Pat, I received the following from JaSEn. Apparently they are short staffed. The following is from the Lawrence Co.,IN Health Department, 2419 Mitchell Road, Bedford, IN 47421-4731 - Phone: 812-275-3234 BRIEF EXPLANATION OF LAWRENCE COUNTY RECORDS, PRIMARILY FOR GENEALOGY RESEARCH BIRTH AND DEATH RECORDS for Lawrence County, Indiana are filed the office of the Lawrence County Health Department. They begin with the year 1882; there are NO records before that year and the early records are not complete. The records are indexed alphabetically, by year; they are filed by individual names, not by families. In order to locate a record of birth or death, if such OCCURRED in Lawrence County, the following information is needed. FOR BIRTHS: 1) Full name at birth, 2)approximate year of birth, 3)parents, if known. Early birth records, 1882-1908, are indexed by last name ONLY, no first names are shown in the index. For instance: you are searching for "John Smith", born about 1885. We normally search 5 years for a record - the year you mention, 2 years before and 2 years after. so, for "John Smith" we would search 1883 - 1887. In our index for those years, there are 28 SMITHS with no first name shown. We must then search the individual record books to see if date, parents or other information can identify the particular record you are seeking. As you can see, searching for just one name can consume much time and, even the, the record might not be located. Please send as much, and as specific information as possible. FOR DEATHS: 1)Full name at death 2) approximate year of death. Most of our local death records between 1945 and 1991 contain NO FAMILY INFORMATION..for this information, you can contact: Vital Records, Indiana State Department of Health, 2 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46206 or (insert URL). There fee is $4.00 for a search of five years and one copy of the record, if found. Their records begin in approximately 1907. The fee for a birth certificate is $2.00, death certificate is $3.00 per copy. We DO NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL CHECKS. It is best if you send names and dates before sending any money. We will search to see if the record can be located and inform you of any charges. Since information varies with the individual books used during a particular time periods, please state what information you would like the certificate to contain, if the record is available. MARRIAGE RECORDS for Lawrence County are filed in the Lawrence county Clerk's Office, Court House, Bedford, IN 47421. They begin with the year 1818 but show no parents of applicants until 1887. the Clerk's fee is $2.00 per copy and MALE applicant's name and approximate date of marriage are needed to locate a record of marriage. Also in the Clerk's Office are estate records beginning with the year 1818. The name of the deceased person is needed to locate these records. DEEDS and LAND GRANTS beginning with the year 1819, are filed in the Lawrence County Recorder's Office, Court House, Bedford, IN 47421. To locate these records, correct spelling of names, location in the county (township, if known), and approximate dates are needed. Their fee is based on the number of pages copied for each record. The Recorder's Office also has Military Records. LAWRENCE COUNTY Genealogical Society: c/o Lawrence County Museum, Court House, Bedford, IN 47421. They have some cemetery records, some Lawrence County family books, some marriage records, and general genealogical information. Please understand that each of the above offices are very limited in personnel and amount of time available to search their records. Current office business must take precedence over genealogical searches and we regret that we are unable to do extensive family research. We can search for ONLY those records which are identified by specific names (first and last) and approximate years of birth or death (within 5 years of correct date). If you are just beginning to do genealogical research and do not know where to find the information not included in the above office, contact you local library or Internet resources, for instructions on how and where to find genealogical information.