Office of Vital Records and Statistics Birth certificates, 1905-

This is the permanent legal record of all live births in the state filed with the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics in compliance with UCA 26-2-5. The information recorded in 1905 included the newborn child's full name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, whether a single or multiple births took place, the parents' names, race (color), ages, birthplaces, occupations, and marital status, and the number of children born to the mother. Later certificates also record the length of the pregnancy, the child's weight and length at birth, the date of the serological test, a description of any complications, and a description of any congenital malformations or birth injuries.

Vital Records and Statistics began issuing birth certificates in March 1905. The Utah law requiring the registration of all births (and deaths) within the state (Laws of Utah, 1905, chapter 120) followed the guidelines of the U.S. Census Bureau in an effort to maintain uniform and accurate registration of alldeaths nationwide. The original 1905 state statute provided that certificates issued by Vital Records would be legal documents that "shall be prima facie evidence in all courts and places of the facts therein stated." As a permanent legal record, the certificate is valid for all purposes where a certificate is required by the state or federal government (i.e., to register for school, apply for a Social Security card, apply for a U.S. passport, etc.)

Included are Supplemental Report of Birth forms, which are used to certify that a name has been given to a child who was unnamed at the time the original birth certificate was filed, and Affidavit to Amend a Record forms, which are used to correct erroneous information or provide information missing from the original record. In some cases, these documents may be supplemented by correspondence or a copy of church records.

Throughout 1905, many physicians and midwives in Salt Lake City continued to use the Salt Lake City Board of HealthBirth Return forms (postcards) in use before the state began registering births in March 1905 instead of the new State Board of Health forms.

Certificate forms are revised periodically to ensure that the data collected relate to current and future needs. In the revision process, each information field is evaluated thoroughly for its registration, legal, statistical, medical, and research value. Statistical data from birth certificates helps to identify public health problems and measure the results of programs established to alleviate these problems.