Colorado Substitute Records

United States

U.S. Vital Records

Colorado

Colorado Vital Records

Colorado Substitute Records

Substitute Records

Records created by other organizations frequently give birth, marriage, death, or family information. They were created for a variety of reasons, resulting in clues to move research forward as well as information that adds a richness to family history.

Vital Records Substitutes

Colorado Vital Records Substitutes
Church Records	Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death, may include witnesses (relatives?)
Cemetery Records	Cemetery records are a rich source of death information and often give birth date or age Seldom contain birth place Relatives may be buried nearby The sexton of an active cemetery may have more information
Census Records	Census records: Locate the family - the place to search for other records about them Have clues to marriages, death, and migration based on ages (and gaps) and birthplaces of children 1860 and later censuses give names, ages, and places of birth for all in the household Colorado territory wasn't organized until 1861, so people residing in the area of Colorado during the 1860 Census, will either be listed under the Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, or even Utah territory 1860, 1870, 1880, 1885 Mortality Schedules give name, age, date of death for those who died within the year before the census was taken In 1885, a census of Colorado Territory was also taken
Local Histories	Local histories, family histories and biographies can all be secondary sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found at county-level under "Histories" or "Biographies" or in surname searches of FamilySearch databases
Military Records	Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information. Soldiers' homes records can include this same information
Newspapers	Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information
Obituaries	Obituaries found in newspapers can list the age of the deceased, birth date and place, names of parents, death date and place, and names of living relatives and their residences
Periodicals	Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals which may contain abstracted records with early birth, marriage and death information
Probate Records	Probate records give a close estimate of when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date
Social Security Records	In the 1940s, many adults applied for delayed birth certificates in order to be eligible for Social Security benefits. Major online resources are: 1) The United States Social Security Death Index and 2) Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT)

See also:

• Substitute Records For United States Birth Information
• Substitute Records for United States Marriage Information
• Substitute Records For United States Death Information