What is the current guideline for birth records?
I know that the standard used to be everyone in your direct line. This becomes very expensive very quickly. What other records are an acceptable substitute for determining a birth date?
Best Answers
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Hi @MicheleRyals, welcome to the world of Family History research. Here is an article on sources.
Use what you can find. Just document the source. Sometimes all you will have is and age on a census, and you may have to list the year of birth as "about 1847". Source could be "Illinois 1880 Federal Census" You can also copy and paste the document link. Leaving notes can also be helpful to others looking at your records.
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Sometimes a full birth date or birth record is not going to be available. In such cases, just calculate a birth year from the age shown in a different record. Try the FamilySearch Research Wiki articles for the location you are researching to see what records are available.
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Don't try to do too much at once. You don't have to purchase 100s of records. Document what you can find. More is becoming available online all the time. Look for alternative sources - newspapers, records posted by family members. Take it slow and easy and build a base of records, one piece at a time.
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Depending on location, time period, and religion, baptismal records may be the best - and only - option. In some locations/times, there may be no record, unless there is family record, such as a Bible entry.
If you want to share more details, someone might be able to give a better answer.
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I am a novice genealogist. At this point all of my research is in The United States. The reliable research only goes back to the 1880s. I'm unable to travel to view records that are not on line. I know from experience that in rural communities many of the records are not online. Hopefully this clarifies my question.
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