Below is a copy of the letter I recieved from Indianapolis when I wrote
questioning why people have such a hard time getting birth certificates for
St. Joseph County when doing research. If this is not what you were told when
you requested information let me know as I need to get back in touch with her
and let her know.
Nancy Conrad
Subj: Re:RE: St Joseph County Birth Certificates
Date: 8/27/98 8:51:58 AM EST
From: ao'connor(a)icprlan.state.in.us (ANNE O'CONNOR)
To: Waynanc(a)aol.com
Nancy,
Thank you for contacting me. You have asked about getting copies of birth
certificates from the St. Joseph County Health Department. I spoke to Tina
Farr
in that office this morning and she provide me with the following information.
As you may know, the requirement to keep birth certificates in Indiana was
effective in 1907, and some researchers are disappointed to find that records
predating that time are not always available. Tina indicated that they do
their
best to find records for those researching births in their county, but that
often people do not have enough information for them to locate the record. In
such cases, Tina often refers the requestor to indices located in the public
library--that index the births up to 1920. Often, people are able to come
back
and get the record they want.
With respect to copies of birth "certificates," the county follows the state
guidelines for providing certified copies of birth records. Under Indiana
Code
16-37-1-8, the bases for providing certificates include that the health
officer
has to be satisfied that the requestor has a direct interest in the matter,
i.e., is a parent, child, or other close blood relative. As you know,
sometimes
the requestor is doing research for another person, so they would not be able
to
get a copy of the birth certificate. Tina assured me, however, that birth
record information is provided to those who request it--even if they are not
entitled to a copy of the certificate.
If you have any other questions, please let me know. I am keeping track of
the
cities from which I am hearing (for my report to the Governor) and would
appreciate it if you could email back to my your city. Thank you.