When searching for birth, marriage, death and divorce documents you should start with the your most recent ancestors. It may seem futile to request records when you already know the facts, but what you think is true may actually be an incorrect assumption. Vital records may also include little nuggets of information that will either corroborate your work or lead you in new directions. 

It may also be tempting to start your vital records search at the beginning with the birth record, but you should actually consider looking for a death record first. This is because the death record is the most recent record, and therefore the most likely to be available.

Vital records, especially birth records, are protected by privacy laws in many areas. Laws pertaining to birth records are more stringent for a variety of reasons, including the fact that they can reveal illegitimacy or adoption and that they are sometimes misused by criminals to establish a fraudulent identity. Access to these records may be restricted to the person named on the certificate and/or immediate family members. The time period for restriction may be as little as 10 years after the date of the event, to as long as 120 years. Some governments will allow earlier access to birth records if you accompany your request with a copy of the death certificate to prove that the individual is deceased. In some locations your signed declaration that you are a family member is enough proof, while other vital records offices will require a photo ID. In France they even require complete documentation (birth, marriages and death certificates) proving your descent from the individual in question!

To begin your search for vital records you will need to know some basic information:

• the full name of your ancestor

• the approximate date of the event

• the approximate location of the event

With your request you should also include:

• your relationship to the individual named on the certificate

• the purpose of your request

• your full name, address and telephone number

• your signature

With the burgeoning interest in genealogy, some vital records departments just do not have the staff to carry out extensive searches. They may require more exact information than what I have just mentioned in order to provide you with a certificate. Be sure to take the time to research the specific requirements of the office you are contacting with your request before you waste your time and theirs. Fees and turn-around time to receive the certificates will also vary widely from location to location.

Tip! Be sure to note in your request that you want the long form (a full photocopy) rather than a short form (usually a transcription from the original record).

Whenever you send a request for a vital record, be sure to make a note of it. Use a correspondence log to note the person you are researching, the record you have requested, the location from which you requested it and the date of the request. When the record arrives, be sure to go back and note that in the log as well.

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