To begin with a genealogy search, it is imperative that you write down facts that concern yourself and whatever else you know about parents, grandparents and other ancestors. Starting with yourself allows you to travel backwards to find dates, names and locations of others in your family tree. Not only can you gain information if your parents and grandparents are still alive but you can also go through Oklahoma genealogy records to find dates and names from certificates and documents. The benefits of a genealogy search will help you understand where you came from and can provide stories to future generations.
When searching through Oklahoma genealogy records, first start at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. From here you can obtain vital records, including birth, death, marriage and divorce. Any of the records, including the birth certificates can be requested through the state department of health by applying for a record by way of a written request. To request birth certificates, list the name of the person you are seeking as well as the place, city or county where the birth took place in Oklahoma. You should also include your signature and a legal photocopy of your identification. You can submit the application by mail to the office or in person as there is no way to submit online at this time. The cost for a birth records will be $15 and will take around 4 weeks to get a response back for the vital records department.
There is also a way to find surnames through the Oklahoma Gen Web page where others have submitted surnames as a way to connect to others doing genealogy research. Along with surnames searches, an Oklahoma Obituary search is listed on the web page to search their entire database by keywords and names. A county list of the 77 counties in Oklahoma allows you to choose which county you suspect your ancestor was from. There are also other links available such as civil war records, land or property, marriage index and newspapers.
Another useful site to find Oklahoma genealogy records is similar to the OK Gen Web page is the Oklahoma Archives. This site also has a county index to give you information about contacting the clerk's offices and a large search index. It is a great idea to search by name of the person you are looking up or by a family last name as results can give you multiple people and dates to choose from. The genealogy web site recommends that you submit your information through the internet as files on the computer. This way, it could help other genealogy researches in their search if they are looking for family members that could be married into their family as well.
If you do not have success through the provided web sites, a larger database through the LDS Family Search index can give you information for free. Just type in the name and choose either a quick or advanced searching method as a more narrowed search can give you more specific results. You can then see the county of birth or death dates to add to a family tree and names.
The Oklahoma Center for Health Statistics is responsible for the maintenance of all birth and death records in the state of Oklahoma. Genealogy records often include marriage and divorce records as well; however, marriage and divorce records are only available at the county level in Oklahoma.
The Center for Health Statistics does not have any special rules for requesting documents as genealogy records. Oklahoma requires anyone requesting a vital record other than his or her own to be a direct blood relative of the person listed on the record and the applicant must provide a statement that they are "working in the best interest of the registrant".
Birth and death records have been kept in Oklahoma since 1908. Records prior to 1940 may be incomplete or missing, as the procedure for collecting the information was not standardized until that time. Any fees collected in connection with a records request are payment for the search, whether or not the record can be found.