Vital records—birth, marriage, divorce, and death records—are cornerstones of family history research. They’re primary source documents for major life events, which means they’re the most reliable records when it comes to the event they were created to record. This is because they were recorded close to the time of the event, usually by a person with firsthand knowledge of it. For example, a birth certificate may be filled out by a doctor who delivered the baby on the day the baby was born.

Vital records can be both primary sources and secondary sources. This is because many records contain extra information–details beyond what the document was created for. For example, a death record was created to record death information, so it’s a primary source for death information, since it was created close to the time the person died by a person with knowledge of the event. But the same record could be a secondary source for the deceased person’s date of birth, since their birth likely occurred years earlier and the person who filled out the death document wasn’t present.

Vital record collections

If vital records are available for the time and place you’re searching in, look for them in our collections of birth, marriage, and death records. Try expanding and narrowing your search to get more relevant search results.

In the United States, civil registrations mostly weren’t kept on a statewide basis until the 20th century. The resources below will help you find alternative sources for birth, marriage, and death information.

Secondary sources

When you identify a collection of interest, read the description. Coverage may be partial or vary by county.

Birth information

U.S. census records: U.S. federal censuses for the years 1850 to 1950 include ages for everyone in the household. For those years, census takers were instructed to record the age of persons who were born within the census year as fractions (1 month = 1/12, 2 months = 2/12, and so forth). The 1900 census asked for the month and year of birth, as well as ages. The age groupings were consistent between 1830 and 1840. The parameters were slightly different in 1820. By comparing which columns a person appears in between 1830 and 1820, you can narrow the time frame to 5 years. In the 1820 census, there are columns for males “between 16 and 18” and again for males “of 16 and under 26.” Be aware that people in these categories were counted twice, once under each category.
Marriage and death records: Marriage and divorce records and death records are not considered primary sources for birth information, but they often include birthdates and places of birth.
Church records: Church records often pre-date civil registration. Birth registers and baptism or christening records typically include a birthdate.
Newspapers: Birth announcements didn’t always make it into the newspapers, but you’ll sometimes find mentions in society pages or lists of babies born in a particular hospital. Search newspapers on Ancestry or newspapers on Newspapers.com.
Delayed birth registrations: In order to apply for Social Security and Railroad Retirement, people were required to provide proof of when and where they were born. For people born prior to civil registration, this meant filing a delayed birth registration. Proof was required, and although the documents won’t be included with the file, details about the proof provided may include clues to their location. You can find these in the card catalog. In the Keywords field on the left side of the page, type “delayed birth,” then filter the results by location using the filters on the left.
Social Security Death Index (SSDI): Birth information collected by the Social Security Administration makes the SSDI another source for birthdates. While 98% of the people listed in the SSDI died after 1962, many of them were born before civil registration began.
Passports: People applying for passports were asked their ages and places of birth. If your ancestors may have applied for passports to travel abroad, check out our collection of U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925.
Naturalization records: Naturalization records may contain the birthdates and birthplaces of people who immigrated to the United States. Ancestry has a growing collection of naturalization records and indexes.
Births at sea: Births at sea were often noted in passenger lists, sometimes along with deaths at the end of a manifest. It’s typical to see infants listed only as “infant” and a last name. An infant may be listed with the parents and other family members, or at the end of the manifest with a reference to the parents (a good reason to explore manifests fully).
Military records: Military records often include birth information of the person who served. Occasionally, you’ll also find birth details for members of their family. Pension records for veterans with surviving children may include proofs of births, with dates and places noted. Check out the collection of Revolutionary War pensions on Ancestry and collections of Civil War pensions on Fold3. You can search War of 1812 pensions on Fold3 as well. Draft registrations from World War I and World War II included birthdates, and the Civil War draft registers asked for an age.
Obituaries: Obituaries don’t always provide birthdates, but they often give ages, which can help you estimate birth years. When a birthplace is provided, try searching for other birth-related records (like church records) in that place.
Cemeteries: Birthdates and birthplaces are sometimes found on tombstones or in cemetery records. Millions of cemetery records have been transcribed and indexed by genealogical societies. Find-A-Grave locates and indexes cemeteries, memorials, and graves.

Marriage information

Church records: Churches were often the first institutions to keep marriage records. Determine which churches existed around the time your relatives got married and search the records of those closest to where they lived. You may find references to church affiliations in death and other records. Church histories and centennial publications sometimes include wonderful details about the congregation and a surprising amount of genealogical information, including lists of marriages.
Engagement, marriage, and anniversary notices in newspapers: Historically, local newspapers often ran notices of engagements and marriages. Look in social columns and in any sections that regularly listed marriage announcements and engagements. For anniversary notices, look especially for memorable anniversaries (like a couple’s 25th and 50th). You may find details about the original marriage, including the date and witnesses. Sometimes, guest lists for anniversary parties were published. These attendees likely include other family members.
Obituaries: Obituaries are possible sources of marriage information; they sometimes mention how long the deceased was married.
Pensions: Widows applying for military pensions had to submit proof that they were married. That proof often came in the form of testimonies from someone who had firsthand knowledge of the marriage.
Probate records: Probate records often list children. Search for probate records of the bride and groom’s parents to see if spouses are listed among the heirs. Daughters of the deceased may also be listed with their married names. This can help narrow the time frame.

Finding death information

Mortality schedules: In some early years, federal censuses included mortality schedules–lists of people who died during the census year.
Coroners’ records: Many coroners’ records can be found in county or state archives. Use the words “coroner’s records” or “medical examiner’s records” + the state and county of interest into Ancestry search.
Body transit records: In many cities, health concerns mandated keeping records of deceased individuals whose bodies were transported through or into the city for burial. These records can sometimes be found at the local, county, or state level.
City directories: City directories can be especially useful. When someone was listed in a directory for several consecutive years and then suddenly disappears, it’s possible that they died. When a man died, his wife was sometimes listed in subsequent years as “widow” or “widow of.” Ancestry has thousands of city directories for 1822 to 1995.
Court records: Court records include probates that typically include information like the name of the decedent, the date of death, heirs, relationships, and so forth. Guardianship records may exist at the county courts for children whose parent(s) died.
Cemetery, funeral, and mortuary records: Millions of cemetery records have been transcribed and indexed by genealogical societies. Find-a-Grave offers significant help in finding cemeteries and includes photographs of millions of graves. Records may vary in format and content, but all of them can be valuable in determining a death date. Check out our collection of U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current.
Passenger lists: After the last entries of passengers in early passenger lists, the captain often listed the names of people who had died onboard.
Military records: Casualty lists and prisoner of war records may include information about people who died in the service. Also check pension records; they often note the deaths of the veteran and their spouse.
Obituaries: Search obituaries on Ancestry.
Church records: Churches were often the first institutions to keep death records. Determine which churches existed around the time your relatives died and search the records of those closest to where they lived. Church histories sometimes also include death and burial details.
Homes for disabled soldiers: Following the Civil War, a network of homes housed disabled veterans. If a veteran died in the home, their death and burial information was included, sometimes along with an accounting of their personal effects and the names of people to whom their money was disbursed. Search U.S., National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938.