Birth Records Search Example for Ancestor Research
Starting With a Family Story
I started researching my ancestry in the late 1970s. A great aunt, who was considered the authority on our family history, told me that her grandparents—my great-grandparents—were Ted and Delilah Burns and that Delilah's maiden name was Hall. She also said that her mother's first name was Cora, but she also went by Corinda. Finally, my great aunt told me that Cora's maiden name was Burns and that she was born at Hall's Landing in West Virginia. My great-aunt did not have a birth date for Cora.
My Great-Grandmother Cora/Corinda
I started with Cora/Corinda and thought I could work my way back. First, I needed to find out when she was born. Since I did not have an obituary, I turned to the 1900 U. S. Census. That census provides the month and year of birth. I also knew approximately where they were living at the time since I grew up in the same area.
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Verifying the Information in the 1900 Census
I could verify that this is the right family. I knew the family's last name is Barry since that is my last name and that my great-grandfather's first name was John. The oldest child listed is "Erwin." That is a misspelling of my grandfather's name of Irwin. The second oldest child is Edith who was the great-aunt I spoke with about the family history.
Finding a County to Request a Birth Record
Before I could request a birth record from West Virginia, however, I needed the county where Cora was born. Records from 1867 could only be requested from the county clerks. Birth records for West Virginia were not kept at the state level until 1917. My great-aunt mentioned that Cora was born at Hall's Landing. I wrote to several libraries in West Virginia seeking information on the location of Hall's Landing to find the county in which it was located (this was pre-Internet after all). Several wrote back that they could not find Hall's Landing on their maps, but one librarian found this entry in a 1916 U.S. Army publication on the Ohio River. It shows Hall's Landing is in Mason County:
My Great-Grandmother's Birth Certificate
I wrote the County Clerk of Mason County and obtained this birth record:
Using the Internet for the Same Search
In the late 1970s, it took several weeks to obtain this birth certificate. Today, this type of search is a lot easier. For example, I searched FamilySearch.org for Corinda Burns using the birth year of 1867 in West Virginia obtained from the 1900 U. S. Census and found this in less than a minute:
Unexpected Information in This Record
The above record also shows that Corinda was not the first child of Theodore and Delilah Burns. Their first child was either stillborn or died shortly after birth since he was not named.
Additional Resources Related to Birth Records
Not Sure, Try Our Free Online Genealogy Search Advisor
If you are not sure that searching for a birth record is the next best option for your research, consider using the advice feature of this site. This will help you pick your next best steps in your research. Go to the Free Online Genealogy Search Advisor.
Birth Records Search Guide Context
- Home » Birth Records Search Guides » Using Birth Records for Researching Your Ancestry » Birth Records Search Example for Ancestor Research
Other Genealogy Search Guides
- Using Marriage Records for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Death Records for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Ship Manifests for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Obituaries for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Census Records for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Naturalization Records for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Historical Societies for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Church Records for Researching Your Ancestry
- Using Family Trees for Researching Your Ancestry
- Record Keeping for Researching Your Ancestry
Author
Douglas K Barry
Principal