The most important record sources for the late 19th and 20th century researcher are birth, marriage, and death records. These records are recorded at the time of the event or shortly after, and are considered primary sources for the event they cover. Other dates, such as a birth date in a death certificate, are important but the record would be regarded as a secondary source for that information.
Most vital records are obtained at the state level. There is generally an office of Vital Statistics that maintains the birth and death records. Many Eastern states have vital records before the late 18th century, but other states didn�t start recording that information until early to mid 20th century. A good book for locating the Vital Records offices and starting dates of recording is The Handy Book for Genealogists published by Everton Publishers. The most current book is the 9th edition and can be located in major bookstores.
Marriage and divorce records are generally located in the courthouses of the county where the marriage took place. These records are usually available from the mid 1800�s on, but this also varies. There are various records available, such as affidavits, certificates, and applications, so always ask which are available.
Divorce records are not always available for public search and are sometimes located in separate offices. Most Colorado divorce records are kept in the District court and not available for general viewing. Kansas keeps all the marriage, divorce, and probate records in the District court level, but they are open to all.
If you cannot find a vital record because of courthouse fires or other reasons, there are other sources you can search. They would not be primary sources, but would still provide the dates if they weren�t available elsewhere.
One very important source is the Social Security Death Index, available several places online and in most genealogical programs either as a cd-rom, or through online access. You can usually find birth dates and death dates for people who died after 1960, and sometimes earlier. It will also tell you where their last residence was and where they applied for their social security number. You can then send for the original application, which may have additional information.
There are sometimes delayed birth certificates available. They are generally available in the state vitals statistic offices. They are not primary sources as persons who were born before recording but were alive and needed to prove their births for social security applied them for. The sources they used to prove their births are sited and sometimes lead to other places to search.
Naturalization records are another source of birth information. They will tell the birthplace and date of the applicant and where he was living at the time of the application. It also provides a physical description and the residence of their spouse and any minor children.
Other sources for birth and death dates include tombstones, probate records, military records, and obituaries and will be covered in later columns. An excellent book that explains other places to look is Hidden Sources by Laura Szucs Pfeiffer.
