Types of Civil Records                               

Birth Registration Records

Births were usually registered by the infant’s father or by a neighbor of the family within a few days of the event. A birth record includes the day and time of the birth; the newborn’s name; the parents’ names; the town where the birth occurred, which may be different than where it was registered; and the address of the house or hospital the birth took place in. Family information may be included, such as the parents’ ages, birthplaces or residences, marital statuses, and professions and the number of other children born to the mother.  

You may also find information about the grandparents. Corrections or additions to a birth record may have been added as a note in the margin. Birth records could be completely handwritten records, or a form filled out with handwritten or typed text depending on the time period when they were created. Before the invention of photocopies, when people requested a copy of a birth record, the civil registration officials would provide a certificate of the record. Birth certificates could be a literal and complete transcription of the record or an extract of the same.  Each civil birth entry may contain the following information: