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Vital Records
for U.S. Family History
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Vital Records: documents recording the vital events in a person’s life, generally thought of as birth, marriage, and death records.
What They Contain
Birth:
• Child’s full name
• Exact date and place of birth
• Father’s and mother’s name (sometimes mother’s maiden name)
Marriage:
• Full names of bride and groom
• Date and place of marriage
• May contain ages, occupations, and parents’ names (including mother’s maiden)
Death:
• Name
• Date and place of death
• May contain age at death, marital status, and birthplace
• May contain parents’ names and birthplaces
• May contain cause of death and place of burial
State Vital Records
In the U.S., recording a person’s birth, marriage, or death with the government was not required until the late 1800s or early 1900s.
You can see when each state began recording birth, marriage, or death records by going to www.vitalrec.com, selecting a state, then clicking the link for that state’s vital records office (the first link on that page). Scroll down and you will see what years are available.
How to get them: 1) Check the Family History Library Catalog at www.familysearch.org. Go to “place search” and type in the state, then scroll through the categories until you get to “Utah (or a different state) - Vital Records.” Click on that and see what is available at the library. 2) If not at the library, you will have to order them through www.vitalrec.com or a site like it.
Some states have put their vital records online. Find these through www.google.com or at www.ancestry.com. One great example is Illinois, at www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases.html.
County Vital Records
Counties generally began recording vital records earlier than states. Their information will vary by county.
To find out what county a city is in, go to the Family History Library Catalog at www.familysearch.org. Go to “place search” and type in the city and then the state. The site will bring up a listing of your city with the county included.
How to get county vital records: 1) Go to the Family History Library Catalog at www.familysearch.org. Go to “place search” and type in the county and state. Then scroll through the categories given for that county until you get to “vital records.” 2) If not at the Family History Library, find contact information for your county’s vital record office by going to www.vitalrec.com, clicking on your state, and then clicking “County Vital Records Offices,” and then the county of interest.
General Info
New England states began recording vital records by town in the 1600s (they were kept by the town clerk, so search the Family History Library by city for these records). Most of these records have been transcribed and indexed.
Large cities, like Chicago and Baltimore, kept their own vital records. To find these at the Family History Library, search the catalog by city rather than by county or state.
U.S. marriage records were recorded much earlier than birth or death records in most states—most began by the 1850s and some began much earlier. You can find these by county or state at the Family History Library.
Vital Records Substitutes
Since vital records start rather late in the U.S., you can find similar information through Bible records, court records, probate records, cemetery records, etc.
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