They are also excellent sources for confirming names and dates you ve found in secondary records . Each state has the equivalent of a bureau of vital records. It s generally called the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Division of Records and Statistics, Division of Public Health, Vital Records Division, or some similar title. No matter the name, the state agency is where you go to obtain birth, marriage and death certificate. In most cases, you pay first and then wait for the state agency to mail the record to you.
Response time varies widely and can range from a week to several months.
It is important to know that vital records searches are most useful for finding relatively recent information. With some exceptions, most U.S. states did not assume legal responsibility for vital records until around the turn of the last century. The first to start keeping vital records was Massachusetts in 1841 and the last was New Mexico in 1920. Knowing when a state officially introduced a policy of statewide registration can save you time and effort writing for records that don t exist. To learn when your state of interest began recording births and deaths, go to the Availability of Certificates extra.