The birth record of a person provides a great deal of information that for the most part is extremely accurate. This can be useful in genealogy searches because it will be a way to double check and prove suspected connections. It is also helpful in legal matters where you need to know information is factual.
The first step in finding a birth record is to know the name of the person, place of birth including state and county for the person.
Getting a birth record is not free. Each state has a vital records office website where information on pricing can be found. The cost for birth certificates varies from state to state. It is important to call before sending money to double check the prices; they can change without notice.
Once on the vital records office website, instructions will be on the website for a letter of request for a birth certificate. The government needs an "official" request for the information. A letter of request includes the name of the person, date of birth, place of birth, names of parents, etc. It is best to include as much information as possible. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the records office to return the information. One of the things not needed is a lot of back-story about the reason for the birth record request, just a professional message asking for the birth certificate. Be sure to sign and date the letter. Including a contact number is important because the vital office might need to clarify the information they find with you. Expect to wait several weeks before hearing back from the government office.
Several websites used by genealogists have some of the birth record information but not all. For example, Ancestry.com and Familysearch.com both have extensive birth, death, marriage records. Ancestry.com charges a monthly fee to view records in detail, but Familysearch.com is free. The files have limited information but are a good start for writing the letter to the vital offices. The hard copy of a birth certificate will have much more details about the person than what they have on either site. You can expect to find the parent's legal names with place of birth, the person's actual date of birth and place, and some birth certificates even have names of the grandparents.
The great thing about getting an "official" birth certificate is that it might have some very surprising information. For one thing, this will be the first document with the persons name written on a government form, it usually is very accurate. So a person is known by the name of Bob, the certificate might be helpfully in pointing out that no his name is Robert (Bob is usually a nickname.) This might help with a search for land documents, taxes and other legal records because those will have the person's legal name on them. (Usually)
Another source for obtaining a certified copy of a birth certificate is VitalChek.com. VitalChek is an official source for government-issued vital records. They have partnered with more than 400 government agencies nationwide. The turnaround time is about the same for Vitalchek as it is going through the state government directly.
Once you have the birth certificate, it is a good idea to keep it in a safe place like a safe deposit box or a fire safe box at home. Losing an important legal document to fire or flood can be expensive to replace and time consuming.
Arizona Genealogy Birth Certificates Actual copies of birth certificates provided by the State Department of Health Services that cover the years 1855-1934.
California Statewide Birth Index This databases has the actual California birth index from 1905-1995. This is a free site. However, premium members have a wider search parameter. Well worth spending the a few dollars to subscribe to this database.
Illinois - Cook County Clerk's Office - Genealogy Online The Genealogy Unit of the Cook County Clerk's Bureau of Vital Records provides non-certified versions of birth, death and marriage records for the purpose of genealogical research. Records found on this site are for Chicago and Cook County dating back to 1872 through 1935.
- Cook County Vital Records
Genealogy Online - Birth, Marraige and Death Records (sign-up required)
