There's More to a Birth Record Search Than Merely a Date

Look Far Beyond the Date!

A birth record search for an ancestor can provide you with information about a mother's maiden name for the first time. This is only one piece of data you may learn from a birth registration.

Name and Date

If you can find the county, region, state, or other government document for your ancestor, your birth date searches will find at least the name used to register the birth, and the date of birth.

Parent Names

In some cases, you will also find the father's name and the maiden name of the mother. In others, perhaps only the father's name is listed. In many cases, the mother's name is her married name.

If you are lucky, this may be the place you find the woman's maiden name for the first time. And that is quite a find!

Location

Another piece of information your birth date searches may find is the location of the birth. In our current times we usually think of this as the hospital where the child was born. In older times, it is often the home address, in a town or in the countryside. So you may learn that your great uncle Bill was born on the 7th concession, lot 23 of the township.

This information can help you find other documents - or at least give you a smaller area to search for schools, churches, cemeteries, all of which may contain additional information about your ancestors.

Doctor or Midwife

Additionally, some birth documents will give the name of the doctor, or midwife, or other assistant at the birth.

Again, this can lead to further paths to pursue in seeking additional information about your ancestor. For instance, I had an ancestor I did not have a death date for, but discovered she was a midwife in the area, and by tracking not only my family births, but also the births of others in the immediate area, I could more accurately "guesstimate" a time of her death.

Informant

Nowadays, births are usually registered at the hospital where the child is born. In older times, however, when children were born at home, someone had to go to the designated office to register the birth. In many cases, it was the father who did this. Lots of registrations required the name, address, and occupation of the person reporting the birth. Again, an opportunity to learn more about the family from your birth record search.

There's More to Life Than Just a Date so Look For It