either the state level or the county level of vitals statistics documents like birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, and decrees of divorce. They are available by application to anyone who has a legitimate reason to request a certified copy.
Although these are nominally public records, the government is somewhat protective of such documentation. To request a copy, if the document doesn’t pertain directly to you, you need to be a close family relative; parent, child, grandparent, sibling, etc. If you are conducting a genealogical search, then you will need to show that you are in the direct line of the individual you are searching.
The Bureau of Vital Statistics ProcessIt is relatively simple to request a certified copy of a document. Download the online application, fill it out, and make a copy of your photo ID. Include your fee, the reason for your search and mail it in.
If you chose to fax it in instead, you will need a credit card number, and occasionally there is an additional fee for using one. In a few weeks, the certified copy will arrive. Of course, no government agency would ever imply they are giving you something free.
The (not so) Free Version of Vital Records
Online you can find many vendors of documents suggesting that you can get something free. Just as in the real world, there is no such thing as a free lunch. When you go to one of these sites, it will suggest you enter a name. Once it verifies that the individual for whom your search has records, it will take you to a page that requires payment to continue.
I don’t like this kind of dishonesty. If I am told that something is available free, I really resent it when I am then told I need to pay for it. It seems very much like a bait and switch operation.
The Best Online OptionFind a site that tells you upfront that you will need to pay for your data. After all, they paid for their access to the state databases, they pay their technicians to compile the data, and they are constantly updating the files.
If you are searching for records and don’t need a certified copy, this is clearly the way to go. Feel free to search for all the vital statistics you want, for any document you need. Free vital statistics data? I don’t think so.
Vital statistics documents are found in different places depending on the type of document you desire. Each state has a slightly different set up for their legal documents, but fortunately, you can now find just about everything online. The following is a basic primer of where to look and what to expect.
Finding a Birth CertificatesFor a copy of your birth certificate, you will want to contact the state in which the birth took place. Some states maintain statewide databases. Others have each county maintain their own records.
Once you have found which department holds your birth certificate, you will need to contact them with your information. Date of birth, name, sex, location of the birth, and parents names are all commonly requested data. Additionally, you will need to prove who you are either with a driver’s license or passport and will need your address. It generally takes several weeks to get your document.
Finding Marriage LicensesGenerally, marriage licenses are kept by the county clerk’s office in the county where the marriage took place. If you want to get a copy, you will need to contact the appropriate county with the name of the married parties, including the bride’s maiden name. The date of the marriage, the location of the ceremony, and your reason for needing a copy will also be necessary.
Once again, you will need to provide your name, address, and purpose when requesting a marriage license. If the couple has passed on, it is often easier to get a copy, especially if you explain you are doing a genealogical search.
How to Find a Death CertificateIf you need a copy of a certificate of death, you will need to contact the local vital statistics office. Explain, briefly and accurately, your need for the document.
Provide the deceased’s name, date of death, gender, and alternate spellings of the name that were commonly used by the individual. Define your relationship to the person. Plan to send along a copy of your identification as well.
The other way to search out information about people who have died is to check with the Social Security Administration Bureau. As long as the death occurred after 1962, the Social Security Death Index should have information available for you. This source has the advantage of providing additional details filed with the Social Security application, and the records are publicly available online.
As you can see, finding this kind of data can be time consuming and challenging. I recommend that you opt to use a search service online instead. Use online sites with vital statistics information to help you save time and reduce frustration. They can pull up all the information you need with much less effort on your part.
I have traced my great great great grandparents until the 1870 Federal Census in Prentiss, Maine and I’m trying to find their death certs (neither are on 1880 Census and in 1870 both were 70/71 yrs of age). However, I have not been able to find a town clerk’s address for Prentiss, ME. Which town hold’s Prentiss’ records?
Also, are the records usaully arranged according to towns or according to counties (parishes for my Louisiana ancestors)?
I have gotten a lot of information from fellow genealogists both online and offline/old family trees my ancestors made/family history books/census records/asking my family/SSDI/some stuff on Ancesty.com…
However, I find ancestry.com to be very bad with the vital records. I find it almost impossible to find vital (birth/baptism/marriage/death) records online, and when I do I always have to pay absurd amounts like $20 for a record that I’m not sure if I am going to learn anything new from. I want to get the vitals to help support/add to what I have. I know many of the towns where my ancestors lived and many I can drive to (just got my license!!). Is there like a court room or office in each town or county that I can visit.
For example, many of my ancestors are from Chicago. Would all cook county vital records be found in a special buildng or does each individual town have their own place? All help is appreciated
I have most of the vitals for my parents, grandparents, and great parents all thanks to my parents and grandparents. This question is for my more distant ancestors (great great and back)
I need an e-mail search address, phone number, or address to write to for my dad’s death certificate copy.
Death certificates are issued by an official in the governmental jurisdiction where the deaths have occurred. Before death certificates can be issued a certificate is required either from a coroner or a physician. This certificate validates who the deceased is and the cause of the deceased’s death. The death certificate process should be started immediately upon a death and it is against the law for a physician to not report a death.
Death certificates contain the name of the deceased, the cause of the death and other pertinent information. Each jurisdiction has its own style of death certificates. Generally speaking, death certificates usually contain the above information as well as the residence of the deceased, the place of the deceased’s burial, the deceased’s date of birth and sometimes the deceased’s parents’ names.
Death certificates are vital tools for anyone who is tracing their genealogy. If you are just starting your genealogy search death certificates are fairly easy to locate. Most states in the United States started requiring that death certificates be issued by 1900. Some states like New Hampshire have death certificates that date back to the 1640s. It is important to note that large metropolitan areas may keep their own records. While the state where the city is located may not have kept up with death records until the early 1900s, some cities kept their own records. For instance, Baltimore has death certificates which date back to 1875 while the state of Maryland itself did not start keeping this information until around 1898.
If you are doing a genealogy search it is important to keep in mind that death certificates are not perfect documents. There could be mistakes made on them. There could be misspelled names, mixed up dates and so on. However, the information that you will find on death certificates are usually fairly accurate. Even if the information that is listed happens to not be precise – it can give you a great starting point on your research.
If you are trying to locate death certificates you should start your search on the web sites of the state or territory where you think the deceased died. Go to the vital records area on the web sites and start your search there. You can also write a letter to the United States Department of Health and Human Services and request a booklet which contains the information on where you would write to obtain vital records in different states.
