by A date of birth not only mark a significant day in one life but also can be used for a number of purposes such as school enrollment, government benefits, passport registration, driver’s license and a whole lot more. For ways on how to find birth records in Kentucky, this article will give you all the information you need as it covers on how to find birth records.
Kentucky is a southeastern state in the United States with a population of about 4.5 million. With such a population, you still can find all birth records on all births that took place in the state. These records date back to around 1852 when birth records started to be recorded officially statewide in Kentucky. Birth records registration was again introduced in 1911 but compliance was achieved by 1920.
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Who can Access Birth Records in Kentucky?
Not everyone qualifies to obtain birth records in Kentucky. Birth records that are more than 100 years are considered public records and are obtainable by anyone. Records that are less than a 100 years are not available to everyone in Kentucky. People who qualify to obtain these records are:
- The individual on the certificate.
- The parent or grandparent of the individual on the certificate.
- The spouse of the individual on the certificate.
- The child of the individual on the certificate.
- The sibling of the individual on the certificate.
- The legal guardian of the individual on the certificate.
- Anyone who has legal authorization in the certificate.
Basic information you can find on Kentucky birth records include:
- Name of child
- Gender
- Color or race
- Birth date
- Birthplace (county and/or town)
- Parents’ names
- Parents’ birthplaces
- Parents’ ages
- Birth certificate number
With this information you stand a chance of finding birth records in Kentucky.
There is also the Kentucky US Birth Index which is an index of births registered in the state of Kentucky. From 1911 to 1999. You can find such details like name, gender, race, date of birth, place of birth and the names of the parents.
If you are looking to find birth records in Kentucky, you are required to provide certain information to enable you to perform such a search. These are details such as:
- The full name of individual mentioned on the record (including maiden name if appropriate).
- ID proof that the applicant qualifies to obtain the birth record.
- The relationship between the applicant and the person on the record.
- The location and rough date of the birth event.
- Mother’s maiden name and father’s full name (for birth/still-birth records).
The Office of Vital Statistics, under the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is the one that processes vital records (birth, death, adoption, marriage, divorce records) applications from individuals who bring completed and signed applications that have all information on the birth record.
Other Sources of Birth Records in Kentucky
There are other records out there that do have birth information. Below are some of them that you might consider checking out.
Census Records
Federal census records can come in handy in finding birth records. You can easily locate ancestors with them and where and when they lived in that particular place. Information on them varies according to year and location but basic information includes:
- Name of each individual in the family at the moment the census was conducted
- Street or Avenue, or number Rural Free Delivery
- Sex
- Age
- Color
- Nativity
- Place of birth of the individual
- Place of birth of Father of the individual
- Place of birth of Mother of the individual
- Period of Residence
- How long a resident of this State (years and months)
- How long a resident of this enumeration district (years and months)
- Regular occupation
- Military service
Cemetery Records
Tombstones usually has date of birth and death engraved on them. You can search for cemetery records in Kentucky if you follow these steps:
To search for cemeteries at the county level follow directions below
- Go to the Family Search Catalogue
- Enter: ‘Kentucky’in the Place box
- Click on ‘Search’
- Click on ‘Cemeteries’
- Click on ‘Places within Kentucky’
- Click on the county you want to look up from
- Click on ‘Cemeteries’
Church Records
Churches that perform child baptism can be useful sources of birth records.
The Family History Library (FHL) has a considerable collection of original church records and texts on microfilm for churches in the United States. Online church records can be found in the Family Search Catalog under the state, county, or town.
These ideas can assist in how to find birth records in Kentucky. They cover on the history of the records, who qualifies to get them, what you need to get them and where to get them. Keep in mind though that records that are a hundred years or more are totally free to access by anyone, without needing to produce identification.
