Where to find out where you were born

We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Ask your parents and other people present at your birth. Your parents might remember when you were born, or direct you to other family members or friends who were there when you were born. They may also have a copy of your birth certificate.

If your parents have any "family history" boxed away, look through it for old diaries, family bibles, and family newsletters around the time of your birth. Know your country's birth certificate policies. Not all countries record the time of birth on birth certificates. Look up the policies of the country you were born in with an online search.

In some countries, you may need to know a few more details: In the United States, the birth time is only recorded in the "long form" birth certificate, also called the "full" version. This information is often missing on certificates from before the s, or from cities with fewer than , people. In the United Kingdom, times of birth are only recorded for multiple births twins etc.

Request a birth certificate with birth time from the government. If you don't have a copy of your birth certificate, you can usually request a copy from the health department or vital records office associated with the county, province, or state where you were born.

Always mention that you are specifically looking for a record of your birth time. Start your quest with one of the following links, matching the country of your birth: Canada England or Wales , Scotland , and Northern Ireland. The United States , or see here for more information on requirements. Ask the hospital for records. As a last resort, you can try checking the records department of the hospital in which you were born.

Contact the hospital through phone, email, or an in-person visit, and ask to see any records which may have the time of your birth recorded. You may need to provide one or more forms of identification. Method 2. Find out whether this is necessary. If you believe that astrology can predict your future based on your birth date and time, you might have already constructed a star chart or hired someone to do so.

If your birth time is based on your mother's memory, if it was rounded to the nearest hour on your birth certificate, or if you have no idea what it is, your star chart may be based on incorrect information.

In some states, birth records are confidential for a period of up to years or more, and access to more recent records may require proof that you are a direct descendant of the person whose record you seek. To write for vital records see the following:. To check the availability of birth records in a particular state, go the vital records wiki pages for that state. You may also search either by topic or geographic location in the FamilySearch Catalog.

Birth records generally give the child's name, sex, date and place of birth, and the names of the parents. Records of the twentieth century may provide additional details, such as the name of the hospital, birthplace of parents, occupation of the parents, marital status of the mother, and the number of other children born to the mother.

If no record was filed at the time of an individual's birth, the person, in some jurisdictions, may request a delayed registration of birth by showing proof of the birth as recorded in a Bible, school, census, or church record, or by testimony from a person who witnessed the birth.

Delayed registrations generally did not become common in the United States until after when the Social Security Administration required proof of birth. The registration is usually in the state where the birth occurred. The Family History Library has some copies of many delayed certificates, especially for the Midwestern states.

Different indexes contain different information that will help you find the census record. Some just give you the county that the person lived in; others tell you more. Different locations have different indexes, so check more than one library if you don't find the index that you need.

In addition, Soundex indexes are available, with some exceptions, for the years to For information about Soundex, see the topic Soundex: what it is and how to use it. Once you locate your ancestor's name in an index, you will want to look at microfilm copies of the original census records. The original records will help you find the information you need and verify that you have found your ancestor, and not just someone with the same name.

Pre census records are available at the National Archives and National Archives regional centers. Also check with your local public and genealogy libraries, because they may have census records or be part of an interlibrary loan system. In addition, your local Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may either have census records or be able to get copies of them for you. Access to post census records is restricted to immediate relatives and descendants.

If the individual whose records you are searching for is still living, you must have their written permission to obtain a copy of the record.

If the individual is deceased, you must have a certified death certificate. Write to: Bureau of the Census, P. Box , Jeffersonville, IN They will send you a form that you must fill out and return with a fee. You may also want to check the information contained in state and local censuses. Not all states and localities took their own censuses and the contents vary from state to state.

However, sometimes the information is quite valuable. Ancestry has a selection of state census records online , and you can also contact libraries, state archives, and genealogy societies in the area where your ancestors lived. They should be able to tell you if any exist and where you might find them. To find an individual's birthplace in census records, you must at least know the individual's name, the state, and the county in which the individual lived when the census was taken.

If you are using census records for or earlier, you can probably use an index that only requires the state and surname. The International Genealogical Index IGI is an index which documents records of deceased persons from around the world.

The Parish and Vital Records List, which is published by the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shows which records have been extracted and listed in the International Genealogical Index for each geographical area and time period. It also shows which records are currently being extracted. Most of the names in the International Genealogical Index come from records dating from the early 16th century to the late 19th century. If you were born on a military base abroad, your parents might not have registered your birth with the U.

In that case, you may have to contact the hospital where you were born. If you were born in a foreign country and adopted by a U. The country in which you were born would have issued one. To get a copy, contact the nearest foreign embassy or consulate for that country.

If you need an authenticated copy and it's not in English, ask the embassy for help to get it translated. If you were adopted from another country by a U. For help, contact U. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A marriage license legally allows you to marry. A marriage certificate proves you got married.

How you get copies depends on whether you married in the U. Contact the state vital records office. They may direct you to the clerk of the city or county where the license was issued or to another local office. They will tell you the cost, what information you need to supply, and if you can get a copy online, by mail, or in person. Contact the embassy or consulate of the country where the marriage took place. Its staff will help you get a certified copy of the foreign marriage document.

Many organizations require a certified copy of the death certificate when someone dies. How you get copies depends on whether the person died in the U. Contact the vital records office of the state where the death occurred to learn:. You will need to know the date and place of death. The state may also ask for other details about the person, how you are related to them, or why you want the certificate.