I can certainly vouch for the fact that you could be born later than 1903 in Texas and still not have a birth certificate. Apparently the system then was that if you were born at home the attending physician reported the birth. My older brothers, born 1919 and 1920 had birth certificates. I was born 1927 and there was no official record. I used to have rueful thoughts that maybe the doctor didn't think girls worth reporting. My parents were alive when I got my delayed birth certificate, but I think I recall that the form I had to fill out required the affirmation of someone who had no family interest (doctor, midwife, friend, neighbor etc.) I think what caused citizens and county officials to get serious about keeping records was the beginning of Social Security (1935, right?). There still were cracks to fall through. My maternal grandmother who died in 1940 did not have a death certificate. Also, the funeral home was out of business by the time I began to look. However, the old trunk had the bill from the undertaker marked "paid." That (plus the grave marker) was my proof. When I see questions in the genealogy lists such as "Where can I get a birth certificate for my great-grandfather born in 1850?", I always say to myself, "Someone very young." CWBrazell@aol.com