Research guide
Birth Record Finder
Alternate sources for finding an ancestor's birth date when church records and civil registrations come up empty, based on Lorine McGinnis Schulze's book Ancestor Birth Record Finder.
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Birth Records
Ancestor Birth Record Finder
Can't find your ancestor in Birth records?
Most genealogists search the obvious birth records such as Church records and Vital Stats (Birth Registrations or Certificates). These records are fairly well known but before Civil Registration began in whatever country your ancestor was from, you will have to look for other records for a birth date. If we don't find our ancestor in one of those common birth records, we're stuck! Where to search next? The Ancestor Birth Finder can help direct you to alternate sources for birth records. All we need to do is think outside the box. What happens when a child is born? When a woman becomes pregnant? What events take place around the birth of a child? What kind of birth record paper trail is created on the birth of an individual? The answers to these questions will lead you to other sources of birth records and hopefully end that brick-wall. When an ancestor is born, many records leading up to and surrounding that birth might be created. Let's talk about records kept before an ancestor is born, and those created after a birth up to the individual death.
Ancestor Birth Record Finder: Finding a Birth Record When You Have Hit a Brick Wall is now available on Amazon and will be helpful for those new to genealogy or anyone stuck at a brick wall.
Birth Date Recorded in Later Years
If your ancestor ever took out a Passport or was Naturalized, his date of birth will be recorded in those papers. Search
Looking for Death Records? Use my Death Record Finder to find an ancestor!
NEW TO GENEALOGY ? Try this Genealogy Guide - Help for Beginners