How to Find Kentucky Birth Records
Statewide registration of births began in 1911 in Kentucky with general compliance by 1917.
Next Step: When did the birth occur? [edit | edit source] |
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Births before 1852[edit | edit source]
Before 1852, no births were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.
| Records that give birth information: | ||
Births from 1852 thru 1910[edit | edit source]
In 1852, Kentucky passed a law requiring counties to record births. This law was repealed in 1862. Registration was again attempted from 1874 to 1879 and sporadically from 1892 to 1910. Delayed records of births before 1911 exist. If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.
For births that exist during this time period, try the following databases:
| Includes Index and Digital Images | ||||
| Try 1st: | ||||
| At FamilySearch Centers/Libraries: | ||||
| Kentucky Births, 1852-1910 | Ancestry Library edition - free at FamilySearch Centers and Libraries; Find your local FamilySearch Center includes digital images | |||
| Use Your Ancestry Subscription: | ||||
| Kentucky Births, 1852-1910 | Ancestry subscription - $, To obtain a subscription to Ancestry | |||
| Next try: | ||||
| Includes Index Only | ||||
| Kentucky, Births, 1839-1960 | FamilySearch - Free; incomplete index, no images | |||
| Can't find your ancestor online in the index? | Tips for searching online indexes | |||
| No birth record for your ancestor? | Other records with birth information | |||
Obtain the Record[edit | edit source]
With approximate birth years and places, you can locate birth records from 1852-1910 on microfilms available through the Family History Library (films 1533971-1533979 and films 174932-174943), Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort (films 994027-994058), Filson Club, Louisville (film 929.3 K37v, 32 reels), and other Kentucky repositories.
Delayed records of births before 1911 can be obtained for a fee from the Office of Vital Statistics.
There are no restrictions on these records.
Births after 1910[edit | edit source]
Statewide registration of births began in 1911 in Kentucky.
For births that exist during this time period, try the following databases:
| Includes Index Only | ||||
| Try 1st: | ||||
| Kentucky Births Index, 1911-1999 | FamilyTreeLegends - Free; index only | |||
| Try 2nd: | ||||
| Kentucky Births Index, 1911-2007 | Archives subscription - $; index only; extended years | |||
| Try 3rd: | ||||
| At FamilySearch Centers/Libraries: | ||||
| Kentucky Births Index, 1911-1999 | Ancestry Library edition - free at FamilySearch Centers and Libraries; Find your local FamilySearch Center | |||
| Use Your Ancestry subscription: | ||||
| Kentucky Births Index, 1911-1999 | Ancestry subscription version - $, to sign up for a subscription; Obtain a subscription to Ancestry | |||
| Can't find your ancestor online in the index? | Tips for searching online indexes | |||
| No birth record for your ancestor? | Other records with birth information | |||
Obtain the Certificate[edit | edit source]
With full names, exact dates and places (from your records or the index above) of an event, you can order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from VitalChek.
Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:
- The person on the certificate
- The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate
- The spouse of the person on the certificate
- The child of the person on the certificate
- The sibling of the person on the certificate
- The legal guardian of the person on the certificate
- Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
- NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.
If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.
