San Diego County Recorder Historic Birth records

Title: San Diego County Recorder Historic Birth records

Dates: 1850-1986, bulk 1860-1956

Collection Number: RCC/VRS01

Creator/Collector: San Diego County (Calif.). Office of County Recorder.

Extent: 51.75 cubic feet (19 manuscript boxes and 79 oversize boxes)

Repository: San Diego County Archives

Abstract: Historic Birth records consists of early birth records filed with the San Diego County Recorder.

Language of Material: English

Please contact the San Diego County Archives staff at archives@sdcounty.ca.gov for access information.

[Identification of item]. San Diego County Recorder Historic Birth records. Collection Number: RCC/VRS01. San Diego County Archives

Historic Birth records consist of 98 bound and unbound volumes and vary in their contents and completeness. At a minimum, indexes and certificates include the registrant’s full name and date of birth, most also include the parents’ names and country of origin, as well as the registrant’s race and sex. Early records are predominately hand-written while later records are fully typed or utilize standardized, printed forms. Please note that the original geographic boundaries of San Diego County include territory encompassing present day Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernadino Counties and that the Archives’ physical records are incomplete. Starting in July 1905, a California state agency was designated as the primary record holder of birth records and any copies maintained locally by the County Recorder or Health and Human Services were designated secondary copies. Currently the designated state agency is the California Department of Public Health – Vital Records Division. Records have been divided into three series, Indexes to Birth Certificates (1850-1957), Birth Certificates (1860-1986), and Affidavits of Correction and Supplemental Name Reports (1909-1980). Series 1, Indexes to Birth Certificates, consists of informal registrations of births dating to the founding of San Diego County in 1850. More formal registrations and indexes were required from the County Recorder starting in 1872. In addition to volumes covering the whole county, specific indexes exist for the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Escondido, and National City. Indexes provide varying access points to locate individual birth registrations or certificates. Some index entries include only the registrant’s full name, date of birth, and reference to the location of the certificate. Others include information about the parents such as their names and country of origin, and about the race and sex of the registrant. Early records are hand-written in ledger books with later indexes being type-written. Disbound volumes have been removed from their bindings and placed in folders while bound volumes are wrapped in tissue and placed in boxes. Note that the Archives may not have certificates for each indexed entry. Series 2, Birth Certificates, consists of individual certificates that relate the details of births recorded in San Diego County. In addition to volumes covering the full county, specific certificate books exist for the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, Escondido, and National City. These documents provide information on the full name of the child, the parents’ names including the mother’s maiden name, place and date of birth, sex, race, parents’ residence, and medical attendants. Later certificates may also include information on the parents’ occupations and places of birth. If a birth certificate was amended or corrected, it may have an Affidavit of Correction attached or the correction may be found in Series 3, Affidavits of Correction and Supplemental Name Reports, depending on the practices of the Office of the Recorder at the time of filing. Some volumes, especially those from Coronado, also contain their own indexes. Note that certificates in this series may not be all-inclusive as the Office of the County Recorder is the secondary holder for these records for births recorded after July 1905. Materials are arranged chronologically by location. The internal arrangement within each volume varies between chronological and alphabetical. Boxes 6-15 are bound volumes of photostats duplicating boxes 1-5. Series 3, Affidavits of Correction and Supplemental Name Reports, consists of documentation to update, correct, and amend previously registered certificates of birth. A copy of the original certificate may be filed with the affidavit, particularly in bound volumes in this series. Typical corrections include spelling corrections and the inclusion of additional details that were not recorded at the time of the birth. Materials are arranged differently to preserve original order and arrangement. Boxes 1-11 are bound volumes arranged chronologically by recording number, boxes 12-13 are in folders and are arranged by original date of birth, and boxes 14-17 are arranged alphabetically by last name.