Birth Records: More than They Seem
They are the basis for many modern necessities, including obtaining a driver's license, marriage license and, sometimes, even utilities. Birth records are a form of vital records that provides an immense amount of information and verifies someone's identity.
Birth records have been kept for a long time, but prior to the 1900's they were poorly kept in rural areas. Primarily, this was due to poor record keeping and a lack of perceived need for the records. Birth records have been much better maintained within urban areas, dating back several centuries, but even in these larger, urban areas, the farther back you look, the less information there is to be found.
Birth records are prepared by the mother's physician or attending medical professional and usually have the name of the child, the child's parents, a physical address, the place of birth, date and time of birth, vital statistics of the child at birth, such as sex, weight and length, as well as a registration or record number. Birth records today are much more strictly maintained than during previous times, mainly because there is so much that depends on these records.
While birth records are required to obtain identification like a driver's license, they cannot be used as identification on their own; other forms of identification must accompany them, whether copies of utility bills, a social security card or other form of ID. These records are valuable for a number of reasons, but are primarily used to obtain most of today's modern conveniences and benefits and can even be required to be recognized as the beneficiary of an insurance policy or to be granted the items left in a will.
Once, the only way to obtain birth records was to visit or write the record office in the county where the birth was recorded. Today, however, the Internet has made this process much simpler. You can request a copy of birth records directly from the county's website in most areas, as well as pay directly online. The fees charged for birth records depend on the form requested. Short forms or "Certificates of Birth" are usually less costly than a copy of the actual long form birth records. There are other forms available in most areas as well; including wallet sized laminated cards depicting the birth record as well as others.