by Since births are recorded, that means they are kept somewhere and can be accessed if the need arise. In order to do so, you will need to know how to access them. This guide will help you on how to find birth records in Georgia, which is one way of finding birth records online.
Birth certificates are used for a number of purposes such as establishing one’s identity, enrolling in school, tax purposes, driver’s license application and obtaining health insurance.
Found in the south eastern part of the US, Georgia has a population of over 10 million people in 159 counties. You still can find birth records for all births that happened in Georgia despite such a huge population number. That include all births that happened after 1919.
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Georgia Birth Records Before 1919
The registration of births in Georgia started in 1919. The state started complying to it in around 1928. There were no official recorded births in Georgia before 1919 but some counties and cities did record births from time to time.
For example, the county of Oconee has delayed birth certificates from 1875 to 1918 found at Ancestry as part of the Oconee Georgia Probate Court Birth Certificates. For more information on other counties delayed birth certificates, you can contact their Probate Court clerks. Other examples of counties that have birth records before 1919 include Chatham County (Savannah), Fulton County (Atlanta) and Bibb County (Macon).
You can find more Georgia localities that kept birth records from time to time from Georgia Achieves. However, birth certificates or indexes to birth records are not offered by the Georgia Archives.
Who Qualifies for Birth Records in Georgia?
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The person whose name is on the certificate
if the individual who seeks the birth certificate is the one listed on it then they should produce a legal photo identification document when making the request.
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The parent(s) of the person named on the birth certificate
Parents of the registrant should also produce legal photo IDs to access the records.
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A legal guardian or agent
Legal guardian or an individual who has custody of a minor must produce an authorized directive or order that clearly stipulates their guardianship or legal authority.
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Grandparents of the person named on the birth certificate
They are expected to produce evidence that they are related to the registrant, preferably the birth parents’ birth certificate.
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Child or sibling of the person name on the birth certificate
They are expected to provide proof relation with the record owner in the form of their own birth certificate. They should be 18 years and above too to access the records.
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The spouse of the owner of the birth certificate
A spouse is expected to come with a copy of a marriage certificate picture identification of the spouse, their signature with a permission letter from spouse.
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An attorney
The attorney should a representative of a close family member. The representative should provide legal documentation stating the reason for requesting the birth certificate.
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State or Federal Government Officials
Government representatives can request birth records information as they conduct their official duties.
How to find Birth Records in Georgia
Birth records from now to way back to 1919 are kept by the Georgia Department of Public Health under its branch which is the State Office for Vital Records. There is a form available from the Department of Public Health site that you will have to fill and sign. You will then need to include a copy of a legal photo ID, driver’s license, money order or certified check for payment of fees.
You can also request birth records from the Vital Records Office in the county where the birth took place. You can find a list of the county offices from the Vital Records online.
Other Sources of Birth Records
Birth records can prove to be hard to locate at times and you might consider trying the following alternatives.
Federal Census Records
Federal census records can prove very instrumental in finding birth records. You can find them at the Archives and from numerous public libraries.
Cemetery Records
Tombstones normally has date of birth and death written on them. You can also find these in books and genealogical magazines.
Church Records
Churches that conduct infant baptism can be great sources of birth records. Examples of these churches can be Roman Catholic Churches, Episcopal and the United Methodist Church. The Georgia Archives might have some baptismal registers on microfilm.
Family Bible Records
The Georgia Society Daughters of the American Revolution started putting together Bible records in the 1930s for families in Georgia. You can find them from Georgia Archives.
For ways on how to find birth records in Georgia, you can try these suggestions. You can access records from 1919 when birth records were registered to now. There are also ways to find birth records that were recorded before 1919.
