Genealogy Basics

Birth, Marriage and Death Records: Where to Find Them and What They Prove

By Monte Horton · October 29, 2026

Birth, marriage and death records, often called vital records, are the backbone of proving a family line. They give exact dates and places, and often the names of parents. But each one is only as good as the person who supplied the information.

When the records begin

In the United States, statewide birth and death registration started at different times in different states, and many states didn't require it until the early 1900s. Before that, look for:

• County records, sometimes kept earlier than state records
• Church records: baptisms, marriages and burials
• Family Bibles
• Delayed birth certificates, filed years later by people who needed proof of birth for Social Security, a passport or military service
• Obituaries and cemetery records in place of death records

Marriage records usually go back much further, because counties recorded marriage licenses from early on.

Where to find them

Look up the county and state in the FamilySearch Research Wiki to see when records begin and who holds them.

What each record proves (and doesn't)

The key question for any record is: who supplied this information, and were they there?

• Birth certificate. Usually filled out at or near the time of birth, so the date, place and parents are generally reliable.
• Marriage record. Reliable for the date and place of the marriage. Ages and birthplaces were supplied by the couple, and people sometimes adjusted their ages.
• Death certificate. Reliable for the date, place and cause of death. But the deceased's birth date, birthplace and parents' names were supplied by an informant, often a grieving relative who may not have known. Check who the informant was, and confirm those details in an earlier record.

Genealogists call this the difference between primary information (from someone who was there) and secondary information (from someone repeating what they heard). One document can contain both.

Reading the details that matter

• Informant: who answered the questions, and how they were related
• Place of burial: often on death certificates, which leads you to the cemetery
• Witnesses on marriage records, often relatives
• The officiant on marriage records, which may point to a church with more records
• Residence: where the family lived, which leads to census and land records

When records disagree

It's normal for a birth year to differ between a death certificate and a census. Give the most weight to records made closest to the event by someone who was there. Write down every version and where it came from, rather than quietly picking one.

Keeping it together

Scan each certificate, front and back, and file it with the person's family group sheet. Note where you found it.