“What’s a Vital Record?”
Mary Clement Douglass, CG
This article appeared in the premier issue of Discovering Family History, 2008
With any new endeavor, you are exposed to terms that are specific to that project, hobby, or occupation. This is also true of genealogy. This article addresses one of the most common terms used in family history research—vital records.
Definitions
From Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language we learn that “vital” concerns life, is of greatest importance, affecting the validity or truth of something, the essential part of anything. “Record” used as a noun means anything that is written down and preserved as evidence such as a register, monument, or official written report. Therefore, a “vital record” is written evidence of life or life events. Vital records are usually considered to be primarily those civil records of birth and death. They can be a very important source of genealogical material. Other records of significant life events—marriage and divorce records—are considered to be either contracts or civil cases and will not be discussed here.
The first known law in the American colonies requiring the registration of vital records was passed by the Grand Assembly of Virginia in 1632. It required ministers or wardens from each parish to appear in court once a year, 1 June, to present a record of christenings, marriages, and burials for the preceding year. The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony required town clerks to make a record of the actual births and deaths rather than christenings and burials. These laws were not very effective and were not consistently obeyed. By 1833 only five U.S. cities had regular vital registration—Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia.
The main reason for requiring vital records registration, especially deaths, was disease control. Without reliable statistics, the medical profession had a hard time battling contagious diseases and poor sanitary conditions. Vital records registration did not become common in North America until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the U.S., vital registration is a function of the states. In Great Britain and much of Europe, it is a function of the national government. In Canada the Registrars of Vital Statistics in each of the provinces and territories handle the registration.
Where do I find vital records?
There are three principal sources for vital records—the home, the church, and the state. Home sources include the family Bible, letters, newspaper clippings such as obituaries, birth announcements and other personal papers. Some churches maintain records of christenings and burials. Christenings are Christian religious rites in which a person, usually an infant, is given a name at baptism. While a christening date is not the exact date of birth, it is usually within a year of the date of birth. Burials are not exact death dates, but the date the body was interred, usually within the week following death. Civil sources are the most commonly consulted when searching for vital records. New England was a leader in the keeping of vital records. The further you go south, the more deficient are the vital records.
The largest source of vital records is the Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has microfilmed millions of vital records from church registers and government record offices all over the world. These records are as close to you as your nearest Family History Center. The Family History Library maintains a web site http://familysearch.org. Look under the Library tab to find the center near you.
It is wise to check for town, and county registers of vital records before state registration was required. Where cities maintain a public cemetery, they may also keep a burial register. The cemetery sexton’s burial register often shows date of death as well as date of burial. Tombstones often list birth dates or ages as death from which you can calculate an approximate birth date.
The most exhaustive attempt to compile a list of available vital records in the United States was made by the Historical Records Surveys in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The states not inventoried include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Vermont. Participating states published an inventory or guide to the vital statistics records available for various counties, cities, and towns within its boundaries and told where and how the records were filed. A WPA List of Vital Records issued in 1943 shows the vital records inventories published for each of those forty states. Consult the state historical society for information on where you may use a copy.
Many local historical and genealogical societies have published early birth and death records in their periodicals, newsletters, and journals. The Periodical Source Index (PERSI http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/persi.html) lists what records have been published by societies. Contact the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, Ft. Wayne, Indiana for more information.
Thomas J. Kemp’s International Vital Records Handbook, 4th edition (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000) contains the latest information for each of the fifty United States and also furnishes details about records that were created prior to statewide vital records registration. It also covers all the other counties of the world, giving their current forms and instructions. An inexpensive reference is the booklet published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Where to Write for Vital Records (Washington, D.C.: Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office or http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm). If you have Internet access, either at home or at your local library, one of the simplest ways to find information on where to find civil vital records offices is to search the term “vital records” on your favorite search engine.
What can I expect to find in a vital record?
Birth records are usually created by the parent while in hospital shortly after the birth, and filed by the hospital with the Office of Vital Statistics. Early birth records gave little information beyond the name of the child, date and place of birth and parent’s names, or only the father’s name. Most 20th century birth records contain that information plus sex of child, county of birth, city, town or location of birth, hospital name, father’s race, birthplace, age and occupation, mother’s maiden name, race birthplace, age, occupation, residence, marital status. The U. S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth also asks questions about educational level attained by each parent, previous deliveries born alive or dead, prenatal care, birth weight of child, health questions relating to the pregnancy and delivery including birth injuries and congenital malformations.
When Social Security benefits were instituted I 1937, individuals were required to document their births even if their states had not required birth registration. This led to the creation of delayed birth certificates. Evidence had to be supplied to support the applicant’s sworn statement. Often this evidence came from home sources such as the family Bible, a baptismal certificate, school record, or an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts, such as a parent or older sibling.
Death Records are usually created by the attending physician or coroner for unattended deaths. Early death records often contained little more that the name of the deceased, the death date, and the place of death. Nineteenth century death records became more detailed including cause of death, age at the time of death, place of birth, names of parents, place of birth, occupation, name of spouse, name of the person giving the information, and the informant’s relationship to the deceased. Modern death certificates also give information about the deceased’s cause of death, birth, marital status, Social Security number, residence, and place of burial.
Death records are only as accurate as the knowledge of the informant. Consider that members of the immediate family who would otherwise furnish reliable data do not think as clearly as they should when under the stress of a death and burial. Consequently, the record suffers. This is one reason why obituaries are often inaccurate or incomplete. The names of the deceased’s parents, birth dates, and birthplaces should be evaluated against other information.
How do I use vital records?
It is helpful to obtain the birth and death certificates of siblings to compare the information given about places and parent’s names. This is especially true of death certificates that give the parents’ birth dates and places. Gathering death certificates held in collection a family health history such as a tendency to heart disease or particular types of cancer.
Vital records are useful for supporting or disproving existing evidence. Compare the vital record to home records and the census for that individual. The information contained in a civil registry may help to clarity the direction of future research. Check all the locations named. This may help you find earlier generations in the census. Vital records are important to contribute to a more complete family history.
Further Reading:
- Eakle, Arlene and Johni Cerny. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing Company, 1984.
- Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. Third Edition, 2000. Chapter 12: “Vital Records.”
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