United States, GenealogyBank Historic Newspaper Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This 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

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth
 * Birth date
 * Sex of the child
 * Parents’ names
 * Place of birth

Collection Content

 * 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

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate year your ancestor was born.
 * The place where your ancestor was born.
 * The names of family members and their relationships.
 * Newspaper titles for the area where your ancestors lived.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select State
 * 2) Select Publication Title
 * 3) Select Year to view the images.

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.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * 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.
 * 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.

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

 * 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.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.