FINDING DOCUMENTS TO BREAK DOWN BRICK WALLS

May 2015

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS YOU NEED TO OBTAIN

• BIRTH CERTIFICATES

• DEATH CERTIFICATES

• MARRIAGE LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES

• NATURALIZATION PETITIONS

• CHURCH SACRAMENTAL RECORDS

• COURT RECORDS – WILLS and PROBATE RECORDS

– DEEDS

– Name Change

WHERE ARE ALL THESE DOCUMENTS?

Some are online but it varies widely by Country, State and County Start with Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.com

Many online sources offer only indexes, extracts or summaries but not the original document image

Keep in mind the timeframes for when certain documents were required in different countries ,states and local jurisdictions

Even today, in the United States many local towns, counties, churches and cemeteries have only paper records of past events

SO IF I CANT FIND IT ONLINE , WHERE DO I START ?

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

STEP 1: If you want to obtain the physical record of an event you will need to know three things

- Name(s) of the individuals

- Location that the event took place

- Approximate date of the event

STEP 2 : Determine where the physical records are stored

- Check web sites then make phone calls

- State/City/County “Vital records” or “Department of Health” or Historical Society

States and larger cities/counties will have a website where you can download a request form to mail in.

Smaller towns, historical societies will ask you to write a letter

Step 3 : Submit your request

You may be asked to provide documentation proving your relationship

Include a check (sometimes a money order!) for the search fee

Step 4 : Wait

Some examples

Examples New York City - http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/archives $15/request +$2 additional

year/borough to be searched .For records before 1910, $10 per request..You can submit the request online or via the mail

New York State -records from 1881 .Write to the Dept Of Health, Genealogy Unit in Albany. $22 for a three year search. Expect to wait up to 8 months for a response !

Pennsylvania- birth and death certificates from 1906 forward $20/request

- “Death Index” from 1906 is online but not searchable

- Prior to 1906 , contact the local County Courthouse

Massachusetts – records from 1635 ! 1841- 1920 in the State Archives in Dorchester. Visit in person or by mail. Cost is $9/hour of search time

New Jersey – Vital Statistics Registry-Trenton,NJ – Birth Certificates >80 years ago ; Marriage >50 years ago ; Death Certificates >40 years ago - $25 per request…submit via mail or visit in person . Response in about 2-3 months

Diocese of Newark NJ- Catholic Church sacramental and Cemetery records are archived at Seton Hall University. You can visit (appointment only) and search the archive or submit a request -$15 per request

Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Record Center (PAHRC) – very informal process. Write to the archivist and send a check for $10. They have Catholic sacramental records (baptism, marriage )

Illinois –Birth/Death records since 1916 ($10) ; prior to 1916 write to the County Clerk

Ireland – www.rootsireland.ie . Subscription service -$255/yr or $28/month. Mostly Church records.Replica of the original document is provided

BIRTH RECORDS

• US Births were not registered until 1867 and that was on a voluntary state by state basis. Most states/counties/cities recorded births in a large ledger book (if the birth was reported).

• Children were born at home with the assistance of a midwife who would record the birth, if at all

• Churches are a much better source of baptism/christening recording detailed information about the mother and father, address and occupation

• Many individuals born prior to 1900 don’t know their actual birth date!

• For males born 1878- 1900, WW I draft registration cards are a great starting point providing an exact birth date

• In the 1900 Census, individuals were asked to record the month and year of their birth

• Many States did not require births to be recorded until well after 1900

– E.G-Florida did not require it until 1963 !

Birth records early example #1 1852-Newark NJ

Birth record –Example #2 1878 Boston

Entry #15 –Alexander Nixon –DOB January 23, Male, Address – 230 West

4Th Street-, Father-Alexander , Mother-Katie, Occupation of father-Teamster,

Place of birth of father-Ireland, Place of Birth of mother-Boston

Birth records –early example #3 1887 Newark NJ

Birth record –example #4 Jersey City NJ 1887

Birth/Baptism Certificates- Example #5 1910 Philadelphia

DEATH RECORDS • Recording a death in the US was not mandated until around 1900 but many states

and counties kept their own records in the 1800’s

• In the UK “civil registration” began in 1837

• Obituaries are the best source of information but you have to dig to find them

• Keep in mind that the information on a death certificate was provided by the next-of-kin or respondent and only reflects what they knew about the decedent

• Social security numbers were recorded on death certificates beginning in 1950

• Beginning in 1937 , death events were recorded by place of residence .Prior to that it was by place of occurrence. Occasionally, you may find two death certificates.

• Cemeteries have very good records simply because they needed to map out who was buried where . Ask for a copy of their record although some may refuse to give it to you!

– You might get lucky with find-a-grave or billiongraves.com

– Privacy concerns at many cemeteries

• Note- look for the name of the Undertaker. Those records are sometimes preserved

Obituary example 1887 Newark NJ

This obituary told me three things that I did not know about my

great grandfather 1) where he was buried 2) his year and

month of birth and 3) the name of his daughter’s husband

Obituary example #2 1953

Death record example 1881-Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania Death Index Example 1920

Dual Death certificates Example

Winnifred Lee died in Mont Alto PA but lived in Philadelphia.

Each issued a death certificate in 1920

Death Certificates “Connecting The Dots”

Cemetery Records

• Cemeteries can often provide information not included on a death certificate

• Cemetery rules and procedures can vary widely

• Concerns over privacy

• You sometimes have to be persistent in working with Cemetery staff

• Family plots were common and can tell you a great deal

Cemetery record versus Death Certificate example-1895

My great grandmother, Mary Regan, died in childbirth in July 1895 but what was

her maiden name and where was she born?

Cemetery Record –Mary Regan 1895

Marriage Records – A marriage license allows a marriage to take place. A marriage certificate records the

actual event

– Because marriages have legal implications (e.g. –property ownership) record keeping is generally pretty good

– Marriage licenses were first issued in the middle ages in Europe

• England and Wales required “banns” in 1215

• England’s Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1753

• UK 1837- Civil marriages allowed as an alternatives to Church weddings

– In the US , specifications vary widely by state. Some permitting “public acclamation” of vows, co-habitation , etc.

– Both Churches and State authorities can issue a legally binding marriage license

– In the US marriage licenses are considered “vital records” and preserved in a variety of locations . Some indexes are online and there are some states and counties that have digitized their records .Most are not online.

Example of 200 year old marriage record 1816 Essex County , NJ Court house record

Nov 3, 1816 -James C Jeroleman marries Leah Spear

Ancestry.com Example of an Ancestry.com marriage “Index”

Marriage record 1867 NYC

Examples of New York City Marriage record and Church replica from 1867-

names of the parents of the bride and groom listed !

Philadelphia “Orphans Court” Marriage 1901

These documents list the names of my grandmother’s parents as well as my grandmother’s and

grandfather’s birth dates

Court Records

• You usually have to write/call to find their website to learn what their process is

• Requests normally have to be made in writing

• There will be fees but they are usually modest

• Some courthouses will allow you to visit in person and go through records ---usually on microfiche

• Some can be surprisingly easy to deal with …others, not so much

• Naturalization ‘petitions’ can be an invaluable source of information but can be hard to find

Naturalization Index Card

Naturalization Petition examples

When you find an original

document like this keep in mind

there are usually multiple pages

…scroll forward and back

Passport Application 1866

Example of an early New York City Passport application

A more recent passport example 1923

Example of a court record involving a change of name Hudson County NJ 1932

Don’t forget school records 1925 St Joe’s Prep Philadelphia

One final example Emigrant Savings Bank-Founded 1850 NYC

“Test Book “ entry 1858

“John Hampson – bartender – age 20 – native of Mohill, Ireland, County

Leitrim, to America Apl 1857,from Lpool, parents- William father-Mary

Mother ,1 bro Pat

SUMMARY • To tell the complete story of your family you will need

to locate a variety of documents

• Don’t give up if you cant find them on ancestry or familysearch

• They are out there somewhere , you just have to go and find them.

• Have fun---- this is the most gratifying part of Genealogy research !