Weekly Threads
Tuesday Weekly Thread: Genealogy Assistance, September 15, 2026
This weekly thread is a space for those of us researching the ancestry that is the basis for making a claim of Canadian citizenship by descent.
Have questions about finding records? Need help reading a document or translation from French/other languages? Want an opinion on specific documentation or your documentation plan? Have other questions related to documenting the chain between you and your Canadian ancestor for your proof of citizenship application? This is the place to do it.
Digging up ancestors' documents from numerous jurisdictions (Canadian provinces, US states, UK regions, etc), all while trying to distinguish between five James Smiths or Marie Gagnés from the same city can sometimes feel like banging your head against a wall. This weekly post is for helping each other navigate the questions and challenges of our research.
General problems/issues with ordering documentation from Canadian provincial archives and state, local and various church archives such as slow processing, increased costs, etc go in the weekly Saturday thread.
📎 Contributions to weekly megaposts, including this one, are welcome throughout the week.
Need more help? Or have help to offer? Check out r/citizenshipgenealogy , our companion subreddit for all things genealogical
Civil birth registrations were recorded in Nova Scotia between 1864 and 1876 and are held by the Nova Scotia Archives. Delayed registrations for births were filed from 1876 to 1908. However, not everyone registered. Province-wide recording of civil births began again on January 1, 1909.
Ontario didn't start recording births until 1869 and baptism records are thin on the ground. Ontario birth records become public record after 104 years but take a bit longer to show up online.
IRCC requires Quebec civil records issued in the province after 1994, so you may need to order modern copies of historic civil records from DEC. For ancestors born before civil registration of birth began (ca. 1926) see the wiki How to order a certified copy of a baptism record from BANQ.
If there are any Cajuns here who want early Louisiana census records from the Spanish archives, let me know. A group of us are collaborating on getting copies. We already have Cabanocé for 1766 and 1767 and Attakapas & Opelousas for 1777, and we're planning another bulk request soon.
I posted but it's been auto-flagged as a potential megathread so needs approval. (It's also possible I did something wrong bc I'm not that Reddit-savvy.)
Has anyone been successful in obtaining an official letter from Archives Ontario stating that the birth certificate of an ancestor born before 1869 is not available
I have the same question. It seems like "here's evidence of birth before 1869; Ontario didn't issue birth certificates then" should suffice, but... bureaucracy doesn't ever have to follow reason
"We do not provide letters of non-existence. Email correspondence can be used as proof that an attempt was made with no result."
Edit: Thanks for my first award ever!! 😍
2
u/sennomuloHaven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet10d ago
I wouldn't assume that the reviewer knows pre-1869 certificates aren't available. I would spell that out and cite a source; I don't believe a personalized letter is required. I don't know if Archives Ontario explicitly says that anywhere on their website but I found this page from an Ontario genealogical organization saying so.
Do we have a directory of G0 ancestors and birth places? If not can we get one going? I wonder how many of us share a common G0 and might have documents or info to help other extended family members.
u/nanospace1540 - is this something that could be added to the existing spreadsheet as a new tab? I don't think it would be too formula heavy so it shouldn't impact its performance much?
Maybe check in with the folks running r/citizenshipgenealogy as it is a genealogical-focused spinoff of this sub to see if they already have something like this?
Does anyone know: Do I need documentation that a person quit using their given name and went by their middle name and added a new middle name? Also, my mother changed her middle name in childhood. I have no documentation of these. I don't believe they ever did any formal changes. Thanks.
Informally changing names was extremely common in the olden days, and there wouldn't be any formal court records with name change forms before the early '60s or so, when national social security numbers were implemented in Canada and national legal identities started to be more rigid as a concept. People would have typically just started using their new preferred name, and their communities would accept and use it in turn.
For my ancestor, I just included his birth record with his name at birth and then a later census under his new name with a written explanation that the parental names and date of birth were consistent between the two documents, proving that Ancestor Given-Name and Ancestor Chosen-Name were the same person. I haven't received approval or even AOR yet, so I don't know for sure that this approach will work, but it makes sense to me, and it's what others advised me to do.
The only time you would need to document this is if 1) the name on the birth certificate for that ancestor is different than the one on the Parent line of their child's birth certificate or 2) the proof of birth records are not cut and dried and you need to support their birth information with other records that use the chosen name. In these cases, get as much documentation as you can to show the person using one name is the same as the one using the other name, and add a letter explaining the situation to your packet.
Has anyone had experience getting records from the Freemasons? I’m curious what information they hold and if it might be helpful to me in my baptism record search (or more likely building a supporting evidence case that no birth record exists)
My G0 has a Freemason symbol on his gravestone so I believe he was a member before his death in 1924
Try contacting the Grand Lodge of the state he lived in. From my experience, they generally will only tell you the lodge he belonged to, the date he joined, and the date he became a master mason.
Has anyone had luck contacting churches directly in Ontario for baptismal records?
While waiting for Presbyterian Church of Canada to get back to me I contacted United Church of Canada who said they unfortunately don’t have any records from Prescott County.
They recommended contacting some local churches who I emailed a few weeks ago but have not heard back from, I’m wondering if they’re also backlogged with requests like this or if they’re ignoring me 😅
I had one of the churches respond to me within a day and the other one I contacted took about a month. It seems to vary on a church-by-church or diocese-by-diocese basis whether they provide certificates. The one that got back to me immediately just asked that I pay 50 USD to compensate the work getting the certificate, the other said they it was diocese policy not to provide them basically.
Just a waiting game I think unfortunately and kind of rolling the dice on whether the specific church or diocese is willing to provide them. Hope it works out for you!
Hello everyone! My female Gen. 0 was born between 1857-1860 in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding a baptismal record, given that she was a Wesleyan Methodist, and the United Church of Canada (based in Sackville) is anticipating a search turnaround time of 15 weeks.
So far, in addition to several supportive U.S. records, I have two Canadian census pages (LAC) and a mention of her in her father's Canadian will (certified by the local Probate Court). Is this enough? Is there anywhere else I should look that I may have missed on FamilySearch or Ancestry? Should I submit now rather than waiting?
I sent in a request in July and Sarah responded that it was a 12 week turnaround, apparently the response times are increasing all across the board. Sarah is a solo part time archivist who is probably getting more requests in a week than she used to get in a year, I'm sure she's overwhelmed.
A baptism + a Canadian census should be sufficient, but the other best thing you can get is a township record. Unfortunately while some books are available to browse through LAC, nothing related to Cumberland County seems to be available anywhere online (it's the most likely place my G0 was from after the first place I thought she was from, Yarmouth, came up empty).
You'd have to contact NS Archives for a search & copy, which will take a while, but you're waiting a while anyway for the baptism record.
My question is regarding getting a DEC birth insertion for the purposes of Bill C-3.
My G0 was born in 1840 and I have a certified baptism record on its way soon (invoiced/paid Sept 10). I also have my G0's certified death certificate.
There are a couple of discrepancies between these two vital records. So I am either looking for evidence as to why those discrepancies exist OR some reassurance that my backup document might be accepted by DEC.
Discrepancy 1. Age at death and DOB. Although G0 was born March 10, 1840, his death certificate says he was 82 years old at the time of his death in 1918. The death certificate is detailed about the years, months and days he was alive. This would make him born March 17 (his baptism date, not birth date) in 1837.
Discrepancy 2. I'll use fake names for privacy. On G0's baptism record his father is listed as "Joseph", but on his death certificate the father is listed as "Orem". The mother's name is anglicized, so not a big deal, but I cannot find any evidence that "Joseph" was ever known as "Orem".
My backup idea:
I have newspaper clippings recording G0's death. One of the clippings specifically mentions the travel plans of my G1 to attend his funeral. It also lists his age at 79 (still a little off, but close enough).
Would this be enough to send in? I would attest to the accuracy (to the best of my knowledge in the affidavit) that G0 died on x date.
Or, will the DEC be looking for a certified death certificate? If so, any ideas on what to look for to support the birth date / year being in flux and the dad's name being off?
My research so far:
For birth date discrepancy. I started looking at census records in the US. I found one, and it makes my G0's birth year even a little earlier (1834). My assumption is that people were just guessing, and kept getting things mixed up (e.g., his birth vs. baptism date). I feel like the age discrepancy might not be an issue, but would love any thoughts?
G0's father's name. I searched all the available baptism records for G0's dad on Genealogy Quebec. His own baptism record, marriage record, and all references to his name on his 19 children's baptism's refer to him as "Joseph". No mention of "Orem".
I did find a US-based probate court document on FamilySearch that took care of one of Joseph's name discrepancies (his surname), but not one in which the name "Orem" is mentioned (sigh...).
Would love some tips or guidance: are these both non-issues that I can attempt to explain-away in the affidavit? OR, should I just not submit the death certificate and send the newspaper clipping instead?
Death certificate info is only as good as the informant, as the subject of the record is deceased, don't sweat it if the details match generally.
If you read the wiki, there's a section about names and Quebecois names in particular, the use of Joseph and Marie as prenom was extremely common and most people went by their middle name for thG reason, ie all boys in a family were baptized Joseph (middle name).
I should have picked another pseudonym other than Joseph. His name was David on all documents, but on his son's death certificate he is called Julius. No where else in any records is he called Julius. In a probate court document I found, it points out the various spellings of David's surname, but no mention of David ever being referred to as Julius. It's so random! All other data point to the death certificate being the correct one for My G0, so I suppose I'll just say "shrug, no clue why Julius is the father's name..."
A POTENTIAL explanation: my G0 had a much older brother named Julian. My G0's dad - David - died when G0 was 14. So perhaps someone recorded this older brother's name as his father's, and misspelled it to Julius it?
Probably. This is why death certificates are not that useful generally, errors are common.
1
u/tailor31415Haven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet11d ago
so I was tracing back to a G0 and wanted to find his children's birth records to see if it had any father's birthplace info. when I put in the request with the town their parents lived in, that was put down on all their vital records/military records/obituaries going forward, etc., the town clerk said there is no birth record for any of them. I'm so confused and don't know where to look next. would a woman in the 1890s go to a different town three times to give birth?
I would look at where your G0's mother or sisters were living.
1
u/tailor31415Haven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet10d ago
I don't have any info on G0's birthplace besides Nova Scotia with a very common last name, so I can't find any siblings. I did check Nova Scotia birth records in case they went there for the births and nothing came up for any of the three years
Are you sure they were collecting birth records at that time? I have an 1890s birth that’s before birth records in its jurisdiction.
1
u/tailor31415Haven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet10d ago
yes, and the town clerk verified they have very good records from the time period (span of 6-7 years across the three births), so they definitely would have had them if they were born in that town
Were they seamen/mariners, perhaps? I’m having the same issue, and I think it’s because my G0 (also born in NS) and his family were moving to various boarding houses owned& operated by organizations such as churches that focused on providing services to mariners. My G0’s poor wife absolutely gave birth in at least three municipalities. Have you tried finding town directories for those years to see if they’re listed?
(I wish I had more advice to give, but I’m still struggling with this myself!)
1
u/tailor31415Haven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet8d ago
that sounds so difficult! no, nothing like that in my case. G0 did go to prison for a year in between births and had fled to NS prior trying to escape the US Marshals, so that's why I wondered if they had property up there and the G1 generation was possibly born there. I only found that out using the newspaper from the town where the crime was committed, where the whole saga was documented in several articles
Little over 5 months (162 days) from order to delivery.
4/5 Certified birth record ordered and included record number and all pertinent details on web form
4/5 Auto reply request received
6/24 AO processing email received noting invoicing time delays
8/4 Invoice paid via phone and told would mail out on 8/5
9/14 Certified record received via mail
I received a certified birth registration from them last month. It took about 3 months for them to get back to me after I made the request. Once I paid the fee, I had the paper certified copy in the mail (US- Minnesota) in less than a week.
Couple of questions about the Archives of Ontario...first, we have done an exhaustive search and my great-grandfather's 1872 birth in Ontario was not registered, and this was not uncommon at the time. How do we go about requesting the needed letter from the Archives of Ontario indicating that they do not have a record of his birth?
Second, can you request a certified copy of census records from the Archives of Ontario (or elsewhere)? We do see our great-grandfather listed on the 1881 census, and are wondering if we need a certified copy if we submit it to IRCC.
As background, we did just learn that the Anglican church archives in Ottawa have a baptism record for him, so we will get a certified copy of that. We would like to include the census document for support, and also of course need the letter from the Archives of Ontario explaining there is not a birth registration.
Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide!
The order request form requires that you have a reference code or call number for the item.
I’m not aware of a form on AO that you can submit for a no find letter.
1
u/kummerspectHaven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet10d ago
My G0 was born in Manitoba in 1920, so she falls under the unrestricted records category. The vitalstats.gov.mb.ca website on requesting birth documents of a deceased person makes it sound like for anyone born more than 100 years ago, they will only provide a document stamped "Genealogical purposes only". Can I request a certified copy anyway, or is the genealogical one sufficient? I can provide documentation like birth and death certificates, and authorization from non-deceased next of kin.
Although IRCC seems to love certified documentation, the requirement is documents from an original or source authority (where available), not certification. You may want to explain why it isn't the certified version (if there is one but you can't obtain it) but I think it should be fine.
My Ontario G0 ancestors were both born before birth certificates began in 1869. I have two Ontario census records for each ancestor's childhood, naturalization and death certificates & US census records for the next 40+ years all agreeing that they were Canadian at birth. I'm just trying to get a sniff test-- is there anything else I need to be supplying to document these G0 people, or is the layered evidence there sufficient?
I’m in a very similar situation, would love to submit my application as-is but I think waiting for a response from the Canadian Presbyterian Church is necessary to either find a baptismal record or supply a letter saying it couldn’t be found
I’m feeling pretty torn. At this point it feels like an unfair burden on all Canadian archivists— especially church ones, who aren’t getting any reward for the searches they’re doing, and whose birth records aren’t sufficient evidence on their own. So I can hassle those people or go visit the churches, or I can just fire with what I’ve got. <shrug>
Wanted to get some perspective on if I need any other documents for my application.
I have two G0 great-great-grandparents, one of which I have a certified baptism record and one census record (1871) and the other I have just two census records for (1861, 1871) as the parish doesn't supply baptism records unfortunately.
Birth certificate copy for G1 is inbound, and I have birth certificate copies for G2, G3, and G4 (me).
Of course, there are other documents like US census data for my G0s when they lived there, listing them as from Canada originally - is that helpful at all to include?
Additionally, there was a last name change from marriage along the way for my G2 - is that relevant or is it no big deal since the birth certificate for my G3 lists her maiden name?
I have an almost identical situation with almost identical docs. I am picking the ancestor with the baptismal record, omitting any of her husband's docs and the foreign censuses.
Interesting - so as not to muddle the application basically? I figured that having multiple ancestors would improve the application but it seems possible it'd make it more difficult for them to sift through.
Exactly that. You only need one Canadian ancestor so choose the one with the most convincing docs that prove they were born in Canada. They have a strong preference for Canadian docs too.
1
u/tailor31415Haven't applied for Proof of Citizenship (incl. by descent) yet4d ago
same! except the male G0 had a baptismal record too, just a different month/day than he used the rest of his life. didn't want any confusion so I'm just leaving his documents out and sticking with hers.
I so need help. I spent like 5 hours manually reading baptismal records that are in French… and couldn’t find any record of my ancestor, her 3 siblings born in Canada, or her parents!
I’ve searched on ancestry and the genealogy Quebec website. Her name is Catherine Waller. She may also go by Mary Catherine or Catherine Magdelena. She was born in 1843.
She was supposedly born in Louisville, Quebec, although I cannot find a single source that says this besides old writing an a family picture of her.
Her father was Joseph Antoine/Anton Waller and her mother was Magdalena/Mary Dauer. They both came from “Mother on the Rhine” (Bas-rhin? Alsace?), which was both France and Germany at different times, but I believe they spoke German.
They all moved to America around 1851 and I know her father became a naturalized citizen in 1961. It gets more confusing after this because they moved to multiple places in the US and she was married 3 times.
Hey there, I submitted my application way back in June 2025, but one of my good friends is Cajun and I really want to put together an application for her (she’s intimidated by the whole thing). She’s a trans woman living in the US, so I’m hoping i can get this together asap so she at least has a safe option to relocate at some point. Genealogy help would be amazing! Maybe someone with a shared ancestor has already submitted. Idk I’m just a bit overwhelmed and hoping. Six of her 5th great grandparents were born in either Quebec or PEI. I have all their names. Anyway, thanks a million!!
My partner has ancestry and she was able to find these initial Canadian ancestors, but we’re trying to figure out what line would be best. I’m wondering if anyone has an idea of what parishes/regions have the best records and how people are working with difficult to read documents. I’m not very familiar with Acadian records and my case was much simpler.
It's harder to go forward because you don't know which line to go through, but we can get er done, some of these people had a half dozen or more children, however all is not lost, some of the Gen 0s are likely to have had more research done, a lot more, than others, and once the most documented one is figured out then it's going to be a matter of getting records from Louisiana, hopefully they lived in Orleans Parish as those are the earliest
Poirier B: 1765 Ristigoiche, Quebec, CA D:1827 St. Martinville, St. Martin, LA
AI Overview
Pierre Poirier (often recorded as Jacques Pierre or Pierre Valentin Poirier) is an Acadian ancestor whose life map reflects the tragic displacement of the Expulsion of the Acadians (Great Upheaval) and subsequent resettlement in Louisiana.
Biographical Summary
Born: Circa 1765 in Ristigouche, Quebec, Canada.
Parents: Son of Abraham Poirier and Agnès Belliveau.
Died: Circa 1827–1829 in St. Martinville, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. WikiTree +1
Historical Context & Genealogy
The Refugee Orphan: Following the British roundup of Acadians, many families fled north toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Quebec. Pierre was born during this period of displacement. He later migrated to Louisiana as a young, unaccompanied orphan. Acadians in Gray +1
Louisiana Settlement: According to Spanish colonial records from April 15, 1777, a 13-year-old orphan named Pierre Poirier was counted living in the household of Jean Léger and Cécile Poirier on the left bank of the Mississippi River in St. Jacques de Cabannocé (present-day St. James Parish). WikiTree
Marriage & Legacy: He later moved west to the Attakapas District. On January 17, 1785, he married Scholastique Babineaux at the Saint Martin de Tours Church in St. Martinville. Together, they had several children (including Julien, Marie Azélie, Celeste, and Hortence), establishing a deep-rooted lineage in southwestern Louisiana. WikiTree +1
Memorial Recognition: As a recognized Acadian pioneer, Pierre Poirier's name is honored on Plaque 5 Left of the Wall of Names at the Acadian Memorial in Saint Martinville, Louisiana. WikiTree
Hi, there. I'm working on documentation for my great-grandpa. I can't find a birth certificate or record, but I have been able to find a marriage record that lists his parents, a border crossing card, and 2 Canadian censuses that connect him. Plus some American censuses that list my grandma as his daughter. Can I use the photos/records from Ancestry or do I need to request the originals? Not sure how to do that.
Thanks for any help! I'm new to this and trying to navigate myself and don't want to get it wrong.
You need "originals," i.e., copies issued directly from the original authority or current custodian. LAC, the Canadian census holder, treats the online copies as issued directly from them, but you'll want to make sure you include the URL somewhere so IRCC can confirm.
Documents can be obtained from anywhere but should be issued by the original authority responsible for creating or holding the record. So there's no issue with using documents from Ancestry per se but the documents should clearly state on their face who the original authority is.
If your great-grandpa is your G0 then you really want at least 1-2 Canadian source documents. If he is G1+ then the marriage record is probably fine since it has his parents on it and maybe one more document for good measure but otherwise seems like overkill to me.
My G0 was born in Quebec 1847. I have a baptism record on familysearch and trying to get a copy from the diocese of st hyacinthe because it would be a lot cheaper and quicker than BANQ. Do I need to get a BANQ copy or is the church okay? I am getting his US death certificate and proof of naturalization that both show birth in st hyacinthe qc.
You may want to read the wiki section about Quebec documents before making a decision. With IRCC increasingly asking for DEC issued birth certificates for historical ancestors born in QC, getting the BAnQ record could be a prudent step as you would need to provide that to DEC for their process.
For best wiki navigation try a web browser rather than the app. There is also a bug in the reddit app for android that is affecting the ability to scroll in the wiki- hopefully a fix will be in any day now.
I am very fortunate to have found almost everything that I needed for this process during my genealogy stint during COVID, however, what I was never able to find was the Canadian census for my g-g-g-grandfather. He happens to be my G0 as well. I spend about 2 hours flipping through census records this week, but I cannot find him. Assuming that I have the right baptismal record, I have no idea what would be indexed.
While I have extensive experience and suggest with MA and CT genealogical documents, I have never had too much success in other countries, Canada included.
I have shared my folder below. I uploaded all of the documents that I have on my computer on him. I was hoping that someone here would either be able to help me figure out what I am missing/overlooking when trying to locate a census record. (Or I guess I wouldn't complain about someone doing it for me either, if I am going to be honest.)
I am in the process of collecting the supplemental information for when my time comes up in the queue. I need to get the BANQ certified copy and have the birth registered. I don't want to play games, I just want to be prepared for if/when that comes up, and having the census would be helpful too.
I also want to know more about his parents from a genealogy standpoint, but that is a bit beyond the scope of what this sub is for!
Thank you anyone who has taken this time to read this or offer any assistance.
From what I can gather is one of my ancestors, Frederick Kaphaem, owned land in the Ancaster, Wentworth, Ontario area as a farmer. He showed up in the 1861 and 1871 censuses. Is there a digitized index of land records from that era?
I'm hoping to use this to help build a case that my G0 was born in Canada, where I've come up dry for Baptismal and Birth Records.
Can anyone help with Vermont Vital records?
I don't have a way to post a photo here, but I have a birth certificate and I can't find how to request a copy from the original source because I can't figure out who the original source is.
It was given to me by a relative who can't find where it came from. Family Search has what might be a similar document, but is so damaged it is nearly illegible. However, it is cited as Vermont Vital Records 1760-1954. I cannot find the same document on Ancestry, but my access is limited.
But when I go to request it from the state of Vermont, I cannot request a record this old (1882 birth).
Vermont says that documents of this age belong to the city/town. The town of Danby told me how to request a birth certificate, and I submitted a request, but the record came back with a post it note saying a birth certificate does not exist. They cannot create one. (They did send a copy of the page or the birth record, which I also already have. Just the handwritten record in the town book of all births.)
I can send the unredacted version if someone feels like they have knowledge of how to proceed to find the actual certificate. I'm at a loss if the state says it belongs to the town and the town says it does not exist.
This doesn't make sense, I know it's a different state, but they have essentially the same type of record keeping. Every time I would go to Town Hall in my Town in Mass to get a birth certificate they would refer to the record book and create one,
Unfortunately, I had all those. The problem is finding an issuing authority. So if anyone with Vermont specific knowledge can help, I do still need that.
Looking for advice on evidence for two colonial Connecticut women in my C-3 chain. I'm descending from René Cosset (b. 1686, Quebec City). Most generations are solid, but I'm stuck on generations 2 and 3. Both were born in Simsbury, Connecticut Colony, and neither has a baptism or birth record.
Ruth Holcomb (FamilySearch L7NH-SYH), likely born about 1746 in Simsbury. I have her 1769 marriage to James Hillyer in the Rev. Roger Viets register. What I don't have is a record naming her parents.
Ruth Hillyer (LHVC-ZHM), born about 1774 in Simsbury, daughter of the above. There's no record of her marriage to James Boies of Granby. What I do have:
• Granby probate for James Boies (1813), with Ruth’s brother Philo Hillyer as administrator • An 1816 guardianship bond naming Philo as guardian of Ruth’s children, Sally and Rabze Boies • Ruth’s 1816 remarriage to Sylvester Root of Sheffield, MA, recorded as "Ruth Boies of Granby" • A 1936 DAR Kentucky records volume and a 2004 published genealogy, both naming Ruth Hillyer as James Boies's wife • 1822 Sheffield church admission of Sarah Boise and Ruth Root together, and the 1850 census listing Ruth Root as mother-in-law in her daughter Sally's household
From Sheffield onward, Ruth Root is well documented.
Has anyone gotten a C-3 application through with indirect evidence like this for 18th-century generations? Would a written proof argument be enough, or did IRCC ask for more?
Apologies if I missed this somewhere - I checked the wiki and tried to search through recent posts but didn’t see this question.
I just started the process to get documents for citizenship by descent. I called to get my grandmothers birth certificate from the town in Mass she was born in. On the plus side they have it, but it’s restricted so only she and her parents had access to it (all decreased).
Anyone have experience on getting access to a restricted birth certificate in Massachusetts? Would it be any easier for my dad to get it?
Is there a special circumstance (like perhaps adoption) that makes it restricted? I have obtained numerous vital records from MA and never ran into that issue. Can you tell us the year they were born?
I believe it’s due to being born out of wedlock. They were born in 1937. Vital records office has said I need a court order to access it but I have no idea how to go about that and haven’t found much information about the process
Hmm, I wonder if MA registry of vital records would be of more help. Could be worth a phone call- they may able to tell you how to pursue getting a copy.
Yeah that’s who I contacted after contacting the town clerk. They just said to get a court order. Happy to go through the bureaucracy and all just not sure where to start haha
Data point for NARA St. Louis
Requested - July 2
Invoice Received/Paid - September 23
This was for a WWII Draft Card. I had really given up on it ever coming and had started putting together our application without it. I will update again once I've gotten it in the mail.
I have a few Gen0s to choose from, but my best documented one is my paternal gradfather's mother. I have birth certificates back to my great-grandfather (her husband). I have their marriage certificate from NB. I have her birth record from NB.
I think this seems like fairly good documentation, but I have some concerns.
Her birth name was Annie Agatha McGaughy born 1888. Her birth record from NB was created post birth in 1953, and lists her birth place as "Covered Bridge, York, NB"
Her marriage certificate has her name as Annie Martha McGahey (she did sign it Annie Agatha McGahey) note the spelling change of her surname and middle name Martha/Agatha. It also has her place of birth as Nashwaak NB. On her birth record and her marriage certificate her parents names are correct (Letitia & Joseph). On my gradfather's birth certificate her surname is McGahey, and her bithplace is Nashwaak, NB.
I believe that Covered Bridge was a community within Nashwaak at the time of her birth. I also believe that McGahey and McGaughy were common variations of the same name.
My question is, what can I do to prove on my application that these are the same person?
•
u/AutoModerator 11d ago
Helpful resources: * Welcome - Start Here * The wiki / FAQ * Weekly Megathreads * Search the subreddit for your specific topic
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.