Ancestor Records

Anyone who was born in the United States and is a registered citizen should have a birth certificate on file somewhere. If a mother gives birth at home or outside of a medical facility, she can wait to request a birth certificate. There are cases of adults who only learned that their parents never registered them with the government when they went to apply for college or their first jobs. The Department of Vital Records in your state is the first place to look for a birth certificate. You will need the first and last name of the individual and the date of birth to get a copy.

The county health department may have copies of birth certificates on file too. If you visit one health department and cannot find the birth records that you need, you should visit the health departments in the surrounding counties too. The borders of those counties can change over the years. A loved one born in one county might have records in another county because of a border change. Though you usually need to visit the department in person, you may have the option of requesting a copy over the internet.