Birth Certificate Alternatives
By Mary Beth Newbill | Southern History Department, Central Library
Where to look when you can’t find a birth certificate
As helpful as birth certificates are for genealogy research, they can be difficult to obtain or may not exist for the ancestors for which you need them most. Confidentiality laws can limit access to them for decades and many states did not begin requiring them until well into the 20th century. The good news is that there are lots of alternatives when it comes to documenting a person’s birth date/place and the names of their parents.
Birth certificates are undoubtedly handy documents to have. If you want to apply for a passport, a Social Security card, or otherwise need to prove your identity, you’ll have to have a birth certificate. Many times our ancestors realized later in life that they needed just such a document. For those born before their states starting requiring them, they would get what’s called a delayed birth certificate. Delayed birth certificates have much of the same information as traditional ones, but also require supplemental documentation such as an affidavit from someone known to the applicant or a record in the family Bible. Delayed birth certificates can be obtained from state or county health departments or probate courts. Some are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com. Confidentiality laws may apply so check with the health department in the state from which you are requesting the record.
If your ancestor doesn’t have a birth certificate (delayed or otherwise), ask yourself if they might have a death certificate. Death certificates often include the deceased’s date and place of birth and the full names of their parents. Someone who was born well before their state starting requiring birth certificates may have lived long enough to have a death certificate. Remember that Alabama starting requiring birth and death certificates in 1908. A person born in Alabama in 1870 is, therefore, not going to have a birth certificate. However, if that person lived to be 80 and died in 1950, there is every expectation that they will have a death certificate. Be mindful, however, that the information provided on a death certificate may not be entirely accurate. The informant may not have known the exact birth date or the full names of the deceased’s parents. Knowing who the informant was and what their relationship was to the deceased, will help you have more confidence in their responses.
Luckily, there are lots of other records that provide basic birth information. Some of those are listed below:
Census records, of course, come to mind. But remember, names and ages of each member of the household aren’t included until 1850.
Military records and draft registrations will include birth dates and places. Pension applications may include such information as well.
Tombstone inscriptions often include at least a birth year, if not the complete birth date.
Newspaper articles and obituaries can be excellent sources. You may be lucky enough to find an announcement of your ancestor’s birth or even a write up of one of their birthday parties! Failing that, obituaries will usually tell you how old the deceased was at the time of their death and some details about their life.
Historic passport applications almost always include the applicant’s birth date, place, and the names of their parents.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find an ancestor’s birth certificate or if it’s too early for the record to exist. There are many clever ways you can use other sources to extrapolate the same information. I hope this will inspire you to revisit your existing research and look at old records in a new way!
Follow the links below for more information:
Birth Certificate Alternatives
Delayed Birth Certificates – A Genealogist’s Treasure Chest!
Finding American Ancestors’ Birth Records
Substitute Records for United States Birth Information
Where to look when you can’t find a birth certificate
As helpful as birth certificates are for genealogy research, they can be difficult to obtain or may not exist for the ancestors for which you need them most. Confidentiality laws can limit access to them for decades and many states did not begin requiring them until well into the 20th century. The good news is that there are lots of alternatives when it comes to documenting a person’s birth date/place and the names of their parents.
Birth certificates are undoubtedly handy documents to have. If you want to apply for a passport, a Social Security card, or otherwise need to prove your identity, you’ll have to have a birth certificate. Many times our ancestors realized later in life that they needed just such a document. For those born before their states starting requiring them, they would get what’s called a delayed birth certificate. Delayed birth certificates have much of the same information as traditional ones, but also require supplemental documentation such as an affidavit from someone known to the applicant or a record in the family Bible. Delayed birth certificates can be obtained from state or county health departments or probate courts. Some are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com. Confidentiality laws may apply so check with the health department in the state from which you are requesting the record.
If your ancestor doesn’t have a birth certificate (delayed or otherwise), ask yourself if they might have a death certificate. Death certificates often include the deceased’s date and place of birth and the full names of their parents. Someone who was born well before their state starting requiring birth certificates may have lived long enough to have a death certificate. Remember that Alabama starting requiring birth and death certificates in 1908. A person born in Alabama in 1870 is, therefore, not going to have a birth certificate. However, if that person lived to be 80 and died in 1950, there is every expectation that they will have a death certificate. Be mindful, however, that the information provided on a death certificate may not be entirely accurate. The informant may not have known the exact birth date or the full names of the deceased’s parents. Knowing who the informant was and what their relationship was to the deceased, will help you have more confidence in their responses.
Luckily, there are lots of other records that provide basic birth information. Some of those are listed below:
Census records, of course, come to mind. But remember, names and ages of each member of the household aren’t included until 1850.
Military records and draft registrations will include birth dates and places. Pension applications may include such information as well.
Tombstone inscriptions often include at least a birth year, if not the complete birth date.
Newspaper articles and obituaries can be excellent sources. You may be lucky enough to find an announcement of your ancestor’s birth or even a write up of one of their birthday parties! Failing that, obituaries will usually tell you how old the deceased was at the time of their death and some details about their life.
Historic passport applications almost always include the applicant’s birth date, place, and the names of their parents.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t find an ancestor’s birth certificate or if it’s too early for the record to exist. There are many clever ways you can use other sources to extrapolate the same information. I hope this will inspire you to revisit your existing research and look at old records in a new way!
Follow the links below for more information:
Birth Certificate Alternatives
Delayed Birth Certificates – A Genealogist’s Treasure Chest!
Finding American Ancestors’ Birth Records
Substitute Records for United States Birth Information
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