Hawaii Vital Records

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Introduction to Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Hawaii Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Hawaii Statewide Indexes and Collections at the Family History Library.

Hawaii Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online
The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Hawaii Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Most online resources for Hawaii Vital Records are indexes or information leading to original collections. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.  


 * Hawaii Links from fhlfavorites.info - Free
 * Hawaii Databases listed on Rootsweb.com - Free
 * USGenWeb.org Hawaii Site - Free
 * The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for Hawaii - Free/$
 * Wee Monster Links for Hawaii Birth &amp; Marriage and Death Records - Free/$
 * Linkpendium Links for Hawaii Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$
 * Progenealogists Links for the United States. Press Ctrl + F on the keyboard to search for Hawaii or HI - Free/$
 * Order Hawaii Certificates online - $
 * http://ulukau.org/gsdl2.7/cgi-bin/algene The index covers:  Marriages, 1826-1929, Divorce Case Files, 1848-1915 Probates, 1847-1917 Wills, 1852-1916Citizenship records: Naturalization, 1844-1894, Denization, 1846-1898, and Passports, 1845-1874
 * Search for California Collections on FamilySearch.org under Canada, USA, and Mexico - Free. Scroll down to California from the Canada, USA, and Mexico link to see what is available for the state. This is a growing database.

Birth Records
Local government authorities and clergymen recorded some pre-1860 birth and death records. You will find these at the Hawaii State Archives, the Department of Health, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Honolulu.

The Family History Library has about 20 sets of these on 100 microfilms. Existing records for the city of Honolulu, for instance, date from 1841 to 1896. The name indexes of these may be in English, but the records are usually in Hawaiian.

Delayed Birth Registration
Since 1911, a person born in Hawaii, whose birth was not registered, could apply for a delayed certificate of birth. The Family History Library has microfilms of delayed birth records dating from 1859 to 1903, with indexes from 1859 to 1938. and microfilms for 1904-1920.

Hawaii Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Marriage Records
Early Marriage Records

Early collections of marriage records are at the Hawaii State Archives, the State Department of Health, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Honolulu. The Hawaii State Archives collection extends from 1826 to 1929, with an index from 1826 to 1910. The Family History Library has microfilms of many of these valuable records.

Divorces
Divorce proceedings are usually recorded in the circuit court records. The Family History Library has microfilms of numerous circuit court divorce records from 1849 to 1915.

State registration of divorces did not begin until 1950. The Family History Library does not have these records.

State Records
Statewide registration of births and marriages began in 1842. Registration of deaths began in 1859. Few records exist until 1896, however, and registration was not generally complied with until 1929.

The Family History Library has microfilms of:


 * Births, 1896-1919 and indexes 1896-1949
 * Marriages, 1884-1919 and indexes 1909-1949
 * Deaths, 1896-1919 and indexes 1896-1949
 * Burials, 1861-1892

You can obtain copies of state records from the 1860s to the present by writing to:


 * Research and Statistics Office State Department of Health P.O. Box 3378 1250 Punchbowl Street Honolulu, HI 96801 Telephone: 808-586-4533 Hawaii Department of Health

The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces. Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and the Family History Centers.

Printed Indexes to many of the State Archives are available to view online at: ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library

This is a list of the Indexes which are available online at the ulukau web site. Source of the original records used to compile these indexes: The indexes were prepared by Hawaii State Archives staff, and the information contained therein was extracted from a variety of records with genealogical information preserved by the Archives. The scope of the indexes and the scope of the actual records in the Hawaii State Archives are not always the same. The records are available at the Hawaii State Archives and are briefly described as follows:  Marriage records:  1826-1929. These records are primarily from individual ministers who conducted marriage ceremonies, or from marriage agents who issued licenses to marry. There are also a few early records from school teachers who were required by law to report marriages in their district. Records from 1896 onwards may provide more information such as parents of the bride/groom, race or ethnicity, age, and place of residence. Court records: Divorce: 1848-1915. These records often contain information about the couple, including the date of marriage, residence, circumstances and reasons which led to filing for divorce, children involved and fees paid to the court. Probate: These cases document the disposition of a deceased person's estate according to the terms of the decedent's last will and testament. Wills: 1852-1916. These records contain names of heirs; appointed executor or guardians; and/or lists of possessions. Citizenship: Naturalization records: 1844-1894. These records contain names of persons requesting to become naturalized citizens of the Kingdom of Hawaii, their country of origin, and their current place of residence. Denization: 1846-1898. These records document the admission of an alien to residence or conferred certain limited rights or privileges of citizenship. The records usually provide the applicant's name, nativity (birthplace), and place of residence. Passports: 1845-1874. These records were used for exit from and re-entry into Hawaii. They certified the identity and citizenship of the bearer. The records provide the applicant's name and signature, nativity (birthplace), place of residence, and name and destination of the vessel on which the applicant intended to travel. Records numbered from 959 may also contain the following information: age, business, height, hair, eyes, and complexion.

Death Records
Early - 1853

1853 - Present

Substitute Records

 * Hawaii Church Records
 * Hawaii Cemetery Records
 * Hawaii Census Records
 * Hawaii History
 * Hawaii Military Records
 * Hawaii Newspapers
 * Hawaii Periodicals

Tips

 * Information listed on vital arecords is given by and informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the informaiton found on the record.
 * If you are unable to loace vital records recorded by govenments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriags, and deaths.
 * Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anone except a direct relative.
 * Search for Vital Records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Hawaii to locate records filed by the State and then serch the name of the county to locate records kept by the county.

Archives, Libraries and Societies

 * Hawaii Archives and Libraries
 * Hawaii Societies

Additional Sources
Important vital record indexes have been compiled from names found in several Hawaii newspapers. See the Newspapers page for further information.