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Mary Penner: Delayed birth records can benefit genealogists
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*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
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Ask any woman who has given birth and she'll tell you that delays in that process are downright unacceptable.
Delays getting to the hospital aren't good because having a baby in the car or on the sidewalk is particularly annoying. Babies are also prone to delays when it comes to making their earthly appearance. Being overdue or dragging out the labor experience are two delays most mothers would rather do without.
In the genealogy world you might find "delayed birth certificates." These don't explain the exasperating delays that may have been associated with the birth; instead they simply mean that creating the birth certificate was delayed.
Previous generations in America were routinely casual about recording births. Each state had its own set of rules. Connecticut was a forerunner in the birth registration race requiring town clerks to record births as early as 1650.
Many states, however, didn't begin recording births until the late 1800s, while some states didn't jump on the birth certificate bandwagon until the early 20th century.
Birth certificates are dandy finds for genealogists, yet family historians often neglect to look for delayed birth certificates.
Many of our recent ancestors didn't have birth certificates, but if they lived beyond 1936 they may have collected Social Security benefits. And, in order to collect those benefits, they needed to produce a birth certificate.
While most 20th century delayed birth certificates were created in response to Social Security requirements, some people needed them for other purposes as well - obtaining a passport, for example.
The applicants didn't have to prove they were born - that was obvious to even the most cynical government bureaucrat. They did, however, have to offer proof about the who, where, and when of their births.
Consequently, delayed birth certificates produced a two-pronged windfall for genealogists. The typical birth certificate information was all there: date, place of birth and names, ages and birthplaces of parents including the mother's maiden name.
The birth certificates also often included the applicant's race and the name of the attendant physician or midwife.
The bonus information with delayed birth certificates lies in the proof offered for the date of birth. Applicants usually had to provide three documents that attested to their age.
These documents might be affidavits written by family members or longtime friends or neighbors who had personal knowledge about the applicant's age or birth.
The documents could be an insurance policy, marriage license, family Bible, military papers, voting records or census records.
While the clerk didn't retain these supporting documents, the application usually recorded the information in enough detail to provide clues for researchers.
Look for delayed birth records at both the county and state level where you believe the birth occurred. But, don't be surprised if the birth was recorded where the applicant lived at the time; it could be a different county from where the birth occurred.
Be sure to look specifically for delayed birth certificates because they are usually filed separately from regular birth certificates.
States have become more guarded about releasing birth certificate information even for deceased people. Check the National Center for Health Statistics Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm) to find links to each state's vital records office.
Some delayed birth records are at state archives, and some have been microfilmed. Check Family History Library catalog for microfilmed records.
