Delayed Birth Records
1857-1906
Delayed birth records are the result of a 1941 Pennsylvania law for "supplying, perfecting and recording birth records" of persons whose births were not recorded, or whose birth records were incomplete or incorrect. Although most of the delayed birth records are for births occurring between 1893-1906 (the years for which there are county birth registers), there are some records for births in the 1870s and 1880s.
In order to have a birth recorded or to correct an existing record, a person had to submit documentation to the Orphans' Court. The following information was to be supplied:
- place and date of birth, including name of hospital;
- full name of applicant;
- sex;
- whether a twin or other plural birth;
- whether the birth was legitimate;
- color or race of parents;
- birthplaces of parents and their ages at birth of applicant;
- occupations of parents;
- occupation of applicant;
- residence of parents, if living and known;
- maiden name of mother;
- number of children of this mother, if known;
- number of children of this mother living at time of application, if known.
A certificate from the doctor or midwife present at birth or a baptismal certificate was to be filed if available. If the required information was not available, the court could "require such other information, including public or private records, as will satisfy it."
The "other information" that was presented to the Chester County Orphans' Court is informative, diverse, and in some cases, surprising. One man used his baptismal record and a railroad relief report to prove his age. Benjamin Miller submitted a copy of a Bible record with verification that it was in his mother's handwriting. J. Clarence Caley submitted a copy of an entry written in the Bible he received on his tenth birthday. The entry, dated August 29, 1899, read "My birthday promise is that I will read a Chapter or verse of the bible every morning of my life; to this vow I sign my name." The reproduction was verified by a notary public as being an accurate copy. Other applicants used more unusual ways to prove dates of birth. Several submitted entries from Genealogy of the Smedley Family. John Turner Moore needed a birth record in order to travel to Cuba in 1941. Mr. Moore could not obtain the required certificates, so he submitted the statement "the petitioner for purposes of admission to the Sons of the American Revolution was able to trace his ancestry to Brigadier General John Armstrong through sources recognized by said organization and on file with them." His petition for a birth record was allowed.
The delayed birth records are indexed by name. Women's birth records are indexed by both maiden and married names in most cases. The records often give detailed family information extending beyond the names of applicants' parents. In addition to the delayed birth records, the Archives has county birth register for the periods 1852-1855 and 1893-1906. In 1906 the state began keeping birth records, so most counties, including Chester, discontinued the practice.
