How difficult is it to obtain copies of death, birth, and marriage certificates?

Question

I am trying to piece together my family history, which a lot of headache from family. My mother hates my father and his side of the family, so she is making it tough. I am an adult, so I am not going against any rules, LOL, but still she will not help in any way with names or anything.

I am researching on my own, and I think it would be helpful if I had the certificates to work backwards from (ie: if I know the names of my dad's parents from his birth certificate, I can go from there)

Can just anyone pay to receive a copy of someone's birth/marriage/death certificates from the states in which they were issued?

Answer 1

Is your dad still living?  Do you have any contact with him at all?

Have you started your tree yet?  When I put my father's name in, the birth record shows up as a hint (ancestry.com tree).  But I research a lot in Minnesota and we have good records on line.  

Different states have different rules on these records.

If you know where you dad was born, go to that state's site for information on obtaining birth certificates.

Good luck on your search.

Answer 2

You're right... vital records are an excellent source of genealogical information.  Unfortunately, birth certificates aren't easy to come by.  Most states will only issue birth certificates to the person themselves, or to their parents.  That's to prevent identity theft, of course.  Some states do make birth certificates available after a certain length of time (100 years or so), for genealogy purposes.  

Some states have made birth indexes available online, either for free, or through paid genealogy sites.  Texas, for example, has an online index that lists the persons' name, birth date, parents' names, and county of birth.

Death certificates, on the other hand, are usually available to anyone, and they contain much of the same information as a birth certificate: full name, date and place of birth, parents' names, and parents' place of birth.  Of course, since the person is already deceased, someone else has to provide that information for the form; so there's always a chance it might not be completely accurate.  But it gives you a place to start, and you can verify the info through other sources.

Marriage records are also available to anyone in most states.  The type of information included on a marriage record varies from state to state, and time period.

This website has information on how to order vital records for each state:  http://www.vitalrec.com/

Since you won't be able to order a copy of your father's birth certificate, you'll need to look elsewhere to find his parents' names.  Try talking to other family members; your mom's sisters or brothers, her parents, or maybe one of her old friends.  They may remember your father's parents' names, or where they were from, or some bit of info that might help you.  Just explain that you really want to trace your ancestry on your father's side, and that your mom doesn't like to talk about it, so you need their help.  

Good luck!  =]