I read a lot of genealogy newsletters and was interested in a recent one from Ancestry.com about “delayed birth certificates”. As Ancestry puts it:
These certificates don’t result from the exasperating delays that may have been associated with the birth; but instead these records simply mean that the birth certificate was delayed.
Ancestry goes on to explain how previous generations in America were routinely casual about recording births and how each jurisdiction had its own rules. I can only presume Canada followed a similar pattern.
Delayed birth records can contain a wealth of information:
The bonus information with delayed birth certificates lies in the proof offered for the date of birth. Applicants usually had to provide three documents that attested to their age. These documents might be affidavits written by family members or long-time friends or neighbors who had personal knowledge about the applicant’s age or birth. The documents could be an insurance policy, marriage license, family Bible, military papers, voting records, or census records.
Sounds good doesn’t it? Have any of you used this source with success?
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