Iowa, Delayed Birth Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Iowa

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of images of delayed birth records obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa for the years 1939 to1940.

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of Iowa birth records, click here.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Delayed birth records may include:


 * Name at birth
 * Birth date and place
 * Gender
 * Race
 * Current address
 * Names of parents
 * Parents' ages
 * Parents' nationality
 * Parents' race
 * Parents' current address
 * Parents' ages at their last birthday
 * Parents' birth place
 * Form of proof
 * Names of witnesses
 * Document date

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date of birth.
 * The place of birth.
 * The names of the child's parents.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the “County” category ⇒ Select the “Record Type, Date Range and Volume” category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s delayed birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use birth information to find family in census and church records.
 * Use the county and certificate number to obtain a copy of the original birth certificate from the county.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born in the same locality.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.*A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: Top of Page