Iowa, Birth Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes images of birth records from the Department of Vital Statistics of the State of Iowa.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
These birth records may contain the following information:
 * Place of birth (county, township, village, or city)
 * Birth certificate number
 * Child’s full name
 * Child’s sex
 * Twin or triplet
 * Order of the birth with that mother (example: 2nd child, 3rd child)
 * Whether the child was born to married parents
 * Birth date
 * Father’s information: Full name, residence, race, age, birthplace, and occupation
 * Mother’s information: Full name, residence, race, age, birthplace, and occupation
 * Number of children born to mother
 * Number of living children
 * Number of stillborn infants
 * Whether the child’s eyes were treated at birth
 * Whether the child was born alive or stillborn
 * Time of child’s birth
 * Signature of physician or midwife

Coverage Table and Map
Details on the number of records available by county, and number of records per year are available at Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942 - Coverage.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know one of the names (a parent or child) and the Iowa county they lived in.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Iowa.
 * Iowa Guided Research
 * Iowa Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation: "Iowa, Birth Records, 1921-1942." Database. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : 27 September 2018. State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines.