Og is excited to direct everyone to informative new programming we’ve recently added to the site, a five-part lecture, Online U.S. Vital Records, presented by Loretta Evans at the 2006 BYU Genealogy Conference
In Part I of this series, Mrs. Evans tells us that the establishment of vital records in the United States was basically motivated by both a public health movement and in order to handle inheritance issues. These records – birth, marriage and death – were kept in various locations within the state, so it’s important to know where to go looking for them. A helpful tip she offers is that the earliest records were typically kept closest to home (where the person you’re researching lived), so start locally and expand your search from there.
Additionally, Mrs. Evans warns us that many early records were based on delayed filing, or were completed by other than the primary party, thereby introducing the possibility of errors existing in the record. Even when the records are accurate, she advises that it might be a good idea to obtain duplicate records from both the city and county, when they exist, as one record might contain more information than the other.
Take a few minutes to enjoy this interesting series.
Og from Roots Television