Where to Get Vital Records

Its easy enough to identify that certain people exist due to their birth or death certificates, but sometimes getting your hands on that piece of paper can be a challenge

Vital records are the basic records that are part of everyone's life, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, death registrations and so on. You can get a good framework for any relative based on their vital records.

But finding originals or decent copies can be hard, especially for relatives who were born or lived in small towns. You won't likely find any handy databases with scanned records for those out-of-the-way municipal offices. You will have to start sending letters or making phone calls to do your research.

There are some places you can look to help located what you need.