2. Vital records are legal documents of
important events, including
birth, marriage, divorce, and
death. These records are created not
only to keep census and vital statistics
for government agencies, but for
individual uses, such as
identification, background
checks, verification of marital
status, verification for a life insurance
claim, and many more reasons.
3. However, searching for and obtaining
vital records can be a chore, and there
is usually a fee involved in obtaining a
certified copy from a government
agency. Is there vital record
information that is available for free?
And where can you get free vital
record information?
4. Accessing Free Vital Records from Each
State
Since vital records are legal government
documents, they must be requested
through an official form, and a fee must
be paid. Each state and government
agency has its own procedure and fee
schedule for vital records official copy
requests. However, some states will
provide limited free information online for
those vital records that are deemed
“public record.”
5. Thankfully, tracking down the right agency
to
contact can be easy if you know where to
look. If you know the specific agency you
need,
you can start by looking at the free
resource
located at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm.
Here you can locate for free the specific
agency for each vital record for every state
in
the U.S.
6. Online Resources for Vital
Records
If you are searching a record for
someone else, or don’t know the specific
county or state agency, you can find
online resources that provide helpful
information. One online resource is
Archives.com. At Archives.com you can
search their collection of over 1.3 billion
records, browse collections of
records, network with other family history
and genealogy buffs, and even find or
ask expert advice.
7. Although Archives.com does charge a
subscription fee for the use of their vast
database, you can access their records
for no charge with a free 7-day trial. Use
your free 7-day trial to search for your
own records, your living relatives, or
even your ancestors. If you find that the
service is worthwhile, your subscription
will automatically begin after 7 days if
you do not cancel.
8. Free Online Search
Tools
In the hunt for family tree ancestors or
even living relatives, you do have other
free resources and search engines.
Another free search engine is at
www.ancestorhunt.com. This free search
engine can help you find records by
using specific surnames or state, and it
provides additional genealogy help. A
search could turn up digital copies of
your ancestors’ records, including
property deeds, marriage bonds, and
other certificates.
9. Another popular genealogy site is
www.rootsweb.com. Here you can
upload your own family tree information
and browse over 300,000 posted family
trees and over 3 billion records. Still
another helpful website that may help
you find ancestors in your family tree
search is the research site provided by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints at www.familysearch.org.
10. Your search for personal vital records
or ancestry records doesn’t have to be
a chore or cost you a lot of money. Try
these free resources to get you started
and with the right information you can
get the records you need.