Delayed Birth Certificates~A Vital Resource

After an extensive conference throughout July 1935, President Roosevelt signed The Social Security Act into law on 14 August 1935.

This Act required everyone to get a Social Security Number to participate in the program. One problem arose in that Birth Certificates in most states were not mandatory until about 1915. This was a real problem for people already eligible for social security and those that were born before 1915.

Thus we have the Delayed Birth certificate:

Delayed Birth Certificate: a birth certificate that was created by a government entity, after the fact, using data supplied by the requestor to verify his or her age and/or date of birth. (my definition)

In the county I was born in there are many books containing Delayed Birth certificates in the register of deeds office. many of these delayed birth certificates were created because of the Social Security Act; but, there are other reasons why a delayed Birth Certificate may be needed and created. 

In South Carolina, these delayed birth certificates can be found on line at Ancestry.com (paid site). The database is entitled:

South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766-1900 and City of Charleston, South Carolina Births, 1877-1901



The above Delayed Birth certificate was created 15 June 1945 for Laura Clide [Rivers] Smith.¹  Laura was the youngest daughter of Mark Rivers and his second wife Carolina Dean. Laura never knew her Dad. She was born in March 1884 and her father Mark died in May 1884.

But, Laura had the Family Bible passed down to her and she used this Bible to prove her birth, her age and  to obtain a Birth Certificate from the state of South Carolina.
Earlier this week I posted a blog listing the pages from the Mark Rivers Family Bible. That family Bible is the Bible reference in the above Birth Application for Laura Clide Smith.

http://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/2015/06/treasure-chest-thursdaymark-rivers.html

These delayed birth certificate applications are a goldmine of data for your ancestors. Have you check for delayed Birth Certificates in your county or state. If not, you made be overlooking a vital resource for your research.










__________________
[1] South Carolina, South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766-1900 and City of Charleston, South Carolina Births, 1877-1901, , Delayed Birth of Laura Clide SMITH, 9 March 1884; images, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://Ancestry.com : viewed 12 May 2015).