NYCOLUMB-L Archives

Archiver > NYCOLUMB > 2003-07 > 1058305779


From: "Cliff Lamere" <>
Subject: [NYCOL] Certificates and Delayed Certificates
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 21:49:47 GMT


[This was written for the Albany Co. mailing list in response to an ongoing
conversation, but I am sending it to two other lists because it contains
information useful to them.]

I confirmed today that vital records certificates have not been computerized.
The confirmation came from a supervisor at the New York State Department of
Health, Vital Records section. He denied that the original indexes had been
lost. They are stored somewhere in a bomb shelter. However, they are so
brittle that they cannot be used to make new microfiche. That has been tried.
Copies of the originals had to be used, and they are not as good. These typed
copies are in book form.

In the days of typewriters, one copy was typed, but behind that were three or
four other sheets of paper each having a carbon sheet in front of it. The
copies were somewhat blurry, and even the characters on the original probably
were not as crisp as today because they had such a soft backing of papers.

Since the NYS Archives microfiche indexes are not computerized, it isn't
possible to do a broad search for a name when you don't know the year in which
a birth, marriage or death occurred; or, if you know the year of the event, but
don't know the year when it was recorded (as with Delayed certificates).

I checked with the NYS Archives and they don't have a separate list of the
Delayed certificates. The supervisor mentioned above said that they do indeed
have a separate list of delayed certificates, but that it is not available to
the public for privacy reasons. I asked if they could separate out the births
that were greater than 75 years old (and were no longer private), but I was
told that the legislature had turned down that idea. There must be some
complication that was not mentioned.

For the usual fee, the Health Dept. will search the delayed records for a
birth. I don't know if this is an index or actual records that they would
search. I don't know if it was only births (probably not). I was asking about
several different subjects, so I didn't pursue each question as much I might
usually.

The man that I mentioned who got a delayed birth certificate in 1942 at age 30
[on the Albany list] did not serve in the military, which is why I suggested
the possibility of a connection between a birth certificate and SS. I was
thinking that a person might have to prove citizenship in order to participate
in the program. However, since the person Yvonne [Albany list] mentioned also
got his in 1942, there may have been something happening that year. Did all
men have to register with the draft board that year?

A local Army Captain told me today that there was a federal conscription act
passed in 1940 that might have required registration, but it would seem that it
would have gone into effect in 1941. The Pearl Harbor attack was 7 Dec 1941,
which caused a declaration of war against Japan. A few days later, Germany
declared war against the U.S. The next year, 1942, is when the two men
mentioned got their delayed birth certificates. It is only two men, but I am
beginning to think that the need for the certificate somehow was related to
WWII.

Does anyone else have information on the dates of other Delayed certificates?
Were there a lot of them in 1942? Or, does anyone know what specifically might
have caused the need for a birth certificate that year?

Cliff




---------------------------------------------
This message was sent via the BiznessOnline.com webmail system.
http://www.biznessonline.com


This thread: