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Vital Records
Vital records include birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, naturalization records, and adoption records.
The federal government does not distribute certificates, files, or indexes with identifying information for vital records. There are databases that link to multiple state websites that have this information, but to use them you must know the state or territory in which the event occurred. Note that access to these documents is often restricted to immediate family members, and obtaining the records usually requires payment of a fee.
The information, and sometimes a copy of the document, may be also be available through a genealogy website such as Ancestry.com, AncestryLibrary, or FamilySearch. Note that these sites may require a paid subscription or a fee for downloading a document.
Federal Resources
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Replace or Certify DocumentsInformation from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs on common issues regarding travel and immigration as it relates to family issues such as marriage, divorce, death, and birth abroad.
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Requesting a Life Event Record as a U.S. CitizenThe U.S. Department of State can provide replacement copies of records for life events that happened to U.S. citizens in foreign countries. These documents include birth, death, and marriage records issued by the Department of State.
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Social Security Death IndexTo locate information about persons that are deceased, search the Social Security Administration's national death index database made available by Ancestry.com. Given are birth date, death date, ZIP Code where the person lived, ZIP Code where death benefits were sent, and Social Security Number.
Multistate Resources
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Newspaper Obituaries, Genealogy, Obituary, Funeral ResourcesArchives of U.S. newspaper obituaries. Also includes advice on writing obituaries, eulogies, and words of condolence, and advice on researching genealogy and organizing funerals. Download free genealogy forms and printable family tree charts.
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Where to Write for Vital RecordsThis resource from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics provides a list of contacts and information about obtaining birth and death records for each state. To use this valuable tool, you must first determine the state or area where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred, then select that state or area from the directory.
Texas Resources
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Texas Birth and Death IndexesTexas Birth Indexes from 1926 and Death Indexes from 1964 are available on the Internet. To request digital vital event indexes (.csv files), the user must fill out and e-mail an online form.
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Texas Vital StatisticsThe Vital Statistics Section (VSS) of Texas Health and Human Services maintains vital records for the state of Texas, including birth and death certificates, marriage applications, and divorce records.
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Texas Vital Statistics Central Adoption RegistryThe Texas Vital Statistics Central Adoption Registry provides a way for adult adoptees, birth parents, and biological siblings to locate one another without having to go through the court system or other sources.
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Texas Paternity InformationIn Texas, Vital Statistics maintains the statewide Paternity Registry, Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) records, and reports of court cases affecting the Parent-Child relationship. The process of establishing paternity in Texas is done by submitting an Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) through the Texas Attorney's General Office.