Order vital record such as a birth or death certificate from your state office.
Vital records include birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. To recover a vital record you must be the person named on the record or an authorized party. Many states limit those who can request vital records to the parents, child, sibling, spouse, legal guardian or another person with legal interest or a court order. Many states will allow those that aren't authorized to order an informational copy of the record. An informational copy can never be used to affirm identity. Most state offices only began keeping vital records in the early 1900s, so earlier records are often not available through the same resource.
Instructions
1. Request a birth or death, or marriage certificate in person at the state's or county's vital records office. Request an authorized or informational copy for birth or death certificates; marriage records are only given to authorized persons. Present your state-issued identification card and complete the application. In addition, the applicant must include their relation to the person named on the record (e.g., self or parent) and reason for requesting the record. The full name, date of birth or death, place of birth or death and parents' names must be included. There will be a fee. Most offices accept cash or check from in person applicants.
2. Apply for a vital record by mail. Most state and county vital records department websites have applications available for download. Select whether ordering an authorized or informational copy of the record. Enter all required information such as the name of the applicant and their relation to the person named on the record (e.g., self or parent), the name of the person listed on the record, the birth or death place and the birth or death date. Mail the completed application, a copy of the applicant's state-issued ID and a check or money order for the complete amount.
3. Order a birth or death certificate, or marriage or divorce record online. Most state vital records departments allow VitalChek to process their online request for vital records requested online. To use this resource, enter the required information into the online fields such as your name, date of birth or death, place of birth or death, or marriage or divorce date (if applicable). Enter the name and mailing address of the person requesting the record and your relation to the person named on that record. Pay the department fee, plus VitalChek's processing fee by debit or credit card. VitalChek will also require that customers ordering records from certain states have a debit or credit card that matches the name of the person ordering the record, or fax a copy of his ID to complete the order.
4. Request a copy of a marriage or divorce record at the county court clerk's office. You must request this copy at the county courthouse that has jurisdiction over the county where the proceeding took place. The court clerk will have a record of the file; the state's vital records office may not have a copy of this record for several weeks. You will need to complete an application at the clerk's office which includes information about the husband and wife, date of marriage or dissolution and county where it was granted. You must pay a fee at the clerk's office as well.
5. Recover vital records from the early 1900s or earlier. If the state's vital records office doesn't have records from that far back, go to the state's municipal archives or the public library. If researching in the public library, go to the library in the county where the event would have occurred, and ask a librarian to access archived public vital records. You can also order older records by completing the application on the municipal archives or state vital records' website for records prior to, for example, 1910. A research fee assessed is usually assessed to find the record.
Tags: birth death, vital records, informational copy, marriage divorce, person named, state vital, state vital records