Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records

How to Google civil vital records for ancestry research.

Civil Vital Records online (Birth, Death, Marriages and Divorces). Civil vital records—for births, deaths, marriages, and, sometimes, divorces—denote the key milestones of our lives and are the cornerstone of family history research. Vital records can offer details often found through no other genealogical resource. Adoption records are also considered vital records but will not be covered in this section.

Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records
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What You Will Find in Civil Vital Records

The following is a brief overview of what you will find when you Google vital records.

Birth records

Birth records are considered primary source records because they are completed at, or close to, the time of the birth by someone present at the birth. Birth records generally give the child’s name, sex, date and place of birth, and the parent’s names. Additional information can include the name of the hospital, parents’ birthplace, occupation of the parents, marital status of the mother, and the number of other children born to the mother.

Search Vital Records for Historical Family Research
Introduction to finding and using vital records when conducting individual and family historical research. Learn about vital records, how to use and document the information and what to do when you can’t find vital records

Marriage records

Marriage records are primary source records because they are completed at, or close to, the time of the marriage by someone present at the marriage. A marriage record can provide the age at the time of marriage, the church of marriage ceremony, the county where the marriage took place, date or place of birth for bride and groom, date of the marriage, full names of bride and groom, name of minister or priest, names and birthplaces of the bride’s and groom’s parents, names of the witnesses to the marriage (often relatives), occupation, residence of the parties, and whether single, widowed or divorced before the marriage.

Marriages are usually filed with each county court. Some counties may have given their early marriage records to the historical society.

Death records

Death records are beneficial because they are the most recent records about an ancestor and may often exist for persons who have no birth or marriage records. Keep in mind that most of the information on the death certificate is provided by a person who knew the deceased. Thus it is considered a secondary source for information such as the birthplace, birth date, and parents’ names of the deceased.

The death certificate can provide information such as age at death, cause of death, date or place of birth, date or place of burial, details about the length of illness (if applicable), disposition of cremated remains, exact time of death, how long they lived in that country or location, maiden name (for a deceased woman), marital status at the time of death (single, married, widowed or divorced), name of surviving spouse, name (and sometimes address) of informant (frequently a surviving spouse, child, or another close relative), name and location of the mortuary, names of parents, occupation or name of employer, the residence of the deceased, religious affiliation, signature of attending physician, and witnesses at the time of death.

Divorce records

Divorces before the twentieth century were uncommon and, in some places, illegal. Records of divorces contain data on family members, their marital history, property, residences, and dates of other important events such as the children’s births. Divorce records are primary source records for the information on the property, living children, age of husband and wife, and date of divorce. They are secondary source records for information on the marriage, birth dates of children, etc. Divorce records are often open to the public and can be obtained by contacting the court clerk.

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Research Insight for Civil Vital Records

It is essential to know that vital record searches are most helpful in finding relatively recent information. Most US states did not assume legal responsibility for vital records until around 1900. The first state to start keeping vital records was Massachusetts in 1841, and the last was New Mexico in 1920.

One of the most important details about a birth, marriage, or death record is the person providing the information. This person varies, and, therefore, the accuracy of the information varies. A parent may give the information on their child’s birth record. A bride or groom will usually provide the information for the marriage record, and the widow or nearest family member may give information on a death record. It is also possible for non-related persons to give information on these types of records. Many records will provide the informant’s name toward the bottom of the form.

Always start your vital record search with death-related records. It’s the most recent event in your ancestor’s life. You usually learn where your ancestor last lived, which provides a starting point for where to look for other records. Death records also include birth and marriage information, and other critical death-related records include burial and probate records. As a practice, also search the death records of your ancestor’s siblings if available. I have found critical pieces of information in them that were lacking in my ancestor’s records.

I make it a practice to ask myself the following questions to make the most of the information I find when reviewing vital records:

  • What dates does this record provide?
  • What ages are given?
  • What places are mentioned in this record?
  • Are parents or a spouse named?
  • Are witnesses to the event related to the family?
  • Who provided the information? Was that person someone who knew the family well?
  • Does the death record give the name of the cemetery or funeral home? If yes, see if cemetery records are available to search for more information.
  • Does the information from the record fit with what you know about the family from other records? If not, it may have been miscopied by a clerk. Check the sources.

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Where to Find Civil Vital Records

Each state has the equivalent of a bureau of vital records. It’s generally called the “Bureau of Vital Statistics,” “Division of Records and Statistics,” “Division of Public Health,” “Vital Records Division,” or some similar title. The state agency is where you go to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates, no matter the name. Historical and genealogical societies are an essential resource for vital records before the state’s date of taking legal responsibility for vital records.

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Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records

The following are sample queries when you Google Ancestor Vital Records:

Searching for accessible state databases

  • “vital records OR Index” “Massachusetts”
  • “genealogy records OR index” “Wisconsin”

Searching free online databases

  • “vital records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “Michigan” “vital records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “birth records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)
  • “Delaware” “vital records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)

Searching subscription databases

  •  “vital records” site:ancestry.com (Ancestry)
  • “vital records” site:myheritage.com (MyHeritage)
  • “vital records” site:archives.com (Archives)
  • “vital records” site:findmypast.com (FindMyPast)

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Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records: Birth

The following are sample search queries you can use to find online databases for birth records:

Searching for free state databases

  •  “birth records” “South Dakota”
  • “birth index” “Vermont”
  • “birth history” “Wyoming”
  • “birth certificate” “New Mexico”
  • “birth index OR records OR history” “Utah”

Searching free online databases

  • “birth records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “Kentucky” “birth records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “birth records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)
  • “Tennessee” “birth records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)

Searching subscription databases

  • “birth records” site:ancestry.com (Ancestry)
  • “birth records” site: myheritage.com (MyHeritage)
  • “birth records” site:archives.com (Archives)
  • “birth records” site: findmypast.com (FindMyPast)

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Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records: Marriage

The following are sample search queries you can use to find online databases for marriage records:

Searching for free state databases

  • “marriage index” “Illinois”
  • “marriage records” “Colorado”
  • “marriage history” “Washington”
  • “marriage records” “Kansas”
  • “marriage certificate” “Idaho”
  • “Western States Marriage Index”
  •  “marriage index OR records OR history” “Nebraska”

Searching free online databases

  • “marriage records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “Wisconsin” “marriage records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “marriage records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)
  • “Arizona” “marriage records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)

Searching Subscription Databases

  •  “marriage records” site:ancestry.com (Ancestry)
  • “marriage records” site: myheritage.com (MyHeritage)
  • “marriage records” site:archives.com (Archives)
  • “marriage records” site: findmypast.com (FindMyPast)

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Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records: Divorce

The following are sample search queries you can use to find online databases for divorce records:

Searching for free state databases

  • “divorce records” “Florida”
  • “divorce index” “Georgia”
  • “divorce history” “Alabama”
  • “divorce index OR records OR history” “Texas”

Searching Free Online Databases

  • “divorce records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  •  “South Carolina” “divorce records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “divorce records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)
  • “New Mexico” “divorce records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)

Searching subscription databases

  • “divorce records” site:ancestry.com (Ancestry)
  • “divorce records” site: myheritage.com (MyHeritage)
  • “divorce records” site:archives.com (Archives)
  • “divorce records” site: findmypast.com (FindMyPast)

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Google Ancestor Civil Vital Records: Death

The following are sample search queries you can use to find online databases for death records:

Searching for free state databases

  • “death index” “Ohio”
  • “death records” “Maine”
  • “death registry” “Montana”
  • “death certificate” “Missouri”
  • “public death records” “California”
  • “death index OR records OR registry OR certificate” “Oregon”

Searching free online databases

  • “death records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “Michigan” “death records” site:familysearch.org (FamilySearch)
  • “death records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)
  • “Idaho” “death records” site:rootsweb.ancestry.com (RootsWeb)

Searching subscription databases

  •  “death records” site:ancestry.com (Ancestry)
  • “death records” site: myheritage.com (MyHeritage)
  • “death records” site:archives.com (Archives)
  • “death records” site: findmypast.com (FindMyPast)

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Google 18 Types of Ancestor Records

The following is an overview of the common 18 types of ancestor records that I have found constantly valuable in my historical and genealogy research and hundreds of other resources I have learned to research and use through the years. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces of my genealogy puzzle.

Google Ancestor Records
Cemetery Records Census Records Church Records
Civil Vital Records Directory Records Family Histories
Histories and Biographies Land Records Maps
Message Boards, Mailing Lists, and Wiki’s Military Records Naturalization Records
Newspaper Records Photographs Probate Records
Publications and Periodicals Ship Passenger Lists Writings of Ancestors

In my profile of each resource, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each resource. I would encourage you to use this section as a starting point from which you can search out and find other genealogical tutorials, and guides that help to provide deeper insights.  The common websites that researchers first think of are Ancestry, Archives, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.

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Google Other Ancestor Records

The following are other articles you may enjoy to help you Google your ancestry.

 

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