United States, How to Use the Vital Records Summary

Introduction
The following sections are summaries of the "How to Use the Record" sections in the FamilySearch Historical Records wiki articles.

About U. S. birth records

 * Name indexes to births make it possible to access a specific record quickly.
 * Indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be character recognition errors.
 * The information in these 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.
 * The type of information given may vary from one record to another record.

Find your ancestor’s birth record (search strategy)
Follow these steps.

1. Find your ancestor in the index.


 * Note the locator information (such as page, entry, or certificate number) for the record.

2. Find your ancestor’s birth record.


 * Look for the page, entry, or certificate number (or other locator information) you found in the index.

3. Evaluate and record each piece of information you find.

To search the index, you need to know the following:

 * The name of the person born.
 * The place where the birth occurred.
 * The approximate birth date.

Tips for finding your ancestor

 * Verify whether the name you found is your ancestor’s. Compare the information you know to the information you find. Look at relationships.
 * When looking for a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

If you don’t find your ancestor in the index, do the following:

 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Find birth records for other family members
While you are searching birth records, it is helpful to follow the same steps to find the birth records of other family members who lived in the same time and place.

1. Look for:


 * Every person with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual or the family lived in rural areas.
 * Children, siblings, parents, and other relatives whose records may be in the same county.
 * A second marriage of a parent.

2. Compile the individuals into families, with the appropriate parents. (Create family group records for the families.)

3. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Continue your research
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.

Next Research Steps
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.

About U. S. death records

 * Name indexes make it possible to access a specific death record quickly.
 * Indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be character recognition errors.
 * The information in these 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.
 * The type of information given may vary from one record to another record.

Find your ancestor’s death record (search strategy)
Follow these steps.

1. Find your ancestor in the index.


 * Note the locator information (such as page, entry, or certificate number) for the record.

2. Find your ancestor’s death record.


 * Look for the page, entry, or certificate number (or other locator information) you found in the index.

3. Evaluate and record each piece of information you find.

To search the index, you need to know the following:

 * The name of the person at the time of death.
 * The place where the death occurred.
 * The approximate death date.

Tips for finding your ancestor

 * Verify whether the name you found is your ancestor’s. Compare the information you know to the information you find. Look at relationships.
 * When looking for a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

If you don’t find your ancestor in the index, do the following:

 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Find death records for other family members
While you are searching death records, it is helpful to follow the same steps to find the death records of other family members who lived in the same time and place.

1. Look for:


 * Every person with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual or the family lived in rural areas.
 * Children, siblings, parents, and other relatives whose records may be in the same county.
 * A second marriage of a parent.

2. Compile the individuals into families, with the appropriate parents. (Create family group records for the families.)

3. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Continue your research
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.

About U. S. marriage records

 * Name indexes make it possible to access a specific marriage record quickly.
 * Indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be character recognition errors.
 * The information in these 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.
 * The type of information given may vary from one record to another record.

Find your ancestor’s marriage record (search strategy)
Follow these steps.

1. Find your ancestor in the index.


 * Note the locator information (such as page, entry, or certificate number) for the record.

2. Find your ancestor’s marriage record:


 * Look for the page, entry, or certificate number (or other locator information) you found in the index.

3. Evaluate and record each piece of information you find.

To search the index, you need to know the following:

 * The county where the marriage occurred.
 * The name of the person at the time of marriage.
 * The approximate marriage date.
 * The marriage place.
 * The name of the intended spouse.

Tips for finding your ancestor

 * Verify whether the name you found is your ancestor’s. Compare the information you know to the information you find. Look at relationships.
 * When looking for a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

If you don’t find your ancestor in the index, do the following:

 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner, if known.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Find marriage records for other family members
While you are searching marriage records, it is helpful to follow the same steps to find the marriage records of other family members who lived in the same time and place.

1. Look for:


 * Every person with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual or the family lived in rural areas.
 * Children, siblings, parents, and other relatives whose records may be in the same county.
 * A second marriage of a parent.

2. Compile the individuals into families, with the appropriate parents. (Create family group records for the families.)

3. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Continue your research:
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.

About U. S. town records

 * Town records may be any type of record, but are usually vital records.
 * Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly.
 * Indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be character recognition errors.
 * The information in these 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.
 * The type of information given may vary from one record to another record.

Find your ancestor’s vital record (search strategy)
Follow these steps.

1. Find your ancestor in the index.


 * Note the locator information (such as page, entry, or certificate number) for the record.

2. Find your ancestor’s vital record


 * Look for the page, entry, or certificate number (or other locator information) you found in the index.

3. Evaluate and record each piece of information you find.

To search the index, you need to know the following

 * The name of the individual or individuals (such as the names of the bride and groom, the infant, or the deceased).
 * The place where the birth, marriage, or death occurred.
 * The approximate date the event occurred.

Tips for finding your ancestor

 * Verify whether the name you found is your ancestor’s. Compare the information you know to the information you find. Look at relationships.
 * When looking for a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is your ancestor.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

If you don’t find your ancestor in the index, do the following:

 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Find vital records for other family members
While you are searching vital records, it is helpful to follow the same steps to find the vital records of other family members who lived in the same time and place.

1. Look for:


 * Every person with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual or in rural areas.
 * Children, siblings, parents, and other relatives whose records may be in the same county.
 * A second marriage of a parent.

2. Compile the individuals into families, with the appropriate parents. (Create family group records for the families.)

3. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Continue your research
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.

About U. S. probate records

 * For earlier times, use probate records to substitute for civil birth and death records that do not yet exist.
 * Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly.
 * Check the index for the surname and then the given name.
 * Indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be character recognition errors.
 * The information in these records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the deceased or the testator.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * The type of information given may vary from one record to another record.
 * Wills are more likely to be found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas.

Find your ancestor’s probate record (search strategy)
Follow these steps.

1. Find your ancestor in the index.


 * Note the locator information (such as page, entry, or certificate number) for the record.

2. Find your ancestor’s probate record:


 * Look for the page, entry, or certificate number (or other locator information) you found in the index.

3. Evaluate and record each piece of information you find for all the family members.

To search the index, you need to know the following

 * The name of the deceased.
 * The place of residence.
 * The approximate death or probate date.

Tips for finding your ancestor

 * Verify whether the name you found is your ancestor’s. Compare the information you know to the information you find. Look at relationships.
 * When looking for a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

If you don’t find your ancestor in the index, do the following:

 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Find probate records for other family members
While you are searching probate records, it is helpful to follow the same steps to find other family members who lived in the same time and place.

1. Look for:


 * Every person with the same surname. This is especially helpful if the surname is unusual or the family lived in rural areas.
 * Children, siblings, parents, and other relatives whose records may be in the same area.

2. Compile the individuals into families, with the appropriate parents. (Create family group records for the families.)

3. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Continue your research
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.

About U. S. census records

 * Census records may identify persons for whom no other records exist.
 * Name indexes make it possible to access a specific death record quickly.
 * Indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings or misinterpretations. If the information was scanned, there may be character recognition errors.
 * The information in these 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.
 * The type of information given may vary from one record to another record.

Find your ancestor’s census record (search strategy)
Follow these steps.

1. Find your ancestor in the index.


 * Note the locator information (such as page, entry, or certificate number) for the record.

2. Find your ancestor in the census.


 * Look for the page, entry, or certificate number (or other locator information) you found in the index.

3. Evaluate and record each piece of information you find for all members of the household.

To search the index, you need to know the following:

 * The name of the person.
 * The place of residence at the time of the census.

Tips for finding your ancestor:

 * Verify whether the name you found is your ancestor’s. Compare the information you know to the information you find. Look at relationships.
 * When looking for a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.

If you don’t find your ancestor in the index, do the following:

 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Find other family members in the census
While you are searching census records, it is helpful to follow the same steps to find all related families who lived in the same time and place.

1. Look for:


 * Married family members who lived nearby but in a separate household. Search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county.
 * An earlier generation. Elderly parents may have been living with or close by a married child.
 * A younger generation. A young married couple may have lived with one of their sets of parents.
 * All members of a family. Do additional searches to make sure you locate all members of a family in the census.
 * All families with the same surname in the same general area. This is especially helps if the surname is uncommon; it is likely that those living in the same area were related.

2. Compile the individuals into families, with the appropriate parents. (Create family group records for the families.)

3. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

Continue your research
Use the information you found to search other records. You can learn more about the same family or look for additional ancestors. Choose what you want to look for next.