If You Are Doing Genealogy Research, A Birth Or Death Certificate Can Help Fill Gaps
March 29, 2022
Next Level
Getting to know your ancestor’s history is often limited by a lack of information about their life, especially when you want to know their birth date and place of birth, or death date and location.
A birth certificate can provide vital clues that help you learn more about an ancestor’s life. The same goes for a certified death certificate or death record. This article will look at how birth and death records can help with genealogy research.
Birth Certificates
Birth certificates can be critical supporting documentation when researching your family tree. Unfortunately, certified copies of birth certificates and birth records are often difficult to find when doing family history research. However, having birth records can be beneficial. They contain basic information such as the name of the child, the parents’ names, birthplace, date of birth, and sometimes even the mother’s maiden name or the father’s occupation.
How Birth Certificate Can Help In Genealogy Research
A birth certificate can be a great source of information about your ancestors. In addition, they can be a starting point for further investigation.
You could use a birth record to confirm the identity of your ancestors. However, sometimes people change their names when the get married or under other circumstances, so you need to make sure that the name on the document matches the one used on other records.
For example, if you’re trying to trace your grandmother’s lineage, you might notice that all of her siblings have the same last name. But if you check their birth records, you discover that your great-grandmother had two husbands and your grandmother had a different father than her siblings, she just changed her surname when her mother remarried. This is why you need to check both the birth and death records for as many people as possible.
Death Certificates
Death certificates can be another invaluable tool in genealogical research. It tells us the deceased person’s name, where the death occurred, how old they were at the time of death, and even their cause of death. The death certificate also gives us vital information on the next-of-kin (if any) and other relatives who may have been notified.
A death certificate can provide clues that lead to more information about the deceased. For example, if someone was born in one state, but died in a different state, that indicates they moved at some point in their life.
How Death Certificate Can Help In Genealogy Research
A death certificate gives us a new way to search for an unfamiliar relative that is most likely deceased. For example, if you remember your great-grandfather mentioning a brother living in Texas, but have no other information to go on, you could search for his death records in Texas and the surrounding states to see if anything comes up.
Death records can also help you solve mysteries. When the parents’ names are listed in these records, it opens up a new way to look for other relatives even if we don’t know their name. For instance, maybe you know your late grandfather had two sisters who changed their names when they married, but you don’t have their contact information. You can still find them by searching for your grandfather’s parents’ names on other records.
Birth and Death Certificates Are Not Always Easy To Find
Birth and death records are often difficult to obtain. They are kept in different locations, and most states require you to pay a fee to access them. In addition, some states only keep birth and death records for a certain number of years.
If you want to find something earlier than the records available to you, you’ll have to contact the appropriate authorities and ask for permission to view the documents.
If you can obtain a certified copy of birth and death certificates, you can start researching that person’s life story right away.
Order Birth and Death Records Online
The State of Texas maintains birth and death records for the entire state. However, you need to go through the county clerk’s office to obtain copies of these documents. This process can be tiresome and expensive if you happen to live out of state.
At TX-DPS, we understand the importance of finding your ancestors and learning your family history. That is why we make it easier than ever to get your hands on birth and death certificates. Our goal is to make sure you can find what you need to learn about your family’s past.
TX-DPS is the ultimate online resource for obtaining official Texas vital records. When you order through our secure ordering system, we ensure that you receive the fastest service possible. All of our orders’ processing time is less than 24 hours.
If you would like to know more, call us at 888-596-7307 or reach out online, and we will be happy to assist you.
Are you trying to learn more about your family history? Do you want to know who your ancestors were and how they died? Then you should order Texas vital records today!