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Vital Records
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Vital Records in the United States
by Kip SperryCivil vital records—births, marriages, and deaths—in America began to be recorded at different time periods in different localities. New England town clerks recorded vital events as early as the 1600s, while in other localities in the United States, such as in the southern and western states, vital records were first kept in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
Vital Information Without Vital Registration
by Patricia Law Hatcher, CG, FASGA birth certificate is the result of modern legislated vital registration. It provides us with the key elements we want for a birth record: full names of child, father, and mother (maybe with maiden name); exact place and date of birth. As our research pushes backwards in time, we learn that such records were never created.
Beyond Vital Records
by Curt B. WitcherAmong the records that come to mind when researching family history are vital records. These documents are the ones to which we most often look to pull together our family groups. But often, family historians are so focused on actual civil vital records that they miss the multitude of other records that are available to help document births, marriages, deaths, and other life events of our ancestors.
United States Vital Records Room
We've cataloged addresses, online and offline public records for each county. All counties are displayed with both the year of establishment and county seat clearly identified, and links to state/county web sites are included where available.
See also: GenDirectory: General Research and Live Roots Genealogy Search