Iowa Vital Records: Difference between revisions

''[[United States|United States]] > [[United States Vital Records|United States Vital Records]] > [[Iowa|Iowa]] > Iowa Vital Records''  

[http://www.iowapublichealth.org/IphiRecordDetails.aspx?Browse=1&RecordId=11511 The Iowa Department of Public Health] has copies of marriage records from July 1880. They have an index to records after 1916.  

'''Early - 1880'''  

Birth records contain much information for family historians. Because births are recorded near the time of the event, they are considered a primary source. In birth records, you generally find the date and place of birth; name and sex of the child; name, residence, race, age, birthplace, and occupation of the father and mother; the mother’s maiden name; number of children born to the mother; number of living children; and physician’s certificate. For more information on birth records see the [[United States Birth Records|Birth records]] page.  

A few counties in Iowa began to register [http://iagenweb.org/state/research/bmdguide.htm vital statistics] during the 1870s, but most county records began in 1880, when a state law took effect requiring counties to register births and deaths. This law was generally complied with by 1924. In the 1940s, many people applied for delayed birth certificates in order to be eligible for [http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=2;t=searchable;c=1202535 Social Security] benefits.  

The [http://iagenweb.org/state/research/bmdguide.htm Iowa GenWeb page] offers a chart of each Iowa county, and the dates that they began keeping birth, marriage and death records. Many of the counties have transcribed records available at the site if you click on the county name from the chart. For more information see the [[United States Vital Records|Vital Records]] page for the United States.  

The state has copies of birth records beginning in July 1880 and copies of death records beginning in January 1891. Copies are available to immediate family members only. You will need to state your relationship to the individual whose record you want and the reason you want the information. To request copies or information about fees and restrictions, contact:  

Click [http://www.vitalrec.com here] for current fees and lists of services.  

Iowa county marriage records have been kept since about 1835. These marriage records may provide names, ages, races, residences, occupations, birthplaces, maiden name of wife, marriage date and place, parents’ names, and the name of person who performed the marriage. Some certificates give the number of times the groom has been married. For more information about marriage records see the [[United States Marriage Records|United States Marriage Records]] page.  

For divorce records see the "[[Iowa Divorce Records|Iowa Divorce Records]]" page. More information about divorce records in the United States can be found on the [[United States Divorce Records|Divorce records]] page.  

'''Early 1880'''  

[http://www.idph.state.ia.us/do/medical_examiner_faq.asp Coroners] investigated deaths that were not attended by a physician and determined the cause of the death. The coroner of each county kept records of his findings. Some of these records began as early as 1855. [http://www.idph.state.ia.us/do/medical_examiner.asp The County Coroner’s Office] was established by the Iowa State Constitution. The coroner’s records may provide the name of the deceased person, his or her age, the cause of death, the parents’ names, and circumstances of the death. Some of these records are available at the [[Family History Library|Family History Library]] such as ''Coroner's Reports, 1855–1959''. <ref>Clayton County (Iowa). Coroner. ''Coroner's Reports, 1855–1959''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (On five Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&amp;amp;amp;titleno=576360&amp;amp;amp;disp=Coroner%27s+reports%2C+1855%2D1959%20%20&amp;amp;amp;columns=*,0,0 films beginning with 1671795]) </ref>

The [[Introduction to the Family History Library Catalog|Family History Library]] has some county [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&title=iowa+birth+records&pretitle=iowa+birth+records birth] and [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&title=iowa+death+records&pretitle=iowa+death+records death records] on microfilm to the early 1940s.  

::IOWA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - VITAL RECORDS

*[[Iowa Church Records|Iowa Church]]<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1248916814633_57" />  

*[[Iowa Military Records|Iowa Military]]

*[[Iowa_Archives_and_Libraries|Iowa Archives and Libraries]]

*[[Iowa_Societies|Iowa Societies]]

For more information about the history and availability of vital records in Iowa up to 1941, see: ''Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Iowa'' <ref>''Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Iowa''. Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa Historical Records Survey, 1941. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=filmhitlist&amp;amp;amp;columns=*%2C0%2C0&amp;amp;amp;filmno=908988 book 977.7 V2h; film 908988].)</ref>  

*''Iowa Marriages, ca. 1844–1900.'' <ref>Iowa. State Department of History and Archives. ''Iowa Marriages, ca. 1844–1900.'' Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&amp;amp;amp;titleno=409048&amp;amp;amp;disp=Iowa+marriages%2C+ca%2E+1844%2D1900%20%20&amp;amp;amp;columns=*,0,0 film 1023609 items 11–21].) </ref>Contains marriage abstracts and newspaper marriage notices for Buena Vista, Chickasaw, Des Moines, Floyd, Freemont, Greene, Mills, Osceola, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, and Story Counties.

[[Category:Iowa]]