7.1 Birth, Marriage, Death, Divorce, and Adoption Research

“The most valuable records for the genealogist are those fundamental to establishing family connections or links across generations. Records of birth, marriage and death yield the strongest evidence. Perhaps this is why they are called vital records.”1 Bridget M. Sunderlin, CG®

Completing the census survey should provide an overview of the individuals to be researched. The information from the preliminary and census surveys should give clues in the form of names, places, and dates that can help the researcher zero-in on primary records about members of the research family:

Primary sources are sought to definitively establish names, dates, and places associated with key events in the lives of research subjects. Generally, because these events are birth, marriage, and death, family historians use the acronym BMD to represent the search for these vital records. Birth, marriage, and death are technically not the only vital records, but they are the three records that are assumed to represent events in the lives of every person. A genealogist has not been thorough until a comprehensive search for primary sources documenting each of these events has been completed. Of course, there are people who did not marry. People die at a young age or may never have chosen to marry, but, until sources show that is the case, the search for primary sources as proof of the birth, marriage, and death for each individual goes on.

Birth, marriage, and death records are not the only civic or vital record types. While they do not apply to every individual, divorce and adoption records also document critical events and are considered vital records. Discovering that these records apply to individuals in the research project can affect the project dramatically and give new insight into the lives of the research family.