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Trouble finding your ancestor’s birth record? 5 Reasons why not and how to search smarter. Genealogy tips for finding that ancestor’s birth record.
One of the most sought after genealogy records is your ancestor’s birth record.
One of the most common questions Are You My Cousin? readers ask is, “Why can I not find my ancestor’s birth record?”
Every ancestor has a birth date, after all. Finding a record of that date is not always an easy task.
When traditional research methods fail, increase your chances of finding that birth record by adjusting how you perform your genealogy searches. To understand how to adjust your search, first let’s understand why you are not finding your ancestor’s birth record.
Table of Contents
Why You Are NOT Finding Your Ancestor’s Birth Record
Reason #1: Birth records were not required for that location and/or time period when your ancestor was born.
When genealogy researchers think about finding a birth record, birth certificates are one of the first records they seek. However, state wide birth registrations and birth certificates are a fairly modern record in the scheme of genealogy research. Many states did not require birth certificates to be issued until the 1900’s.
Here is a sampling for a few states and when they begin requiring state wide birth registrations:
- North Carolina – 1913
- West Virginia – 1917
- Colorado – 1907
- Ohio – 1908
- Vermont – As early as 1857. FamilySearch reports compliance was generally reached by 1919. Learn more about Vermont’s birth records HERE.
- Texas – 1903
As you can see, state registration for births varied by date quite a bit.
If you are searching for an ancestor’s birth certificate in a time when they were being issued, but still cannot find it, what’s with that? While states begin mandating state-wide registrations of birth in a particular year, frequently full compliance was not achieved for several years.
My grandmother was born in 1917 in Surry County, North Carolina, four years after the issuance of birth certificates began. However, her birth was never registered. It was not until the 1970’s when she applied for a delayed birth certificate, her birth certificate was created.
Reason #2: Your Ancestor Had a Name Change.
Ancestors could and did change their names. Sometimes a change was done through a formal process at the county court, and well, sometimes it wasn’t.
If your ancestor did change his name in a formal way, check the court records.
If your ancestors were like mine, they just started using the name they wanted to. [Sigh….] If that is the case, your research just shifted focus.
Take Johnnie Talbott, for example. Very few people know that Johnnie Hodias Talbott and Boss Henry Talbott of Halifax County, Virginia were the same person. Talbott researchers without personal family knowledge of the oral history typically think Johnnie and Boss Henry were brothers and that Johnnie died young.
Quite simply, according to his son (my grandfather) Johnnie did not like his name and decided to go by Boss Henry or Boss for short. No one has any idea why he chose that name. It’s unusual for sure.
[Even without the family knowledge, clues were evident they were the same men, but that’s another topic. 🙂 ]
Reason #3: Transcription Errors Cause You To Miss Your Ancestor
Bad handwriting.
Poor quality scans/microfilm.
Poor spelling or inconsistent name spellings.
These all occurred in the process of record keeping, and when they did transcription errors and indexing errors occurred. It’s frustrating to be sure.
When you cannot find your ancestor using a name search, get creative with your search parameters.
For example:
- Try searching using only the surname [or first name depending on which is changing] + the birth date + ancestor’s gender
- Try searching all males [or females] born on a particular date in a certain location.
- Try searching using the one or both of the parents’ names and the birth date/year.
- Try using wildcard searches. Learn how to use wildcard searches in this post.
It is possible to overcome those transcription errors with a little patience.
Reason #4: You Are Searching In The Wrong Location
You know where your ancestors lived. You know where your ancestors were born. At least you think you do.
If you are not finding your ancestor’s birth record, consider you are looking in the wrong county or state. Consider your female ancestor stayed with other family members such as her mother or her sister to actually give birth. She may have wanted and needed the support of other female family members during birth and afterwards.
Seek out where those other family members lived. Were they in the neighboring state or over the state line? Include those locations in your search.
Reason #5: You Assumed A Family Bible Does Not Exist
The Family Bible is perhaps one of the most treasured and sought after genealogy finds. Full of births, marriages and deaths, that Family Bible is sometimes the only record for specific vital dates.
The question I have you as a researcher is, “Are you SURE a Family Bible does not exist?”.
Consider the possibility that even if a family Bible is not found within your family line, one might well exist on a collateral family line.
I have a copy of the Harward family Bible that documents family members in the Orange, Wake and Chatham Counties of North Carolina. The Bible documents birth dates back to 1760. I was able to have my ancestor James Harward approved by the DAR. Once he was listed in the database, I began to receive inquiries on how I proved certain relationships. The information was in the family Bible, of course.
But here’s the thing. The inquiries into the Harward family were coming from collateral lines where no family Bible existed. The information they sought was in the family Bible in my line. And yes, I did happily share the information I had.
Even when a family Bible does not exist on your side of the family, start your search on other sides!
Now What?
A lot of reasons exist for why we are not finding that ancestor’s birth record, but don’t give up the search too soon.
Be persistent.
Stretch your research muscles and try wildcard searches. Research in new areas.
Stretch out of your comfort zone and reach out to collateral family members. You know the ones – those cousins your aunt said you are related to, but you are not sure? Reach out!
You can do this!
Keep Learning:
Other Posts of Interest:
My parents had a baby (in Cincinnati, Ohio) who only lived for a few hours in 1955. She was named and buried (I’m able to find a cemetery location), but I’m unable to find either a birth or death record of her. Was it a common practice not to have that if the baby only lived for a short time?
Technically, given the year, there should be one, but I do hear of cases similar to yours.
Articles like this should address the birth records of enslaved people. I assumed that birth records were not kept until I remembered to remember that slaves were considered property and thus their births would be recorded. I found birth records for enslaved people in Mason Co., KY — the records began in 1853 onward. I hoped to find my great-grandfather, who was born in 1854 but he wasn’t there. The records are now stored in Frankfurt, KY at the state historical society. The babies were not identified by name. The mothers were identified by first name. Surprisingly, the fathers were not identified. The enslavers were identified by full names and included the wives, I’m assuming as co-owners of the slaves. It would help to add to this list by telling researchers that they don’t have to assume that there are no birth records for enslaved people and where to look to find out if they are. I just happened to stumble on these records. I mentioned them in a seminar on slave genealogy and the speaker wasn’t even aware they existed.
I have two ancestors on my husbands side that I don’t have a married record for them. I also don’t have a death certificate for her. I have been to two courthouses looking for the information. This is pre 1860. The William Martin that got married in Giles County, Virginia was married to a woman with a different name. I have found him in the 1850 census living in Giles County, Virginia. There isn’t marriage information on them in Giles County, Virginia. They also don’t show up in the 1860 Giles County, Virginia census or the Montgomery County, Census. I haven’t looked in the Monroe County, Virginia census but that would be a possibility even though it is further west and not between Giles and Franklin County. I have spreadsheet that i put the census information in and I put every person that I find with the last names that are in my tree. They had a bunch of kids. He died in 1877 and she gave the information but she didn’t know his parents names. She said that he was born in Franklin County, Virginia. There is a Margaret Via that got married in FRanklin County but the ancestor’s last name is Janney (Janey). Interesting note both William Martin’s died within a year or two of each other. I don’t find land records for him before his death. The other William Martin on all of the documents that I have found on him he always has the middle initial H. even in the 1860 census where he is living with his wife Adaline and their children. Now for Margaret Elizabeth Janney (Janey) Martin. I have determined her death date through the census records and WWI document. She also died without a will but it doesn’t give a death date and it is dated 1936. That document was over a land dispute and it listed her children so I know that i the correct person. She shows up in the 1910 census living in Giles County, Virginia next to her son Jacob aged 73 years old. She doesn’t appear in the 1920 census. Her son Harless Greeley Martin on September 12, 1918 on the WWI Draft Registration listed his mother Margaret E. Martin as his nearest relative. I have listed that she died in 1919. This couple is also my brick wall. I will either eventually solve it or someone else will.