Author Topic: Washington DC Vital Records. (Read 4413 times)

Agneshill · « **on:** Friday 27 February 15 13:15 GMT (UK) »

Having had a look at the Washington DC Vital Records website, it seems they have only births registered after August 1874. If their in-house genealogist has to do a search it could take between 6 and 8 weeks.

I have an ancestor who was born sometime in 1874 in DC. (Sod's Law may mean that she would likely be born pre-August!)

Unwilling to get drawn into a potentially costly and time-consuming paper-chase (VitalChek etc.), is there anyone who is planning to visit the Records Office soon who would look up a birth in 1874 for me? I would of course re-imburse reasonable expenses.

Subject - Catherine Matheson
Father - Daniel Matheson
Mother - Ellen (MacDonald) Matheson

Thanks.

*Sandra* · « **Reply #1 on:** Friday 27 February 15 13:51 GMT (UK) »

Hi,

Statewide registration of births District of Columbia began in 1874 - have you browsed thru these records

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001148

District of Columbia, Birth Returns, 1874-1897

Before 1874, no births were recorded by the District. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place. Church Records, Census, Death records, Cemetery records, Newspapers or Miltary Records etc

Sandra

Agneshill · « **Reply #2 on:** Friday 27 February 15 14:16 GMT (UK) »

Hi Sandra,

Thanks for your reply.

I tried your link but all I got when trying to open up one of their appropriate links was......

"This image is viewable:
when using the site at a family history center...
to signed-in members of supporting organizations".....

so, tantalisingly close, but no result!

*Sandra* · « **Reply #3 on:** Friday 27 February 15 14:21 GMT (UK) »

Seems to work ok for me - its the images for births District of Columbia, Birth Returns, after August 1874-1897 which you can get on the family search site.

Sandra

shellyesq · « **Reply #4 on:** Friday 27 February 15 14:25 GMT (UK) »

I got the same result as Agneshill when I tried to browse through the images.

*Sandra* · « **Reply #5 on:** Friday 27 February 15 14:28 GMT (UK) »

Oh I see - can't get further than the list of birth years - how strange.

Sandra

Agneshill · « **Reply #6 on:** Friday 27 February 15 14:32 GMT (UK) »

Hi Shellyesq,

Phew! That's a relief....I thought it was just me!!

Seeing as how I've captured it......this is the page I see....

*Sandra* · « **Reply #7 on:** Friday 27 February 15 15:40 GMT (UK) »

Have you tried this one - District of Columbia, Births and Christenings, 1830-1955

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1674779

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1674779

Gremlins - this one doesn't seem to load - wonder if FHS have a problem

Just tried it on Mozilla firefox and it loaded.

Didn't help - no record for Catherine unfortunately

Sandra

Agneshill · « **Reply #8 on:** Friday 27 February 15 16:50 GMT (UK) »

Hi Sandra,

I've tried various combinations with the last set of links with no success.
(I'm also using Firefox.)

Do you think that this link you provided earlier (which we cannot open) may have additional information contained therein?
( https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001148)

My original thoughts were that if her birth was missed during the original transcription, a manual search in the DC offices may prove worthwhile.

I have the family in DC in the 1875 Washington City Directory ( Matheson, Daniel,lab.h D nr 13th se), and as the directories were usually compiled mid-way through the previous year, I thought it would be feasible that she would have been born in DC. They were in various properties within DC until the mother died in 1879 at 319-4th se.

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