A: U.S. RECORDS 1: Records   2: Location, Maps, Geo   3: Regions / States   4: Timelines & Histories  |   B: VITAL RECORDS   1: Vital Rec.   2: Birth   3: Adoption   4: Marriage   5: Death, Obits   6: Cemetery  |   C: CENSUS   1: Records   2: By Decades  |   D: IMMIGRATION   1: Records   2: Passenger / Nat.   3: Other   4: Migration  |   E: MILITARY   1: Records   2: By Conflict  |   F: OTHER RECORDS   1: Religious   2: Land, Probate, Tax   3: Court   4: News.   5: Arch. / Lib.   6: Help   7: Misc.           KB    Translation Tips    Music      Print Friendly and PDF











United States


Goal B1: Vital Records

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Part B: U.S. Vital Records




Goal B1: Understand vital records.


Birth, marriage, and death records, commonly known as vital records, are great resources for locating and verifying your ancestors' information. Note that "certificates" (such as birth certificates) is a fairly recent term, so this goal focuses on "birth records" to be more inclusive.



3:54

ChoicesVault


A Learn about vital records in the United States.


Class Outlines:    Basic


Summary
  1. Basics: Get an overview of types of vital records and where to find them.

    MH: Vital Records: How to Find Birth, Marriage & Death Records - 2023
    FS Wiki—United States Vital Records   

  2. Learn more about United States vital records.

    AAC—Vital Records—4:33
    FS—U.S. Vital Records Handout
    QUIZ

  3. Learn how to locate vital records in the United States.

    GTV—Where to Find Birth, Marriage, Divorce, and Death Records for Genealogy—11:46 - 2018
    BYU— Finding Birth, Marriage, and Death Records—22:31 - 2014

  4. More: Learn about vital records in more depth in these videos.

    FS—United States Vital Records—59:00
    FS—Finding Your Ancestors in Vital Records—53:51

  5. Here are some tips for deciding whether a vital record was created.

    AR—Does That Record Even Exist?—20:52 - 2013   



    FS—United States Civil Records

  6. Learn how to extend your searches beyond vital records.

    BYU—Moving Beyond Birth, Marriage and Death Records—58:15 - 2013



  7. Learn about surname origins in the United States.

    AC—Last Names and Their Meanings



B Explore resources for vital records in the U.S.


  1. Learn more about vital records and explore resources in this article.

    FS—Finding Your Ancestors in Vital Records—6 pgs. - 2015

  2. Ordering: Learn how to order vital records from state agencies.

    LT—Ordering Vital Records from State Agencies

  3. Explore the vitalrec.com site for steps to follow in ordering vital records in the United States.
  4. Alternatives: Learn to find U.S. vital records and alternative sources.

    AC—Finding Vital Records and Alternatives—8 pgs. - 2016.
    RT—Finding Substitutes for Vital Records - 2019

  5. Learn more about alternatives to vital records in research.

    LT—3 Vital Record Substitutes You Can Use in Your Genealogy Research

  6. Offline Records: Find U.S. vital records that are offline.

    FHD: Offline Vital Records are Critical to Your Research - 2023

  7. StevenMorse: Access the stevenmorse.org website to explore a variety of U.S. vital records.
Exercises