Iowa Vital Records

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Iowa

Vital Records

Iowa Vital Records Dates

Government Registration	Births	Marriages	Deaths
County/Town*	1880	County Formation	1880
Statewide Registration	1880	1880	1880
General Compliance	1921	1880	1921
* See Iowa GenWeb for county start dates

Online Resources

Birth

• 1800-1999 Iowa Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1999 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1830-1950 Iowa Births and Christenings, 1830-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1837-1987 Iowa Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1837-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1850-1939 Iowa Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1856-1944 Iowa Delayed Birth Records, 1856-1944 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1857-1947 Iowa Births and Christenings Index, 1857-1947 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1880-1935 Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
• 1888-Onward Iowa, Births at MyHeritage - index ($)
• 1921-1942 Iowa Birth Records, 1921-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

• 1600's to 1900's US Marriages - Iowa, 1600's to 1900's at Findmypast — index & images ($)
• 1758-1996 Iowa Select Marriages Index at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1809-1992 Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: MyHeritage($), Ancestry($)
• 1835-1850 Iowa Compiled Marriages, 1835-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1836-1926 Iowa Marriages, 1836-1926 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1838-1934 Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1851-1900 Iowa Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1880-1947 Iowa Marriage Records, 1880-1947 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1941-1951 Iowa Marriage Records, 1941-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• See Iowa Divorce Records

Death

• 1845-1987 Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1850-1990 Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry($), MyHeritage($)
• 1880-1972 Iowa, U.S., Death Records, 1880-1972 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1880-1992Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 1888-1904 Iowa, Death Records, 1888-1904 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1900-1939 Iowa Death Index, 1900-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($)
• 1904-1951 Iowa Death Records, 1904-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Get Copies

Iowa Department of Public Health and Human Services (IA HHS)
Vital Records Bureau
Lucas State Office Building
321 East 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0075
Telephone: 515-281-4944
Fax: 515-281-4529
Website

• Has copies of birth records from July 1880, death records from January 1891, and marriage records from July 1880.
• Entitled persons (for certified copies) are: the person named on the record or that person’s spouse, children, legal parents, grandparents, grandchildren, siblings, or legal representative or guardian.
• How to Request a Certified Record, which includes more recent records than those online (above)

State Historical Society of Iowa (HS of IA)
3rd Floor
West 600 E. Locust St.
Des Moines, IA 50319
Telephone: (515) 281-5111
Website

• Has available birth, death and marriage records from across the state.
• Request form to obtain uncertified records from HS of IA

County Records: Local registrars are located in county recorders offices maintain records of birth, death and marriages that have occurred in that county.

• Certified copies require close relationship.
• To obtain copies of the original marriage records, contact the clerk of the district court in the county where the license was issued.

County registrars do not have the following records in their physical custody

• Single-parent births prior to July 1, 1995
• Adoptions
• Birth records after a legal change of name through Iowa Code chapter 674
• Delayed records filed one year or more after the event
• Any record ordered seal by a court of law
• Birth, death, and marriage records between the years 1921 to 1941

Coverage and Compliance

Births and Deaths: Most counties began in 1880, as required by a state law. This law was generally complied with by 1924.

Marriages: Most counties began keeping marriage records once they were organized. Compliance was high from the outset, although the couple may have married in a neighboring county or may have eloped.

Note: The Iowa State Board of Health was established on July 1, 1880. During the first meeting, they created an Iowa Vital Records system of birth, death, and marriage record keeping. At the same time, registration responsibilities were not well defined, resulting in poor record keeping in some areas of the state.

Information in the Records

Birth Records

Iowa Birth Records May Include*
Name of Child	x
Birth Date/Place	x
Sex/Race	x
Parents' Names	x
Parents' Birthplace	x
# of Children Born/Living	x
Residence/Occupation	x
Midwife/Doctor	x
* Early records may have less    information

A few counties in Iowa began to register births and deaths during the 1870s, but most began in 1880, as required by a state law. Laws and forms over the years changed the information collected.

For more information, see United States Birth Records

See also:

• Iowa Guided Research
• How to Find Iowa Birth Records
• How to Find Birth Information in the United States
• United States How to Use Birth Records

Delayed Birth Records
In the 1940s, many adults applied for delayed birth certificates in order to be eligible for Social Security benefits.

Marriage Records

Iowa Marriage Records May Include:*
Names of Bride/Groom**	x
Date/Place of Marriage	x
Presiding Official	x
# of Times Married	x
Dates/Places of Birth	x
Residences/Race	x
Parents' Names	x
* Early records may have    less information ** May be previous married name      of bride

Iowa county marriage records have been kept since about 1835.

There was no waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage.

Gretna Greens
Couples from Iowa wishing to elope often went to Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa. It is located on the Mississippi River, making it easily accessible to those using the river as transportation.

• Additional Gretna Green locations

See also:

• Iowa Guided Research
• How to Find Iowa Marriage Records
• United States Marriage Records
• United States How to Use Marriage Records
• Iowa Divorce Records

Death Records

Iowa Death Records May Include:*
Name of Decedent	x
Date/Place of Death	x
Sex/Race	x
Occupation	x
Age/Date of Birth	x
State/Country of Birth	x
Length of Residence	x
Name of Spouse	x
Parents' Names	x
Birth Places of Parents	x
Physician	x
Cause of Death	x
Informant	x
Cemetery	x
* Early records may have less    information

A few counties in Iowa began to register deaths during the 1870s, but most began in 1880, as required by a state law.

For more information, see United States Death Records

See also:

• Iowa Guided Research
• How to Find Iowa Death Records
• United States How to Find Death records
• United States How to Use Death Records

Cause of Death

• Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Additional Information

For more information, see:

• United States Vital Records wiki page
• Locating United States Vital Records
• Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Iowa (online book) for the history and availability of vital records in Iowa up to 1941
• Iowa at USGenWeb.org - vital records resources and information

Tips for Using Vital Records

• Information listed was given by an informant

1. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record
2. See if records about the informant may have clues and evidence for your family
3. Use the information as a clue, not a fact, until verified by other sources

• To determine the accuracy of the record, consider:

1. How much time elapsed since the event and making a record of it? (Faded or recent memory?)
2. Was the informant present at the time of the event? (Witnessed or was told about it?)
3. Did they guess or have something to hide for social or religious reasons? (Illegitimacy, age, etc.)
4. Grieving relatives may not have remembered correctly

See also:

• Iowa Research Tips and Strategies
• United States Basic Search Strategies
• United States Research Tips and Strategies

Burned, Lost, or Missing Records?
See Burned Counties Research for strategies to find ancestors in spite of record loss.

Substitute Records
For other records that may give birth, marriage, or death information see:

• Iowa Substitute Records
• Substitute Records for United States Birth
• Substitute Records for United States Marriage
• Substitute Records for United States Death

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Places where couples go to elope. See Gretna Greens in the United States for more information.