How to Do Free Public Records Searches Online
Find birth records., Acquire a Death Certificate., Find Marriage Records and divorce records., Find census information.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Find birth records.
Birth records are one of the most commonly-searched for vital records.
Most online vital records websites do not let you view the actual birth certificate.
However, many free sites will allow you to at least see the person's name, date of birth, and their county or city of birth.
Try searching familysearch.org.
Family Search lets you browse by location or by time period.
When you use this site, click on the "search" button at the top of the page.
You will then be allowed to search for personal records based on name, location, relationships, and life events.
Your results will include a person's name, events (e.g., where they live and when they were born), and relationships (e.g., who their relatives are).
All of this information is provided for free.If the individual you're looking for immigrated from a foreign country, he may have changed his name after arriving in his new country.
Depending on the website you use, you may not get results for the name that individual's "Americanized" name, for example, and you may have better luck using the person's birth name. -
Step 2: Acquire a Death Certificate.
There are many ways to find death records online.
Some genealogy websites list death records with their birth record information.
But the most accurate way to get official information is to search for your local secretary of state's website.
The Secretary of State for Washington State's website, for example, has a comprehensive search engine that lets you find death records online for free.
If you're looking for a relative, be sure to know the person's full name.
It may be helpful to know the individual's date of birth as well.
If you don't know the exact year of death, you may at least need to know the range of the individual's year of death.
This can help narrow your search, and ensure that you get accurate results.
To conduct a search, all you need to do is type in an individual's name and a range of years within which you think they died.
If a record matches your search, you can click on it and you will be given a reference number, the name, the date of death, the county of death, and the gender of the individual., Much like birth and death records, you will not be able to find the actual marriage or divorce licenses online.
However, you can search online for records of marriages and divorces, which are generally maintained at either the state or county level.
Many states in the United States manage marriage and divorce records online through the Department of Health.In the State of Ohio, for example, the Department of Health oversees the Office of Vital Statistics.
This office maintains an index of marriages and divorces, but for actual copies of a marriage license or a divorce decree you would need to contact the county probate court or the county clerk of courts, respectively.While obtaining individualized marriage and divorce records will probably cost money, you can usually look at yearly marriage and divorce rates, along with other general statistical data, for free.
To do this in Ohio, for example, you can visit the Ohio Department of Health website website and search for records by year.
Once you choose a year, you will be shown statistics regarding the total number of marriages, whether a marriage was a first marriage for the bride or groom, the total number of divorces, and the number of minor children affected., In the United States, the US Census Bureau's website allows you to search by zip code, city/town, county, or state.
Using this site, you can access information about a given community, such as population, income, and demographic information.However, most information that can be accessed through the U.S.
Census Bureau is confidential in order to protect the respondents.
Therefore, you will only be able to access your own information from the Census Bureau (i.e., not someone else's).
Records remain confidential for 72 years from the date of the census.
For example, records from the 1950 Census will be available to the public in
2022.
Once records become public, they are transferred from the Census Bureau to the National Archives.
Therefore, if you want to search public census records, you will usually do it through the National Archives website. -
Step 3: Find Marriage Records and divorce records.
-
Step 4: Find census information.
Detailed Guide
Birth records are one of the most commonly-searched for vital records.
Most online vital records websites do not let you view the actual birth certificate.
However, many free sites will allow you to at least see the person's name, date of birth, and their county or city of birth.
Try searching familysearch.org.
Family Search lets you browse by location or by time period.
When you use this site, click on the "search" button at the top of the page.
You will then be allowed to search for personal records based on name, location, relationships, and life events.
Your results will include a person's name, events (e.g., where they live and when they were born), and relationships (e.g., who their relatives are).
All of this information is provided for free.If the individual you're looking for immigrated from a foreign country, he may have changed his name after arriving in his new country.
Depending on the website you use, you may not get results for the name that individual's "Americanized" name, for example, and you may have better luck using the person's birth name.
There are many ways to find death records online.
Some genealogy websites list death records with their birth record information.
But the most accurate way to get official information is to search for your local secretary of state's website.
The Secretary of State for Washington State's website, for example, has a comprehensive search engine that lets you find death records online for free.
If you're looking for a relative, be sure to know the person's full name.
It may be helpful to know the individual's date of birth as well.
If you don't know the exact year of death, you may at least need to know the range of the individual's year of death.
This can help narrow your search, and ensure that you get accurate results.
To conduct a search, all you need to do is type in an individual's name and a range of years within which you think they died.
If a record matches your search, you can click on it and you will be given a reference number, the name, the date of death, the county of death, and the gender of the individual., Much like birth and death records, you will not be able to find the actual marriage or divorce licenses online.
However, you can search online for records of marriages and divorces, which are generally maintained at either the state or county level.
Many states in the United States manage marriage and divorce records online through the Department of Health.In the State of Ohio, for example, the Department of Health oversees the Office of Vital Statistics.
This office maintains an index of marriages and divorces, but for actual copies of a marriage license or a divorce decree you would need to contact the county probate court or the county clerk of courts, respectively.While obtaining individualized marriage and divorce records will probably cost money, you can usually look at yearly marriage and divorce rates, along with other general statistical data, for free.
To do this in Ohio, for example, you can visit the Ohio Department of Health website website and search for records by year.
Once you choose a year, you will be shown statistics regarding the total number of marriages, whether a marriage was a first marriage for the bride or groom, the total number of divorces, and the number of minor children affected., In the United States, the US Census Bureau's website allows you to search by zip code, city/town, county, or state.
Using this site, you can access information about a given community, such as population, income, and demographic information.However, most information that can be accessed through the U.S.
Census Bureau is confidential in order to protect the respondents.
Therefore, you will only be able to access your own information from the Census Bureau (i.e., not someone else's).
Records remain confidential for 72 years from the date of the census.
For example, records from the 1950 Census will be available to the public in
2022.
Once records become public, they are transferred from the Census Bureau to the National Archives.
Therefore, if you want to search public census records, you will usually do it through the National Archives website.
About the Author
Amanda Parker
A seasoned expert in arts and creative design, Amanda Parker combines 11 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Amanda's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: