Getting Vital Records
by Rhonda R. McClure

(This article originally appeared in Family Tree Finders, a 5-day a week genealogy e-mail newsletter.  To subscribe, please visit the Family Tree Finders web site.) 

Once you have your initial names, dates and places, you will begin to turn your attention to the records that will help you.  For most of us, this is usually vital records.  Your first attempt at getting vital records should be your house and that of your parents and possibly your grandparents.  You will be surprised how may records you will find in the family papers.  You probably already have your birth certificate (and marriage record if you are married).  And, if they are still living, you can ask your parents to see their birth certificates and marriage records as well.  While looking at theirs, you will want to be sure to write down everything that is on the certificate, including names of witnesses, informants, attending physicians, clergy who performed the ceremony, everything.

But what do you do to get copies of vital records that you can't get from the family?

You will need to begin contacting state and county repositories.  Whenever possible, it is a good idea to contact the county courthouse first.  They are often quicker in responding and may have more records at their immediate disposal.

The first step is determining what records are available at the county courthouse.  This includes record types as well as the time frame.  While we would love to think that records exist from the beginning of time, often times this is not the case.  Many county courthouses did not decide to record vital records until years after their creation.

Two excellent books for finding out the record availability are Everton's The Handybook for Genealogists and Ancestry's Redbook, American Statem County & Town Sources.  These not only include the dates of records, but also the addresses for writing to the courthouses.

Now that you have the addresses, you need to write an effective letter.  When requesting a vital record, it is a good idea to keep your letter very business like and simple.  You want to include necessary information so that the county clerk will know exactly what you need.  A good letter addresses the court, then makes a simple request, explaining that the record is wanted for genealogical research.  Below this opening sentence, you should include the needed information.  For a birth certificate you should supply: name of child, names of parents, date of birth and place of birth.  Then close the letter with a thank you and let them know that you are including a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and a check to cover the cost of the certificate.

I generally include a five-dollar check.  Only once have I been requested to send more when contacting a county clerk for a birth, death or marriage record.