June 13, 2025
BMDs, short for births, marriages and deaths, are the building blocks of all genealogical research. They’re the skeleton upon which all other research rests. That’s why genealogists spend so much time looking for those all-important birth dates, marriage dates and death dates. As a new genealogist, I learned that civil registration records were one of the most accurate sources of BMDs.
For more recent ancestors, civil registration records are a great source. However, in the U.S., civil registration is a relatively new phenomenon. In most parts of the United States, birth and death certificates were not required until the last quarter of the nineteenth century. In some states, such as Colorado, they were not required until the twentieth century.
Marriage records were kept earlier in most places, although not at the state level. Counties typically kept records of marriages. This means that you’ll need to know the county of the marriage to find records.
Civil registration records can also be problematic to access due to privacy issues. Colorado, for example, considers civil registration records confidential. These records are not available online in any form. Eligibility requirements limit those who can obtain these records from the vital records department. This usually means that birth and death certificates for collateral relatives will not be available in any form.
Many states do allow unlimited access to their civil registration records with some caveats. For example, Utah allows unlimited access to birth certificates after 100 years and to death certificates after 50 years. More recent records are available only to eligible researchers. This usually means proving direct descent from the person whose certificate you are seeking. Other states impose similar restrictions.
States who allow unlimited access to some vital records may have digitized these records. It’s worth checking the state archive website as well as the general genealogy websites such as Family Search and Ancestry. If you are eligible to order a copy of a more recent certificate, contact the state health department of the relevant state for information concerning proving eligibility and costs.
For earlier ancestors or for collateral relatives, sources other than civil registration certificates must be consulted. These sources can include church records, cemetery records, newspaper articles such as obits and birth notices, military records and census records. It may take multiple record types to piece together BMDs for some earlier ancestors.
Looking for BMDs will be an ongoing process as you discover new ancestors. It can be frustrating to learn that sources such as civil registration records will only be available for a portion of your ancestors. Fortunately, other records can often substitute for them.
Happy Hunting!
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society