Frequently Asked Questions
|
What records are considered confidential?
 | Birth records in the state of Texas are confidential for
75 years. |
| Death records are confidential for 25 years. |
|
|
When was registration required for births?
| The law providing for registration of births in Texas went into effect
in 1903 and became mandatory in 1921. The law was not fully complied
with until as late as the 1930s or 1940s. consequently, a large
number of births were not recorded at all, even after registration was
mandatory. |
|
What about birth records prior to 1903?
| Before 1903, if a birth was recorded it would be with the county
clerk's office in the county of birth. |
|
What about death records registration?
| Texas did not provide for registering deaths on the state level until
1903, and did not require it until 1921. The laws were never
strictly enforced, however, and many early death went completely
unrecorded. |
|
Why can't I find a marriage record listing?
| Records of marriages that occurred before 1966, if they have not been
lost or destroyed, are located in the county clerk's in the county of
marriage. |
|
Why are divorce records hard to find?
| Divorce records prior to 1968 are located in the district clerk's
office in the county where the divorce was filed. |
|
How do I get
a copy of an actual certificate?
|
For complete and up-to-date information on obtaining birth and death
certificates, contact the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital
Statistics, PO Box 12040, Austin, Texas 78711-2040. You may also
visit their office at 1100 West 49th Street or their Web site at
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/reqproc/certified_copy.shtm
Certified copies of marriage licenses are only available from the
County Court in the county in which the event occurred.
Certified copies of divorce decrees are only available from the
District Clerk in the county in which the event occurred.
|
|
What is a surname index search?
|
A surname
index search is a search on a
person's last name. This type of search is used to find relatives of the
same name that might not have been known otherwise. |
|
What are indexes?
|
Indexes
are records that points to a copy of the original
document. It is not the document itself. They are arranged by year then
alphabetically by last name and give the subject's last name and first
name. Birth and death records registration went into effect in 1903 and
became mandatory in 1921. Normally the index list the person's full name,
county, year of (birth, marriage, death, etc;), and document number. With
this information, you can order a copy of the document from the county the
event took place. |
|
Is the research free?
| Well, almost free.
It cost to maintain the website and the database information. The
researcher is asking for a minimum contribution of at least six dollar(
$6.00 - payment using PayPal ) only if the researcher provides
you with the information that you requested. |
|
How does this surname research request works?
| After you submit your payment and surname request, the
researcher searches various databases for the surname name that you have
submitted. If the information is located, you will receive an email
to that effect. Once confirmation
is made on the payment, the information is either email to you or
downloaded from this website if the index is very large. The
email address used with Paypal must match the email address in your
submission form. |
|
| |
|
