How to Use Civil Vital Records to Trace Ancestors

Use civil vital records for ancestry research.

What are civil vital records?

Civil vital records—for births, deaths, marriages, and, sometimes, divorces—denote the critical milestones of our lives and are the cornerstone of individual and family 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.

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

What information will you find in civil vital records? The following is a brief overview of what you will find in 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.
  • 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 parents for the bride and groom, 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 individual and may often exist for persons with 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. 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. It is uncommon to find divorces before the twentieth century. Divorce records 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 will usually be often open to the public and can be obtained by contacting the court clerk.

Research Insights for Civil Vital Records

What are some research insights for civil vital records?

It is essential to know that vital record searches are most helpful in finding relatively recent information. Most U.S. will not take legal responsibility for creating 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 who provided the information. This person will vary, 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. Don’t be surprised if you find 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 the death-related records. It’s the most recent event in an individuals’ life. You usually learn where the individual last lived, which provides a starting point for looking for other records. Death records also include birth and marriage information. Other essential death-related records include burial and probate records. As a practice, also search the death records of each individual’s siblings if available. I have found critical pieces of information in them lacking in the individual records I am searching for.

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 are listed in the record?
  • What ages of the persons listed?
  • What places are listed?
  • Are parents or a spouse named in the record?
  • Are witnesses listed in the record? Are they related in any way to the family?
  • Look to see who provided the information in the record? Is this person connected to the family?
  • If you have a death record, is a cemetery or funeral listed? If yes, see if cemetery records are available to search for more information.
  • How does the information fit with what you know about the family from other records? If not, it may have been miscopied by a clerk. Check the sources.

Where will you find civil vital records?

Every U.S. 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 obtain a birth, marriage, and death certificate, no matter the name. Historical and genealogical societies are essential for vital records before the state’s date of taking legal responsibility for vital records.

Other Records to Help in Ancestry Research

Where can I learn more about how to trace ancestry? The following are important articles for learning about ancestry and historical research.

Where can I learn more about records to trace ancestry?

The following is an overview of 15 types of vital, government and historical records I have found constantly valuable in my individual, family, and narrative research. These records provide vital and biographical information on individuals and families. When I mastered researching these resources, I could quickly expand my research to other records to help me connect the pieces for writing narratives and other historical research.

For each record type, I have included what you will find, how to use the resource, and research insights for each record type. I would encourage you to use this article as a starting point from which you can search out and find other record tutorials guides and help to provide deeper insights.