ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:29 am
Post subject: Pennsylvania death and birth records now easier to obtain
In December, 2011, Pennsylvania Vital Statistics Law was amended to provide public access to certain records. Birth certificates now become public records 105 years after the date of birth and death records become public record 50 years after the date of death. Pennsylvania began officially keeping birth and death records around 1906. Prior to that, look for the records at the county level - often at the courthouse.
Currently, in 2012, you can access only the 1906 birth index but for death indices you can browse 1906-1961. More records will be added yearly.
Basically, the indices are scanned images of old typewritten pages or microfiche, divided into very large pdf files. Because of their size, they are very slow to open, so don't get discouraged if the images don't pop up quickly. There is a great deal of variation on how the pages were prepared each year. Several years (1920-1924 deaths and 1930-1951 deaths) are listed according to the Russell Soundex method of indexing. This can be a little frustrating if you are not familiar with Soundex. I found this very helpful conversion tool at rootsweb: http://searches.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/Genea/soundex.sh
Important note: There are many spelling errors, so don't give up right away if you don't find a name. Think CENSUS and how much variation we see there with names, both first name and surname.
Because these are now public records, you no longer have to prove that you are next of kin to obtain a record. Each death in the index has a State File Number, which is needed to apply for a $3 non-certified copy. Without a State File number, the request will be rejected and sent back to you with a request to provide the File Number. You must pay with a check or money order. Requests are processed in 16-18 weeks - yes, that's right sixteen to eighteen weeks! So make sure you have the forms filled out correctly.
Here is the link for more info:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/public_records/20686
Below I've provided a screen shot of part of the death index for 1907, surnames beginning with C.
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:10 pm
Post subject:
Shellie,
Do you know how many requests can I do at a time and, if I can, if I have to fill one form for each person?
Thanks.
Gilberto
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ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:00 pm
Post subject:
Gilberto,
I think you have to fill out a different form for each person.
The pdf is not the kind that you can fill out online, but I saved mine as a jpeg and used my photo editing tool to fill in the information and then printed the document. Then when I moved on to the next person, didn't have to fill out my personal info again - I just changed the info for the person for whom I was requesting a certificate.
I sent several in one envelope with one check - but that was just a few days ago. I'll let you know in 16 weeks!!!!!!!!!
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 2:54 pm
Post subject:
Thank you Shellie. I just found and registered for this site less than an hour ago and already you've helped me locate death information on my GG-Grandmother. I've been searching for details on her for a very long time. My form and check are already heading to the mailbox! I can't thank you enough for posting this information.
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ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 8:26 pm
Post subject:
You're welcome! I hope we all get our death certificates a lot sooner than 16 weeks!
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ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:30 am
Post subject:
I just received copies of the Pennsylvania death records that I requested in April. They were quite accurate in their estimated time of 16-18 weeks.
For the order where I sent 2 requests in one envelope, both arrived together in one envelope.
The good news is that I was able to finally solve a family mystery about my grandfather's 2 siblings who died in infancy.
Also, I was able to give my Polish cousin the death record for his grandfather who died in 1933. He searched for over 20 years and even paid the vital stats office to do a search. But his name was mis-spelled on the certificate. Thanks to the online index, we finally found him!
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bronklimach1
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
Replies: 10
Location: London, EnglandBack to top |
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:51 am
Post subject:
Whilst on the topic of Pennsylvania - and apologies if this has been posted already!
http://www.lpa-homes.org/LPA_Applications.htm allows one to view marriage records and wills. Some interesting surname spellings (as always) but well worth the search if you have family from Lackawanna County.
A friend ordered a death certificate for me which I think may have been close to the 18wk upper limit in arriving; still a great and cost effective service.
Bronwyn.
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sirdanPO Top Contributor
Joined: 07 Mar 2012
Replies: 304
Location: ** Southeast Pole**Back to top |
Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:20 am
Post subject:
Hello Shellie, You have received death records, thus i have a question about that.
What i believe is that i found on the list a husband of a person of my interest. Do you have any idea if on the death record of husband dated 1958 would be written a maiden name of his wife? Maiden name is the most important for me.
My second question concerns method of payment. How would they know if i paid them? Should i put check or money order in envelope too? I do not use this form of payments in my coutry so this is new to me. Personally i would prefer money transfer.
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ShelliePO Top Contributor & Patron
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Replies: 1000
Location: Atlanta, GABack to top |
Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 10:42 am
Post subject:
Hi sirdan!
The death certificates that I've received do not have the wife's full name. The only time I've seen the wife's name is when she is the "informant" - and most times, her married name is used.
If you would like to see some examples of PA death certificates, you can find many doing a google search "PA death certificate" and view "images"
I don't think the department is set up for electronic requests, so a paper request with a check or money order would be needed. You also must include a self-addressed stamped envelope for them to send back your copy. I have attached a copy of the request form.
Some people who live outside of the US have approached this issue by using PayPal to send money to a friend in the US who then sends the request for you. They can scan the document and email it to you after it arrives. Note that there is a fee for international transfers - I think it is about 4% of the amount you are sending, plus 30 cents (US), about 4%. So your total costs will be around 4.25 USD
3.00 death certificate
0.42 Paypal foreign transaction fee (about 4% plus .30 US)
0.46 postage
0.46 postage on return envelope
If anyone has done this - please comment - did you encounter additional fees that I've neglected to mention here?
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sirdanPO Top Contributor
Joined: 07 Mar 2012
Replies: 304
Location: ** Southeast Pole**Back to top |
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:39 am
Post subject:
Thank You very much for additional info. I have paypal but have nobody in USA to ask for favours, so i tried to find out what are possibilities to send request from Poland.
I would like to request death certificates of three people. It would cost 9$ plus 1.5$ or rather more (depends on letter weight) for stamp plus 1.5$ for international stamp (for return), plus 6.5$ for issuing a banker's check and few percents of additional fee from check value. So it seems to actually possible to send requests to vital records department from Poland but cost goes up. PKO BP bank can issue a banker's check, but it takes a long time to cashing it abroad, about a few weeks. There is no possibility to pay by money order. This is what i've learned recently, I'm giving this information in case others would like to try, rest of vital records departments in other states ask for requests in similar manner to pennsylvanian one.
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