If it has been filled out properly, a birth certificate can contain an incredible amount of information. Even if you think you already know everything you need to know about an individual, it is still wise to get a copy of the birth certificate. You may have gotten information about your grandfather second-hand from your aunt and there may be holes in what she knows. Maybe she knew your grandfather’s mother’s maiden name, but the spelling was wrong. The point is, it never hurts to at least verify the information you have been given. There are generally three types of birth certificates: 1. Original – this is the record filed at the time... 

While the marriage certificate is a great resource in order to verify the names of the bride and groom, who may be your great-grandparents, they may provide you with information you never expected to find. Marriage records can come in three different formats. These are: 1. Marriage License – This is the license the bride and groom obtained in order to be married in the town, county, district, or parish. The certificate is obtained from the proper civil authorities, generally the clerk in the court office. This is the most valuable record in which to find information as it usually contains the couple’s names, ages, residences, race,... 

Vital records are an invaluable source of information when you are on the genealogy journey. These records include birth, death, and marriage certificates and adoption records. While it may be tempting to start your records search with the birth of a family member, it is actually better to begin with the death certificate simply because it is the most recent record of that person and it may be the only record. There may not be any birth or marriage records for the ancestor you are researching. This means that it may be the most accessible and the most accurate document you can find for that person. You may also need a copy of the death certificate... 

You are researching your family tree and you have run up against a brick wall. You have spoken to everyone you can find in your family and have scoured photo albums, attics, and shoe boxes to find any documentation to be had about your family. Where do you look next? Your next most effective tool for tracking down your family history is through vital records, particularly birth certificates. Since birth certificates are very private documents, they can be difficult to obtain, but they can also contain a wealth of information if they were filled out properly so it is well worth the trouble of getting a copy of them. Whose birth certificate do you... 

The key to most genealogists’ success is the location of marriage, birth, and death records. They are sources that are created on the local or town level, but can give you an abundance of information as well as confirmation. For the most part, you probably know that such records are found through the county. However, many death records and the like in New England are found through the town clerks. You should be able to find death records dating back through the middle of the 1600’s. In fact, that information is important on another level as well. Before probate districts were put in place in parts of New England, the town clerk kept other... 

Why should you research death records? Death records are an important source of information for any serious genealogy student. Commonly death records can be found in the county courthouse, or in newspaper archives of obituaries. They will include information on the deceased such as parents, siblings, children, spouse, when and where married, where the deceased was born, the occupation of the deceased, possible military service, and cause of death. Why is this information helpful? Finding out where a person was born, for instance, can help distinguish between two people who may have the same name. Take one family for example, in Missouri,...