Researching the past in record time

My friend David suddenly got a hankering to trace his roots. Since he composed a rhyme just to keep his daughters' birthdays straight, watching his foray into genealogy is like watching a 10-car pileup.

The urge to find twigs on his tree didn't hit until age 60, but since he has decided to do it, he wants answers now. I said I'd guide him, but I wouldn't do the work for him.

He said he chose to research his maternal side first because he knew more about those relatives. Such as what? I asked. "My mother died in Largo about 20 years ago," he said. I pressed for specifics. He pondered a bit and replied, "She died on Super Bowl Sunday." That tidbit certainly cleared things up.

His memory is not just hazy. It's completely fogged in. He can't remember when or where his parents got married, but he assumes the nuptials preceded his birth since he is the eldest child. Long distance calls placed to kin scattered across the country got poor results. No one -- not even David's only sibling -- has a clue where his father was born, although Michigan or Indiana are likely choices.

He wheedled and cajoled. I helped him get a copy of his mother's death certificate at the Pinellas County Health Department. She actually died in Dunedin. In 1980. Okay. Close enough.

In consideration for favors past and shameless bribery on his part, I agreed to pursue any vital record that I could latch onto in one month by parlaying information gleaned from one document to request another. After that he was on his own.

I downloaded vital records request forms from two states in which he was rather certain I'd get a hit, Michigan and Montana, and had him sign them in case documents could be sent only to direct descendants. I'd take my chances on the rest. He paid the tab. And promised not to whine if things didn't progress quickly.

I'm sharing this anecdote because it illustrates why there are no universal answers to where and how one requests vital records and how much they cost.

According to his mother's death certificate, she was born in Montana. I got her birth certificate from the state's vital records office. "For information purposes only" is stamped in bold red letters across the top of the 4-by-6 card. It cost $5, payable in advance. It confirmed her parents' names: Alex L. McLeod and Elnor Remillard, born in Canada and Michigan, respectively.

Based on David's belief that his grandfather died in Montana, I accessed the Butte-Silver Bow County Archives Web site to request information on Alexander McLeod. (No official form required). In 10 days, I received his death certificate and an obituary. I paid $17, of which $15 went for the research fee. The invoice came with the documents. McLeod's parents were given as Alexander McLeod and Annie McKenzie, born Scotland and Canada, respectively.

Michigan has no such honor system. Rumor has it that it takes a pint of blood and your first-born to get documents from Lansing. At $15 per copy, you should also consider a second mortgage.

Since it was David's money, I opted to go first-class by shelling out an extra $5 per document to VitalChek to speed things up. The response came in a week. Quite a bargain for A-Type rooters. Two documents could not be located, so I paid, in effect, $60 for one.

The last leg of this marathon records check ended at the Health Department in Steuben County, Ind., where the documents I requested languished until I replaced my personal check with a money order. (Cash also accepted.) A death certificate is $5 and birth certificates are $4. Tack on a $1 research fee per document.

-- To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root. -- Ancient Chinese Proverb

-- Donna Murray Allen welcomes your questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. Sorry, she can't take phone calls, but you can write to her c/o Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@yahoo.com. You can read her column online at www.sptimes.com. Type Donna Murray Allen in the search box.

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