What do US Birth and Marriage Certificates look like?

Question

I have been tracing my family tree and i wondered what the US eqivulent of our certs look like.

Answer 1

In the U.S., each state is autonomous in how things like that are handled.  You usually can get one from the county or directly from the state and no one state will be alike.  

Also the laws regarding who, when and where a person can obtain a vital records on another differs from state to state.  For instance in Texas, unless you are immediate family, you cannot get a birth certificate on another until 75 years after their birth and you can get a death certificate on another 25 years after death.

States have been tightening up on their laws due to the danger of identity theft.

Answer 2

Now they look mostly like a legal form. 100 years ago they had fancier certificates in addition to the legal looking forms. Mine from 60 years ago is a legal looking form.

I know in the state of Maryland birth certificates weren't required until about 1890. Before that births were recorded in the family Bible. Even after that I don't believe everyone recorded births with the state. My father was born in 1898 and didn't have a birth certificate.

http://www.google.com/search?q=birth+cer...

Marriage certificates are fancy because they are mostly done by whoever marries you. The legal one is a marriage license that you have to get from the county and is recorded.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=...

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=...

Answer 3

you will see considerable variation.  I suggest visiting www.digitalarchives.wa.gov and entering a common name in the search and then opening the image and checking them out.  They were mainly pre-printed forms which would be filled in by the official who presided over the wedding.  There are also related records called "marriage Returns" which lack the artwork and borders of the Certificates, but which usually contain much better information on the couple and their parents.  Returns tend to be very bare bones in terms of looks.

Answer 4

Since birth, marriage and death certificates are issued at the county level in the USA, each county creates it's own design. They will have the same basic information: certificate number, date, name, age, residence, etc., but the layout will be different. Also, some counties still use an embossed seal stamped into the paper for a certified copy. Others use special papers with colors and reflectors for their certified copy.