United States, GenealogyBank Historic Newspaper Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of birth notices indexed from thousands of newspapers, for the years 1815-2011, throughout the United States. Records are being published as they become available. This collection is created in partnership with GenealogyBank.com

Collection Content
Birth records found in newspapers usually contain:
 * Birth date
 * Sex of the child
 * Parents’ names
 * Place of birth

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. These images can be viewed by members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images are also available to all viewers at GenealogyBank.com. For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * Where your ancestor was born.
 * Where did your ancestors reside.
 * Approximate year of birth.
 * Other identifying information.
 * Newspaper titles for the area where your ancestors lived.

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name:

Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals 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 look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Indexes may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.
 * If your ancestor's birth was not located in one newspaper, try other newspaper titles available for the area.

To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "State" ⇒Select the appropriate "Publication Title" ⇒Select the appropriate "Year" 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.

With either search 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.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s birth notice, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These records are often brief so it can be easy to confuse individuals. Compare the information given with what you already know to determine if this is the correct ancestor.

Next, look at the pieces of information given in the birth notice for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:
 * Use the birth year found in the newspaper to find the actual birth record.
 * Use the birth date along with the relative's names to find the family in census records.
 * Use the locality of the birth to locate additional records such as marriage and church records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Information in these newspaper articles is brief so it is easy to confuse individuals.
 * The place of birth could lead you to a birth certificate for the child.
 * Search the newspaper several days before and after the probable birth to locate and entry.
 * Search the newspaper for additional years to determine if other children were born in the family.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.).
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

General Information about These Records

 * Newspapers are generally easy to read due to the typescript
 * Preservation of newspapers is ongoing through various agencies
 * Newspapers oftentimes receive birth information from the hospitals where the births occurred and tend to have accurate information

Related Websites
GenealogyBank

Related Wiki Articles

 * United States Birth Records
 * United States How to Use Birth Records
 * United States Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States Vital Records

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:

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image citation: