Hi, Patricia.

Another interesting dilemma, eh? First, let me say that there is some misundertanding about the use of the word "COPY". The certificate you posted, from 1987, is as true and exact a copy as you will ever get your hands on. There is only ONE ORIGINAL, and that is held by the state of Illinois. Anything that leaves their office is a certified copy like the one you received..and it's a photocopy. If this photocopy doesn't have the signature you expect (like that of the doctor, etc.) you can rest assured that those signatures don't exist on the original either. The typing that you noticed is from the date of your brother's birth, 1923, and would not have been altered since the time he was born. It has not been 're-typed'.

For legal reasons, a certified copy is a true and legal document and can be used for college admissions, miliarty enlistment, passports, etc.

Now, changing the birth certificate might be more difficult than you think. But let me ask you..... does your OWN birth certificate reflect the same names of your parents? Or how about the certificates of your other siblings. If the data confilicts itself from sibling to sibling, it might be easier to fix. But if everyone else's certificate is correct, then you might just want to leave things alone.

This kind of stuff has happened to me lots of times in my searches. And now that BCs are easier to come by and we don't have to pay for them, I've been pulling birth records of family members in the hopes of finding the full names of my great-greatgrandparents. Same thing is happening... I'm getting different names or initials and some Jr.s and some not.... all from the same batch of siblings. It does amaze me that there is no real consistency between the certificates. You'd think someone would have noticed by now!

So here's the rub. We learn that birth certificates are primary sources of information since they were completed at the time of birth. But the only data on there that is REALLY ACCURATE is the actual birth date...and I guess, even that can be subject to a type-o. Even our best documents are subject to human error, and that is just something that will keep our descendants on their toes.

You might want to make as many notes in your family files as possible noting this problem. Maybe you'll save the next generation a ton of grief as they sort this out.

Hi, Patricia.

Many birth certificates are now free on Familysearch.org. I's also starting to find some on ancestry.com.

Let me know if you find what you need on Family Search. If not, I'll try to help find a site for Illinois.

I'm from Illinois and I don't know of any free birth certicates. Would love to find somewhere for them. Although I was at WIU library and they had IRAD, which is state archives. I found my mothers birth certicate on a microfilm. I was shocked. It was for my county and had some birth certicates and death certicates etc. But if you find a free site let me know too.
I didn't know Family Search had birth certicates. How do you get to them. I have trouble finding a lot of the files. I guess I need to go there more often.

Phyllis

I tried to find some birth certificates on Family Search, too and couldn't. Maybe the ones I was looking for just weren't available.

Suzanne

Thanks for all your messages. I have noticed that MN, WI, MI,and many counties in Ohio & probably some other midwestern states have been very slow to digitize material!! The need for volunteers is GREAT!! Libraries have lost about 1/3 of their funding the last few years and use volunteers to help get much of the genealogy material.I'm only 60 miles from the Fort Wayne Genealogy Library but at my age I'm hesitant to drive in the city traffic anymore.. so I try to get as much as I can from the Internet. Heritage Quest and Ancestry through my local Library and help from the HP Genealogy CLasses and the classmates are really the BEST help!!Thanks to you all! Patricia