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Is There Such a Thing As Free Vital Records?
The legal documentation of major life events in a person’s live are commonly referred to as vital records. This is where the official records of birth,death, marriage and divorce are found. They are used for legal identification, background checks, and a way for the government to keep accurate vital statistics that can be used for census updates. They are also ways to verify martial status, verify death benefits, and to monitor the official record of court ordered custody and financial agreements of a divorce.
Doing the actual search for these records, if you do not already have the original,can get complicated. Getting an official certified copy from the various government agencies will involve a fee, as the official copy needs to that the raised seal on the document. The question is often asked, “Is there a way I can get these records for free?”
How To Get Vital Records From the Different States
With legal documents come official forms. Vital records are legal documents so in order to get a copy of them, you need an official form filled out, and that will involve a fee. The different states have their own procedures and fee structure set for releasing an official copy of vital records. Occasionally for vital records that are classified as “public record” limited free information that can be found online.
One of the confusing parts of requesting vital records is that different records are stored with different agencies. Once you find the right agency, tracking down the record is pretty simple. If you are luck you will know which agency to contact. For those who do not know that, one resource to try is http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm This is a free service that has the information on all 50 states about which state agency to contact for official copies of each of the vital records.
Free Online Resources To Help Find Vital Records
There are several online resources that can help someone who may not know the state agency, the county or if they are searching for someone else’s information.
Archives.com has over 1.3 billion records. Individuals can browse the collections for themselves, search for family history, and use their expert advisers. There is a subscription fee, but you get a seven day free trial. So a savvy user can gather all the names and information for themselves and family members and do some genealogy searches for seven days, then cancel the subscription.
Ancestorhunt.com is a free search engine where you could turn up digital copies of records, like property deeds, marriage bonds, and other legal documents. All you need is specific surnames and a state to get started. These will not be official records but will be perfect for tracing family history.
Rootsweb.com is a genealogy site where you post your own information and look at over 300,000 other family trees that have also been posted. This gives over 3 billion individual records.
Searching for vital records, for family tree information can be simple and fun. It does not have to cost too much or be frustrating and time consuming. By using the free resources first, you will be able to get some of the basic information needed, so when you do need to request an official copy, you know you will be paying for the correct one from the correct agency.