United States vital records, as its name suggests, is connected with central life events occurring within the United States: birth, marriage, and death. These records are prime sources of genealogical information, but, unfortunately, official records (those maintained by county and state governments), are available only for relatively recent time periods.
There are numerous aids for locating vital records. Most towns and counties have indexes to birth, marriage and death records. Even if the indexes are not complete, they can facilitate research. Many genealogical societies and online websites have published birth, marriage and death records.
When researching records, always check for duplicate copies at the various government levels. Many counties kept records before the states did. After state registration began, counties and cities continued to maintain their own registers of vital events. If one set of records is lost or incomplete, make sure to check the other.
For more recent births and deaths, an invaluable resource is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). The Death Master File (DMF) from the Social Security Administration (SSA) currently contains over 89 million records and is updated weekly. The file is created from internal SSA records of deceased persons possessing social security numbers and whose deaths were reported to the SSA. Often this was done in connection with filing for death benefits by a family member, an attorney, a mortuary, etc. Each update of the DMF includes corrections to old data as well as additional names. Many websites provide access to the data, most of them free access.
The following pages provide addresses and information concerning the purchase of vital records from the various state agencies, and links to the variety of data available online for searching.
United States Vital Records Information
- Alabama Vital Records
- Alaska Vital Records
- Arizona Vital Records
- Arkansas Vital Records
- California Vital Records
- Colorado Vital Records
- Connecticut Vital Records
- Delaware Vital Records
- Florida Vital Records
- Georgia Vital Records
- Hawaii Vital Records
- Idaho Vital Records
- Illinois Vital Records
- Indiana Vital Records
- Iowa Vital Records
- Kansas Vital Records
- Kentucky Vital Records
- Louisiana Vital Records
- Maine Vital Records
- Maryland Vital Records
- Massachusetts Vital Records
- Michigan Vital Records
- Minnesota Vital Records
- Mississippi Vital Records
- Missouri Vital Records
- Montana Vital Records
- Nebraska Vital Records
- Nevada Vital Records
- New Hampshire Vital Records
- New Jersey Vital Records
- New Mexico Vital Records
- New York Vital Records
- North Carolina Vital Records
- North Dakota Vital Records
- Ohio Vital Records
- Oklahoma Vital Records
- Oregon Vital Records
- Pennsylvania Vital Records
- Rhode Island Vital Records
- South Carolina Vital Records
- South Dakota Vital Records
- Tennessee Vital Records
- Texas Vital Records
- Utah Vital Records
- Vermont Vital Records
- Virginia Vital Records
- Washington Vital Records
- West Virginia Vital Records
- Wisconsin Vital Records
- Wyoming Vital Records
Recent Vital Records
Marriage Records of Sussex County, Virginia, 1754-1810
“Marriage Bonds and Ministers’ Returns of Sussex County, Virginia, 1754-1810” by Catherine Lindsay Knorr is a detailed compilation of marriage records from Sussex County, Virginia, spanning from 1754 to 1810. Published in 1952, this work provides a meticulous account of matrimonial bonds and ministers’ returns, offering valuable insights into the social and legal contexts of the time. Sussex County, established in 1754 from part of Surry County, holds significant historical importance. This book captures the essence of early Sussex County through its comprehensive documentation, ensuring the preservation and accessibility of these crucial historical records for future generations.
Clinton County Missouri Marriage Records, 1833-1870
This valuable collection of marriage records survived a courthouse fire in 1895. The 1595 marriages documented in Clinton County Missouri Marriage Records, 1833-1870 are taken from Books A and B. While parental information is sometimes missing, the author has supplemented the records with additional research from historical sources to aid further investigation. A “Key to Ministers and Justices” is included to identify the officiants of each marriage.
Marriage records of Liberty County Georgia, 1785-1895
These marriage records were abstracted from unbound marriage bonds and licenses in the Liberty County Courthouse, Hinesville, Georgia. The names were copied as they were spelled on the bonds, often barely legible and often spelled differently on the same bond. Sometimes the marriages were performed before the licenses were issued. The first date given in the abstracts is the date of the license or bond; the second is the date of marriage. The following abbreviations are used in these abstracts with the meaning indicated:
Kentucky Vital Records, 1884-1928
This microfilm is a copy of the original records located at the Kentucky State Historical Society in Frankfort and microfilmed in 1975. It is an incomplete copy of the set of records for each county but can provide the information for the specific counties and years as denoted in the list.
Marriages of Louisa County Virginia, 1766-1815
In the heart of Virginia, Louisa County’s rich history is encapsulated within the pages of an invaluable genealogical and historical resource: “Marriages of Louisa County, Virginia, 1766-1815.” Compiled with meticulous care by Kathleen Booth Williams in 1959, this book offers a comprehensive look into the marital unions that played a foundational role in the social fabric of the county during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Stretching over 143 pages, Williams’ work stands as a testament to the marriages that occurred in this period, a tangible link to the past for genealogists, historians, and descendants seeking to trace their…
1825-1854 Marriage Bonds of McCracken County Kentucky
This is a list of 870 marriage bonds from McCracken County, Kentucky, covering the years of 1825 to 1854 and extracted from the McCracken County Marriage Bonds Book No. 1. In 1957, Mrs. Briles extracted information about these bonds and compiled them into this self-published book. The text in this book was done with an old manual typewriter and has the usual faint and filled-in type often found with such papers.
Augusta County Virginia Marriages, 1834-1846
Augusta County Virginia Marriages from 1834-1846 were copied from a list of marriages returned and recorded in the County Court of Augusta County, Virginia, “Record Book, 1813-1846”, with the exception of one marriage listed on page 31, which was taken from the Marriage Bond received from the County Clerk, Staunton, Va., the filing of this Marriage Bond is in File Drawer No. 211.
The Register of Saint Paul’s Parish, 1715-1798
The “Register of Saint Paul’s Parish, 1715-1798: Stafford County, Virginia, 1715-1776; King George County, Virginia, 1777-1798” stands as an invaluable resource for genealogists and historians alike, documenting the early inhabitants of Virginia across two jurisdictions over eight decades. This publication, meticulously compiled and now presented in a handsomely bound volume thanks to the restoration efforts sponsored by the John Lee and Lillian Thomas Pratt Foundation in 1940. This book is free to read and download.
Ogle County, Illinois, marriage records, 1837-1850
In 1960 Robert Steenrod of Belvidere, Illinois, transcribed the early marriages of Ogle County Illinois, from the Marriage Registers volumes A and B. These marriage records cover the years of 1837, when the first record was created to 1850. This book is free to read or download as a PDF.
Vital records of Southborough, Massachusetts
The list of vital records of Southborough, Massachusetts, comprised in this volume includes all which were entered in the Town Books during the period from the earliest date there found to the end of the year 1849. Some additions and corrections of names and dates have been made from the records of the First Church, these being indicated in each instance by proper reference. There are a total of 6,297 births, marriages, and deaths recorded. This book is free to read or download.
Vital records of Rowley Massachusetts
The following records of births, marriages and deaths include all entries to be found in the books of record kept by the town clerks; in the church records; in the returns made to the Essex County Quarterly Court; in the cemetery inscriptions; and in the private records found in family Bibles, etc. These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been preserved. All duplication of the town clerks’ record has been eliminated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter appear in brackets. Parentheses are used when they occur in the original record; also…
Moretown Vermont Annual Reports 1910-1957
These Moretown, Vermont town reports, published annually, serve as comprehensive repositories of crucial information about Moretown, Vermont. Their contents can differ, depending on the year of publication, largely due to evolving legal stipulations on what they must include. Starting in 1927, these reports provide vital statistical data for a particular year, such as records of births, deaths, and marriages. Note that the records may traverse across two different pages. Included in all reports are the financial details of the town and these often include payments made to individuals who performed services, such as teaching, janitorial, construction, road work, etc. Many…
Vital Records of Dartmouth Massachusetts to 1850
The Vital Records of Dartmouth Massachusetts to 1850 are alphabetical indexes to the manuscript records of the town of Dartmouth, supplemented by information from family bible records, church registers, cemetery inscriptions, and other sources, showing the vital records of the town inhabitants from its earliest dates to 1850. This free book is 3 volumes in one, volume I, containing birth records, vol II, containing marriage records, and vol III, containing death records.
Early Records of Lee County, Virginia
This manuscript is a compilation of various early records of Lee County, Virginia. It is suggested that you use the index liberally for your searches which starts on page 152. Surnames will appear under a variety of spellings so be sure to check them all.
Death Records of Lee County, Virginia, 1853-1897
This is a transcription of the death records of Lee County, Virginia from 1853-1897. Over 36,000 records are transcribed in this free digital PDF book.
Marriage Records of Shelby County, Alabama – 1885-1905
This is a series of record extracts which Don Thompson published by the Shelby County Historical Society in Columbiana, Alabama. While the series covers the years of 1824-1905, only the years of 1885-1905 are currently included online.
The William Wade Hinshaw index to Pennsylvania Quaker meeting records
These monthly meeting records were abstracted from the original Pennsylvania Quaker Monthly Meeting records in the 1930’s by William Wade Hinshaw of Washington, D. C. They are a transcription of the microfilmed records containing birth, death, burial, and marriage records, as well as meeting minutes, removals and certificates. After Hinshaw’s death, the unpublished material was deposited at the Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania. This collection is known as the William Wade Hinshaw Index to Quaker Meeting Records. The following record has been transcribed from a microfilm copy of this Index. As this copy is several generations removed from the…
Winnebago and Boone Counties Genealogy Society
The Winnebago and Boone Counties Genealogical Society has placed online at the Cherry Valley Public Library District website, numerous genealogical indices which cover the counties of Boone, Cook, McHenry, and Winnebago. These free genealogy records are PDF’s downloadable to your computer.
Nailer Tom’s Diary – Thomas Benjamin Hazard
The journal of Thomas B. Hazard of Kingstown, Rhode Island, 1778 to 1840, which includes observations on the weather, records of births, marriages and deaths, transactions by barter and money of varying value, preaching Friends and neighborhood gossip.
1912-1943 Mississippi Death Index
Christopher Smothers, a college student, and professional genealogist who specializes in Deep South research, always wondered to himself why the Mississippi Death index for 1912-1943 was hidden at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson Mississippi. Why wasn’t this more widely available? Fast forward a few years, and multiple conversations, and the cog wheels at the archives have finally relented to allow these weathered and cracked microfilms to be digitally re-scanned and released to the public. Props to Christopher for making this happen! With assistance from Reclaim the Records, who fronted the cost for the microfilm, and from…
