User:TaylorBE/Sandbox NY Births

Finding United States Births West Virginia Births

= Finding New York Birth Records =

Looking for a birth record from New York State as part of your genealogy research? New York State briefly kept birth records from 1847 to about 1850 and started recording births again in 1881. Copies of all records can obtained from either the village, town, or city of birth or by contacting the state archives.

New York City keeps birth records separately from New York State. Go to Finding New York City Birth records to learn more.

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Next Step: When did the birth occur?

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 * Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's birth record:


 * Births before 1853
 * Births between 1853 and 1912
 * Births between 1913 and 1930
 * Births between 1931 and 1969
 * Births after 1969 to the present
 * I don't know when the birth is


 * }

Births Before 1847
Before 1847, no births were recorded by the state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place. Substitutes for birth record information:

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1847 and 1850
In 1863, West Virginia was created a state from Virginia. Earlier in 1853, Virginia passed a law requiring counties to record births although not all counties complied or continued to record them on a consistent basis. Statewide registration of births began in 1917. From 1853-1879, about 15% of the births were recorded; from 1880-1920, coverage increased to about 65%. If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that exist during the time period, try the following databases.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1850 and 1880
Limited births maybe found in the following databases. Try each link. If you do not find your ancestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the West Virginia Vital Registration office.

Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births Between 1881 and 1914
Limited births maybe found in the following databases. Try each link. If you do not find your ancestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the West Virginia Vital Registration office.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Births After 1969
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the county of birth or the West Virginia Department of Health office.

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth: For a fee, the Vital Registration office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years: To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:


 * The person on the certificate
 * The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
 * The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
 * The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
 * The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

'''If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another birth year

Related Wiki Articles

 * Learn more about U.S. Birth Records
 * United States Record Selection Table
 * U.S. Vital Records Overview
 * United States Vital Records
 * Locating United States Vital Records
 * United States Death Records
 * United States Marriage Records