An Overview of Vital Records in the United States

Vital records consist of historical documents considered essential to establishing identity, familial relationships, or citizenship.  All records contain at least the individual’s full name, the date on which the event occurred, and the state.  Often records will contain additional information, depending on the type of record, but this can vary depending on the state.  It should be noted that in the United States the Federal Government has no responsibility for the maintenance or storage of these records.  Therefore they are unique to the state in which the event occurred.

Unfortunately, many of these records were not kept or maintained by states until the early 1900s.  Even then there were a number of states that did not keep them until well after this period.  For this reason, certain records are difficult to locate, or in some cases simply do not exist.

In general this is because archived records only go back so far.  In many cases original certificates were given to the respective owners of those documents at the time of the event, and the state did not keep a copy.  This is particularly true of the states Alaska and Hawaii, which were not officially accepted into the Union until 1959, but there are other states and territories where the retrieval of records may also be difficult depending on the age of the document requested.

As a general rule, records are available to authorized persons requesting them according to an established procedure.  While the procedure varies from state to state, there are general guidelines that are consistent across all states.  The most important of these is the requirement of the applicant to prove their identity.  Acceptable forms of identification must be valid, and include the following:

• State Issued Driver’s License (this is generally the preferred form of ID)
• United States Passport
• Other Government Photo Identification

In the case of a relative or organization applying for records on behalf of an authorized party, proof of their relationship with the person for whom they are attempting to retrieve records will need to be established.  In this case, they will need to provide at least the following documents:

• Birth Records (establishing their relationship)
• Death Records (establishing their relationship)
• Divorce Records (establishing their relationship)
• Marriage Records (establishing their relationship)
• Written Histories or Genealogical Records (as an addendum in most cases)

Once proof of identification and any required proof of relationship have been established, the remaining steps are relatively straightforward.  Perhaps the most important thing to consider with any of these steps is that the offices housing these documents are usually overwhelmed by the volume of paperwork they receive.  Requests take time, particularly in the case of older records.  Being polite and considerate can go a long way towards smoothing any difficulties or complications that may arise.

Additionally, any required fees should be included by check or money order.  As a rule, the following items are required by states for the retrieval of records, with additional requirements specific to each type of record:

• The date of the request
• The full name of the person, with the last name in caps
• The sex of the person
• Their date of birth
• Their place of birth
• The requesting party’s name & address
• The requesting party’s driver’s license number & state
• The requesting party’s signature

All requests should be made one at a time, or at most not more than two per request.  This is because there is a process by which each state archives these records, and each has a system used to retrieve them.  Large groups of requests take longer for personnel to manage and track, and can easily become separated or lost, requiring additional steps or repeat requests for information.

Finally, if your request is more complicated or deals with information other than your own personal information, it is best to include a very brief typewritten paragraph detailing exactly what you are looking for.  This paragraph should include information on your relationship to the request, and how that information is supported by the documents you have included, and what records you hope to locate.

Following these steps will make the process easier for everyone involved, and ultimately result in copies of requested documents being received sooner rather than later.  Specific information on each state and territory has been listed below through links to external resources.

External Links to Vital Records Information

Department of State Records:

• http://travel.state.gov/law/family_issues/family_issues_601.html

National Records:

• http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm

State Records:

• Alabama: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/alabama.htm
• Alaska: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/alaska.htm
• American Samoa: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/american_samoa.htm
• Arizona: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/arizona.htm
• Arkansas: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/arkansas.htm
• California: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/california.htm
• Canal Zone: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/canal_zone.htm
• Colorado: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/colorado.htm
• Connecticut: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/connecticut.htm
• Delaware: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/delaware.htm
• District of Columbia: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/dc.htm
• Florida: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/florida.htm
• Foreign or High-Seas Events: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/foreign.htm
• Georgia: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/georgia.htm
• Guam: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/guam.htm
• Hawaii: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/hawaii.htm
• Idaho: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/idaho.htm
• Illinois: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/illinois.htm
• Indiana: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/indiana.htm
• Iowa: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/iowa.htm
• Kansas: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/kansas.htm
• Kentucky: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/kentucky.htm
• Louisiana: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/louisiana.htm
• Maine: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/maine.htm
• Maryland: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/maryland.htm
• Massachusetts: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/massachusetts.htm
• Michigan: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/michigan.htm
• Minnesota: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/minnesota.htm
• Mississippi: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/mississippi.htm
• Missouri: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/missouri.htm
• Montana: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/montana.htm
• Nebraska: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/nebraska.htm
• Nevada: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/nevada.htm
• New Hampshire: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_hampshire.htm
• New Jersey: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_jersey.htm
• New Mexico: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_mexico.htm
• New York City: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_york_city.htm
• New York State: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/new_york.htm
• North Carolina: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/north_carolina.htm
• North Dakota: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/north_dakota.htm
• Northern Mariana Islands: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/northern_mariana_islands.htm
• Ohio: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/ohio.htm
• Oklahoma: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/oklahoma.htm
• Oregon: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/oregon.htm
• Pennsylvania: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/pennsylvania.htm
• Puerto Rico: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/puerto_rico.htm
• Rhode Island: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/rhode_island.htm
• South Carolina: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/south_carolina.htm
• South Dakota: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/south_dakota.htm
• Tennessee: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/tennessee.htm
• Texas: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/texas.htm
• Utah: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/utah.htm
• Vermont: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/vermont.htm
• Virginia: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/virginia.htm
• Virgin Islands: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/virgin_islands.htm
• Washington: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/washington.htm
• West Virginia: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/west_virginia.htm
• Wisconsin: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/wisconsin.htm
• Wyoming: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/wyoming.htm