Alabama 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/alabama.htm Alabama Vital Records State Department of Health] or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also {{FHL|471426|subject_id|disp=Alabama indexes}} and {{FHL|377581|subject_id|disp=Alabama Record Collections}}found in the Family History Library Catalog.  

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[http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ 1962 - Present]  

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No births were recorded by government agencies prior to 1881. See '''Substitute''' '''Records''' below.<br>  

To obtain copies of original&nbsp;death records, contact the [http://adph.org/vitalrecords/Default.asp?id=1560 Alabama Department of Public Health]. <br>  

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>  

Use substitute records to verify and enrich knowledge about an event or where better records do not exist, to establish evidence of the birth, marriage or death of your ancestor.  

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

*[[Alabama Census|Federal/State Censuses]] - some pre-1850 censuses included every name.&nbsp;&nbsp;Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine approximate time of death when the individual disappear from the census. This is a good place to begin a search  

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

*[[Alabama Newspapers|Newspapers]] - look for birth announcements, marriages, reports on divorces, death notices, and [[Alabama Obituaries|Obituaries]]&nbsp;: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.  

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

*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. <br>

Some records for a given county or for the state of Alabama may have been burned or lost and may be unavailable. Check [[Alabama Lost/Missing Records|Alabama Lost/Missing Records]] for more information. <br>  

'''Wiki articles describing these collections are found at:'''<br>