Tracking Down Vital Records
By Kristi Vaughan
Trying to find a long lost birth certificate? Need a record of when someone was married? How about a death certificate? While you may not be entitled to all that you seek if you cant prove a relationship, your best starting point is the town, county or state where the event occurred.
Finding the record
The National Vital Statistics System which is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control, oversees the keeping of the nation’s vital statistics. It does not, however, actually keep these records. That responsibility goes to individual states.
And, while there are standards for collecting relevant data and procedures for recording it, there is not uniformity on where these records are kept. In some cases, there is a state office of vital statistics, in others you must go to a municipal office. A state-by-state listing of agencies maintaining records is available from the National Center for Health Statistics within the CDC.
Making a request
In most, but not all, cases, requests for information and certified copies can be made in person or in writing. Because of limited staffing, some states and municipalities require all requests to be made in writing so check before you make the journey!
And, if you are making the request in person, don’t be surprised if the clerk does not allow you direct access to the records. Records access is restricted to protect individual privacy and to prevent fraud.
As such, whether you are making the request in person or by mail, you most likely will be asked the reason for the request and to present some type of identification. In New Jersey, for example, by gubernatorial decree, the Bureau for Vital Statistics requires either a valid photo driver’s license or valid photo non-driver’s license or a photo ID and one alternate ID or two alternate IDs.
Most states and municipalities also will charge a fee for each copy requested. Fees vary and can change so check in advance.
What you’ll need
To get a birth or death certificate, you will need:
- Full name of person whose record you are requesting
- Sex of person
- Parents’ names, including mother’s maiden name
- Month, day and year of birth
- Place of birth or death, including hospital name, if known
- Reason you want a copy
- Your relationship to the person whose record you are requesting
- Your daytime telephone number
To get marriage records, you will need:
- Full name of both bride and groom
- Month, day and year of marriage
- Place of marriage
- Reason you want a copy
- Your relationship to the person whose record you are requesting
- Your daytime telephone number
For divorce records, you will need:
- Full name of both husband and wife
- Date of divorce or annulment
- Place of divorce or annulment
- Type of final decree
- Reason you want a copy
- Your relationship to the person whose record you are requesting
- Your daytime telephone number
