Delaware State Birth Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
Statewide birth records were collected by the State sporadically from 1861, with the majority of the State collection beginning after 1920.

Record Description
Birth returns were turned into the State by county clerks from 1861 until statewide registration began to be enforced. Returns and birth certificates were recorded on pre-printed forms.

Record Content
Delaware birth records may include:




 * Child’s name
 * Child’s sex and race
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Whether living or stillborn
 * Name of physician who attended the birth
 * Maiden name and occupation of mother
 * Age of mother
 * Name and occupation of father
 * Age of father
 * Birthplace of parents
 * Place of residence

How to Use the Records
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the birth records. Some on-line indexes, such as indexes to FamilySearch Historical Records, will take you directly to an image. Compare the information in the birth record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor’s birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

For example:


 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * The parents' birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.

It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in birth records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Record History
Statewide registration of births began in 1861, was discontinued in 1863 and was resumed in 1881 when physicians and midwives were required to register births with the county Recorder of Deeds. By 1901 returns and certificates began to be reported to the State Board of Health, but that process was not generally complied with until 1921.

In 1913 the Bureau of Vital Statistics was created as an agency of the State Board of Health. It houses some birth records but others have been transferred to the State Archives. Records housed at the Delaware Bureau of Vital Statistics are restricted to those with an interest or a need to prove ownership rights. The city of Wilmington also has a register of vital statistics. By 1921, it is estimated that most births were reported.

Why the Record Was Created
Birth and deaths were recorded to better serve public health needs.

Record Reliability
Birth records are considered to be primary source records. Information in these records is usually reliable.

Related Websites

 * Guide to Vital Records
 * Directory of Delaware Vital Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Delaware
 * Delaware Vital Records

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Example of a Source Citation for a Record Found in This Collection
"Delaware State Birth Records, 1861-1922." database and digital images,FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 4 March 2011), Ruth Zipora Kylen, 28 February 1896; FHL microfilm 6,344; Delaware Hall of Records, Dover, Delaware.