It may be the most popular hobby today.  Genealogy has taken off like wildfire, and people searching for their past need birth records.  Birth records establish a timeline, make additional family connections, and provide a wonderful glimpse into the past.

1.    Find Maiden Names
Did you ever come to a moment when you realized that you had no idea what was your grandmother’s maiden name?  It is strange that this kind of detail can quickly disappear into the past.  Add another generation or two, and half the time, you might not even know your relatives first names.

Birth records typically list both the mother and father’s names making it easier to track down family connections.  When tracking back in a family line having that maiden name means that you can follow your mother’s family as well as your father’s.  With a maiden name you can hopefully acquire your mother’s birth record and from there her parents.

2.    Establish a Genealogical Timeline
When parents tell of their childhood, things often get a bit mixed up.  Using birth records as well as other documents from vital statistics, you can reestablish a more accurate chain of events.  While family memories are always the best place to start, it is always best to confirm stories with other written accounts, such as those found in newspapers and journals.

Establishing a timeline means that you can narrow your search parameters when you dig through media available in libraries around the country.  Vital statistics bureaus are a wonderful place to make multiple connections through birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and other legal papers.

3.    Conduct a Simple Search for Vital Statistics Online
You can apply to each relevant state if you so choose.  You can find the exact requirements on their websites.  Usually you will need ID, a letter explaining your reason for searching, and accurate locations and dates for each event you need.  If you lack any of this information, things get much more difficult.

Online search engines don’t need so much information.  Search for birth records with just a few details when you go online, then you can narrow down your choices with additional intangible information that means nothing to the state clerk.  Try an online search service for birth records, and then you can approach the state with more data for the specific record or certificate that you desire.

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If you need a copy of a vital statistics document, you can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information.  While each state has slightly different rules for finding and accessing the vital statistics you desire, your best starting point is the state vital statistics office.

What You Need to Find Your Vital Statistics
When you are searching for vital statistics, you will need to prove whom you are and why you want the certificates.  Prepare to send along a copy of your driver’s license as well as an explanatory letter.  Include at least one phone number where you can be reached.  This cuts down time wasted on questions being mailed.

Find Birth Certificates
Some states manage these by county.  Others have a statewide clearinghouse.  To figure out where to send your request, visit or call the state’s vital statistics office.

You will find the location to which you will send your request and the complete list of data they desire from you before they will release the document.  Make sure to include a SASE along with your request and check to ensure a return of your desired certificate.

Find Death Certificates
You will need to provide a name, both formal and any commonly used nicknames, date of death, and gender.  Anything you can add to those minimum requirements will speed up the process.  If you know where the individual passed, you will improve your chances of a correct and speedy match.

Find Marriage Licenses
Usually states have marriage licenses stored by the county.  To obtain a copy, you will need to contact the county in which the marriage took place.

They will ask for the names of the couple, including a maiden name.  The location and date of the marriage will also be necessary.  With this information and your own paperwork, you should be able to obtain a copy of the requested marriage license.

If all this seems like a lot of work, it is.  You can make the process simpler by contacting an online search company and let them take on much of the challenge.

These sites make the task of finding any type of vital statistic or background information much simpler and easier.  Stop wasting your time searching through every county courthouse.  Find vital statistics quickly and easily.

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Marriage licenses are the most common public document.  They are frequently used in genealogy searches because they not only confirm a marriage between two people and the legitimacy of their children.

Find a Maiden Name

They are often a way to discover maiden names.  When tracing back your family roots, being able to track back the birth records and family connection on the female side is just as important as the male side.

Every state, and most territories, keeps records going back as far as 150 years.  These records can be requested in writing from the vital statistics bureau.  Costs for these searches vary from state to state.

Requesting Marriage Records

To request records you need to know the year of the marriage and at least one correct name.  To reduce the possibility of acquiring the wrong record, especially if you are searching for a common name, try to get as much information about the individuals as you can.

Online services now have access to public records.  For a small fee they will run a database search on the information you have provided.  They can often cross reference the search and provide additional documents like a birth certificate, divorce papers or death certificate as well as the marriage license.

Annual Membership to Online Records

Pricing structures for the various documents vary from firm to firm.  Your best bet, if tracing your ancestry, is to opt for an annual membership that allows you to search as many documents as you want.

Some Marriage Records are Just Lost

It is important to note that not all marriage licenses are available.  For any number of reasons, licenses weren’t always issued, and some were lost before they arrived at the proper location.  Traveling preachers were notorious for losing documents, and in the frontier days formal marriages weren’t always possible.

You may have to establish a marriage through other means such as newspaper articles or probate papers, and those are likely to require a personal search on location. Nonetheless, an online database will likely be the best way to start your search for marriage licenses quickly.

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