Washington Birth Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
The records cover the years 1941 and 1942.

Record Description
This collection includes records created in King County, Washington, during 1941 and 1942 for people who applied for delayed birth certificates. Delayed certificates can be issued for people whose birth was not recorded at the time of the event. The records were created in the 1940s but the actual births occurred earlier.

Record Content
Birth records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Father's name
 * Mother's maiden name

Birth records may also contain the following information, depending on the time period:


 * Sex of the child
 * Number of child born to this mother
 * Color or race
 * Legitimate or illegitimate
 * Father’s birthplace
 * Father’s age
 * Father’s occupation
 * Mother’s birthplace
 * Mother’s age
 * Mother’s residence
 * Name and address of medical attendant
 * County of birth return
 * Residence of medical attendant

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Child's name
 * Birthdate
 * Birth place
 * Parents' names

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 records 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.

Record History
Individuals who were born prior to 1907, or who did not have a birth certificate, may have applied for a delayed birth certificate at a superior court or at the State Department of Health. Washington began keeping delayed birth records in 1907. Many unrecorded births were finally registered during World War II or as people applied for Social Security.

Why the Record Was Created
Births were recorded for public health purposes. Birth certificates were also issued to individuals as legal documents. In cases where an individual’s birth had not been recorded, it was not uncommon for that individual to apply for a delayed birth registration since the certificate was needed to receive government benefits.

Record Reliability
The information in birth entries is generally reliable, although there is always a chance for error.

Related Websites
Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Region

Related Wiki Articles
Washington Vital Records

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: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection

 * “Delaware Marriage Records,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 4 March 2011), entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 21 March 2011), entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Sources of information for This Collection
"Washington, King County Delayed Births." FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org). Washington State Archives - Puget Sound Region, Tumwater, Washington. FHL digital images, 71 digital folders. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The suggested format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections is found in the following article: How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections