Series documents birth records generated by a court in response to a petition. Records may include petitions, decrees or orders, affidavits of correction, registers, and certificates. If the information provided with the petition met the requirements of the court, a decree was issued that served as a legal birth document. Most petitions were filed decades after the actual birth. They were filed in the county of residence at the time of petition, not necessarily in the county of birth.
Dates listed in brackets document the range of actual birth dates.
Date ranges for court actions such as petitions and decrees are also included. Also see Birth Records series for related records. Search for 1862-1898 Benton County delayed birth records in Genealogical Information Locator.