Iowa Vital Records

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Introduction to Vital Records
Civil governments have created records of births, marriages, and deaths. Records containing this information are commonly called “vital records,” because they refer to critical events in a person's life. These are the most important documents for genealogical research, but the births, marriages, and deaths of many people have never been recorded by civil authorities.

The practice of recording civil vital statistics developed slowly in the United States. Early vital information was sometimes recorded in brief entries in register books until the twentieth century, when it became more common to create certificates. The federal government has not registered vital records. This responsibility was left to the town/city, county or state agencies.

Each state eventually developed its own laws and created a statewide registration system. Unfortunately, these records do not exist until the early 1900's in most states. Local offices did not always comply immediately with the registration laws. Within 20 years after registration laws were enacted, most states were recording at least 90 percent of the births and deaths.

For more information about United States Vital Records see the United States Vital Records page.

Birth Records
Early - 1880

1880 - Present

Birth records contain much information for family historians. Because births are recorded near the time of the event, they are considered a primary source. In birth records, you generally find the date and place of birth; name and sex of the child; name, residence, race, age, birthplace, and occupation of the father and mother; the mother’s maiden name; number of children born to the mother; number of living children; and physician’s certificate. For more information on birth records see the Birth records page.

County Records of Births and Deaths
A few counties in Iowa began to register vital statistics during the 1870s, but most county records began in 1880, when a state law took effect requiring counties to register births and deaths. This law was generally complied with by 1924. In the 1940s, many people applied for delayed birth certificates in order to be eligible for Social Security benefits.

The Iowa GenWeb page offers a chart of each Iowa county, and the dates that they began keeping birth, marriage and death records. Many of the counties have transcribed records available at the site if you click on the county name from the chart. For more information see the Vital Records page for the United States.

State Records of Births and Deaths
The state has copies of birth records beginning in July 1880 and copies of death records beginning in January 1891. Copies are available to immediate family members only. You will need to state your relationship to the individual whose record you want and the reason you want the information. To request copies or information about fees and restrictions, contact:

Iowa Department of Public Health Vital Records Bureau Lucas State Office Building 321 East 12th Street Des Moines, IA 50319-0075 Telephone: 515-281-4944 Fax: 515-281-4529

Click here for current fees and lists of services.

Marriage Records
Iowa county marriage records have been kept since about 1835. These marriage records may provide names, ages, races, residences, occupations, birthplaces, maiden name of wife, marriage date and place, parents’ names, and the name of person who performed the marriage. Some certificates give the number of times the groom has been married. For more information about marriage records see the United States Marriage Records page.

You may obtain copies of the original records by contacting the clerk of the district court in the county where the license was issued. Many marriage records have been transcribed and published by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and other organizations. See the Bible Records page for information on the DAR collection.

Some early Iowa marriages pre-1850 have been transcribed.

Many eloping couples went to Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa to be married, there was no waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage. Keokuk is located on the Mississippi; making it accessible to those traveling the river.

Divorce Records
For divorce records see the "Iowa Divorce Records" page. More information about divorce records in the United States can be found on the Divorce records page.

Deaths Records
Early 1880

1880 - Present

Death records are also a valuable source. Often, they give: date, place, and cause of death, name, residence, sex, race, marital status, age, occupation and birth place of the deceased, date and place of burial, name and birth place of father, and maiden name and birth place of mother.

These birth and death records are maintained by the clerk of the district court of the respective county. There are some death indexes that are very helpful.

Coroner's Records
Coroners investigated deaths that were not attended by a physician and determined the cause of the death. The coroner of each county kept records of his findings. Some of these records began as early as 1855. The County Coroner’s Office was established by the Iowa State Constitution. The coroner’s records may provide the name of the deceased person, his or her age, the cause of death, the parents’ names, and circumstances of the death. Some of these records are available at the Family History Library such as Coroner's Reports, 1855–1959.

Family History Library
The Family History Library has some county birth and death records on microfilm to the early 1940s.

Birth, marriage, death, and coroner’s records and indexes for most Iowa counties are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:


 * IOWA - VITAL RECORDS
 * IOWA, [COUNTY] - VITAL RECORDS
 * IOWA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - VITAL RECORDS

Substitute Records

 * Iowa Church
 * Iowa Cemetery
 * Iowa Census
 * Iowa History
 * Iowa Newspapers
 * Iowa Military

Archives, Libraries and Societies

 * Iowa Archives and Libraries
 * Iowa Societies

Websites
The Iowa Department of Public Health has copies of marriage records from July 1880. They have an index to records after 1916.

Inventory of Vital Records
For more information about the history and availability of vital records in Iowa up to 1941, see: Guide to Public Vital Statistics in Iowa