User:TaylorBE/Sandbox NY Births

Finding United States Births West Virginia Births

= Finding New York Birth Records =

Looking for a birth record from New York State as part of your genealogy research? New York State briefly kept birth records from 1847 to about 1850 and started recording births again in 1881. Copies of all records can obtained from either the village, town, or city of birth or by contacting the state archives.

New York City keeps birth records separately from New York State. Go to Finding New York City Birth records to learn more.

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Next Step: When did the birth occur?

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 * Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's birth record:


 * Births before 1847
 * Births between 1847 and 1853
 * Births between 1850 and 1880
 * Births between 1881 and 1914
 * Births between 1915 and 1936
 * Births after 1936 to the present
 * I don't know when the birth is


 * }

Births Before 1847
Before 1847, no births were recorded by the state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place. Substitutes for birth record information:

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1847 and 1853
In 1847, New York State passed a law requiring that doctors and midwives report births, marriages, and deaths to the trustees of local school districts. The school districts were required to compile and submit a copy of these records to the village, town or city clerk. Compiled records were then submitted to the county clerk who compiled and submitted records to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of State reported to the State Legislature. Due to the number of school districts (10,000 at the time) and the complexity of the law, few communities reported births after 1850 (with some communities only reporting births for the 1847-1848 year). All records for this time period are held by the local village, town, or city clerk. If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that exist during the time period, try the following databases.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1850 and 1880
Limited births maybe found in the following databases. Try each link. If you do not find your ancestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the West Virginia Vital Registration office.

Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1881 and 1914
Limited births maybe found in the following databases. Try each link. If you do not find your ancestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the West Virginia Vital Registration office.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1915 and 1936
Limited births maybe found in the following databases. Try each link. If you do not find your ancestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the West Virginia Vital Registration office.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births After 1936
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Related Wiki Articles

 * Learn more about U.S. Birth Records
 * United States Record Selection Table
 * U.S. Vital Records Overview
 * United States Vital Records
 * Locating United States Vital Records
 * United States Death Records
 * United States Marriage Records