Iowa Vital Records: Difference between revisions

[[United States Vital Records|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/Iowa.htm Iowa Vital Records State Department of Health] or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.  

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*Order [http://www.idph.state.ia.us/apl/health_statistics.asp Iowa Certificates] online - $ Iowa Department of Public Health. Department of Vital Statistics. Effective Monday, March 13, 2006, written requests for certified copies of birth, death, fetal death, and marriage records will not be accepted if they do not include: 1. The applicant's current government-issued photo identification; except if by mail, a clear photocopy of the I.D.; and 2. The applicant's signature signed in front of a notary public or in the presence of an Iowa Registrar of Vital Records.<br>

*Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.  

*If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths. [[Iowa Vital Records#Substitute_Records|Other substitute records.]]  

*Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.<br>

*[[Iowa Church Records|Church Records]]: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death.  

*[[Iowa Cemeteries|Cemetery Records]]: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information. These records may also reveal family relationships.  

*[[Iowa Newspapers|Newspapers]]: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.

*[[Iowa Military Records|Military Records]]: Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information, In addition, soldiers' homes records can included this same information.  

*[[Iowa Probate Records|Probate Records]]: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.  

*[[Iowa History|History]]: Local histories, family histories and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the FamilySearch Catalog.

*German Roots Links for Iowa [http://www.germanroots.com/vitalrecords.html#Iowa Birth &amp; Marriage] and [http://www.germanroots.com/deathrecords.html Death] Records - Free/$ This site includes all vital records, not just those of German descent.