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Primary source documents are an important part of genealogical research. Original sources such as birth certificates or death certificates are particularly helpful in building your family tree. Vital records like these could lead you to other family member’s names and thus open the door to your family history. If you are interested in searching Arizona genealogy records, there are some excellent resources available for you.
Legally, within the state of Arizona, death certificates are held from the general public for 50 years. Birth certificates are made available only after 75 years. You can obtain non-certified copies of these documents by contacting the Office of Vital Records. You will need to pay a fee and provide the location of their birth or death to obtain these papers.
The Arizona State Library has a State History and Archives Division through which you can request non-certified copies of birth or death certificates. This department is on the third floor of the State Capitol Building, and you can call or email them.
Before newer records are released, less than 50 years ago for death records and less than 75 years ago for birth records, you will have to produce evidence that you are related to the person on the document. The Office of Vital Records can help you with this.
There is a newly launched genealogy website posted by the Arizona Department of Health Services. On this website there are Arizona genealogy records on microfilm and you can view images of older birth certificates or death certificates in PDF (portable document file) format. These images are downloadable and printable.
The AZGen website has a collection of useful information that can help you in your search for Arizona genealogy records. There are transcribed census records, deeds, tombstones, government and courthouse information, surnames of similar family names, ancestor photos, old landscape pictures, newspaper articles, transcriptions of diaries and journals, and historical maps. These types of original sources and secondary resources are excellent for genealogical research.
More secondary resources that you may want to investigate include references and directories, mailing lists, hand written manuscripts, and business records. Wouldn't it be wonderful to find the journal of a long since passed relative? If your family members owned a business, you will probably be able to track down an old registration. It may even inspire you to begin your own business or restart the family business that ended with one of your ancestors.
It is truly amazing what you can find out about your family by completing a detailed genealogical history or drawing an accurate family tree. You can trace your family line back hundreds of years and discover things about your family's past that you never knew before. If you get serious about your search, you may even be able to find out where your ancestors lived and worked or who their friends were. It is certainly a worthwhile activity, and it is one that you can do with your children.
Learning about your family's history can help us feel connected and it can also help answer questions. Learning about your past allows us to fully understand our present and can sometimes help predict the future.
In Arizona, The Office of Vital Records is the place to turn if you're looking for birth or death certificates as well as fetal death certificates. This is the best place to begin looking for Arizona genealogy records.
Arizona became a state in February of 1912. The Arizona State office of Vital Records has records of births and deaths from 1909 forward. In some counties, you can get certified records of birth or death certificates.? Marriage and divorce records can be found in each county. They are typically housed with the Clerk of the Superior Court. Many Arizona County Health Departments can handle some of the requests, so visit the website of the local office to determine if your request can be dealt with through them. If you are interested in birth and death certificates prior to 1909, the Office of Vital Records has a collection you can browse. Since Arizona is a relatively recent state, finding Arizona genealogy records does not post much of an issue.
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