Alabama Vital Records: Difference between revisions

Vital Records consist of [[United States Birth Records|births]], adoptions, [[United States Marriage Records|marriages]], divorces, and [[United States Death Records|deaths]] recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. [[Locating United States Vital Records|United States Vital Records]] has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/alabama.htm Alabama Vital Records State Department of Health] or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also [http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Aid=&Gid=&Lid=&Sid=&Did=&Juris1=&Event=&Year=&Gloss=&Sub=&Tab=&Entry=&Guide=AL_BMDT3_Statewide_Indexes.ASP#Step Alabama Statewide Indexes and Collections] at the Family History Library.  

The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Alabama Vital Records. Check [[Alabama, United States - Online Vital Records|Alabama Vital Records&nbsp;Online]] for more information about the resources listed below. Most online resources for Alabama Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to [[Contradictions_and_discrepancies|confirm the information]] in the index. '''<br>'''

Alabama law requires the creation of a new birth certificate after a legal adoption has taken place. The original birth certificate and evidence of adoption are then placed in a sealed file and the new certificate is substituted for the original birth certificate in the [http://adph.org/vitalrecords/ State Department of Vital Statistics] files. Starting August 1, 2000, original birth records (as well as all documents in the sealed file) became available to adoptees once they reached the age of 19. The [http://adph.org/vitalrecords/Default.asp?id=1563 Alabama Department of Public Health] has detailed information about obtaining copies of sealed birth records. See [[Adoption Research]] for more information.

*''Early Alabama Marriages 1810–1850: Many Continue or End Between 1850 to 1900, a Few Continue Through from 1900–1936''. 44 vols. San Antonio, Texas: Family Adventures, 1991. ([http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24998145&referer=brief_results WorldCat 24998145]; [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=646192&disp=Early+Alabama+marriages%2C+1810-1850%20%20&columns=*,0,0 FHL 976.1 V22e])

*''Early Alabama Marriage Records''. Shreveport, Louisiana&nbsp;: J &amp; W Ent., c1991. ([http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/33848720&referer=brief_results WorldCat&nbsp;33848720]; [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=661197&disp=Early+Alabama+marriage+records%20%20&columns=*,0,0 FHL&nbsp;976.1 V2e])

*Dodd, Jordan R., Norman L. Moyes, and Liahona Research, Inc. ''Alabama Marriages Early to 1825: A Research Tool.'' Bountiful, Utah: Precision Indexing, 1991. ([http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24915574&referer=brief_results WorldCat&nbsp;24915574]; [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=555935&disp=Alabama+marriages+early+to+1825%20%20&columns=*,0,0 FHL&nbsp;976.1 V2a])

In January 1950, Alabama started keeping statewide divorce records. Contact the [http://adph.org/vitalrecords/Default.asp?id=1561 Alabama Department of Public Health] to obtain divorce records for this time period. [http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=8976&offerid=0%3a7858%3a0 Ancestry.com] also has an index for divorces granted between 1950 and 1959.

When searching for birth, marriage, or death records for [[African_American_Research|African Americans]] after the Civil War, check the record types listed above. Birth, marriage, and death information for African Americans prior to the Civil War can be found in [[African American Slavery and Bondage|other sources]]. See [[Alabama Minorities|Alabama Minorities]] for more information. <br>

In order to find birth, marriage, or death information on [[Indians_of_the_United_States_and_Their_Records|Native Americans]] living in Alabama you must know which tribe the individual belonged to.&nbsp; [[Indians of Alabama|Indians of Alabama]] has more specific information about tribes in the State.

*If you are unable to locate a vital records recorded by governments, search for [[Alabama_Church_Records|church records]] of christening, marriage, death or burial. A [[Alabama_Bible_Records|family Bible]] may have been used to record family [[United_States_Birth_Records|births]], [[United_States_Marriage_Records|marriages]] and deaths.  

*Records for [[African_American_Research|African Americans]] are often stored in separate files with separate indexes.