This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: Frances_Dumas Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.newyork.counties.yates/1881.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The problem is with the Department of Health. It has been ruled over and over again that VRs prior to the cutoff dates (50 years ago for marriages and deaths; 75 for births) are public information. However, the DoH will not budge on this issue. Back in 1992-3 my office microfilmed all the extant VRs from all nine municipalities in Yates Co. This was for security purposes, but we also asked if we could index them for the web. You'd have thought we were proposing a bonfire! We finally were able to film them, under a number of tight restrictions. We indexed the first book, which was supposed to begin in 1881 (the earliest here was Penn Yan, 1883) and goes up to either 1907 or 1913, depending. These are indexed on the Yates County Historian's website (Google Yates County GenWeb and your top result will take you to a search page on the site) and though we are not allowed to copy them, we do make transcriptions, for $2 a pop. This service is, I think, unique to Yates Co., certainly in NY. By all means write your state representatives; the DoH is a *very* heavy agency, and trust me, genealogists are definitely low men on the state's totem pole. Not even the tourism people have entirely caught on. Fran Dumas Yates County Historian Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.

I'm sure the monies that the counties earn .... or the Dept of Health earn, from the "copies" of birth, marriage and death certificates, is the reason that even after the 50 or 75 year mark, we no longer can get a copy of the ORIGINAL certificate, but only a TRANSCRIPTION....which may have errors in the transcribing. Yet, we pay MORE in NY, than most other states for these vital records. What bothers me mostly is that they have for the past several years, been giving a TRANSCRIPTION of these documents...not even an exact copy of the original document...even for the birth, marriage or death certificates that are past the 50 & 75 year mark. I had ordered a copy of my uncle's birth certificate [from a different county] and I had to give proof [my birth cert and my parent's copies of birth certs] in order to get my uncles....even though it was past these years markings of 75 years, to get copies. But was shocked to see it was "only a transcription" of his birth and NOT a copy of the original document for the high rates that NY state now charges for these "certificates". I no longer live in NY state, but I will still write to the NY state representafives in the county where I grew up in NY state and will ask other family members, still living in the area, to do the same. Genealogy is the 2nd largest usage of the internet, and a "money maker". A person use to be able to get copies from the town clerks in NY state. Has that also changed? author: Dianne_Thomas This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: Frances_Dumas Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.newyork.counties.ya tes/1881.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The problem is with the Department of Health. It has been ruled over and over again that VRs prior to the cutoff dates (50 years ago for marriages and deaths; 75 for births) are public information. However, the DoH will not budge on this issue. Back in 1992-3 my office microfilmed all the extant VRs from all nine municipalities in Yates Co. This was for security purposes, but we also asked if we could index them for the web. You'd have thought we were proposing a bonfire! We finally were able to film them, under a number of tight restrictions. We indexed the first book, which was supposed to begin in 1881 (the earliest here was Penn Yan, 1883) and goes up to either 1907 or 1913, depending. These are indexed on the Yates County Historian's website (Google Yates County GenWeb and your top result will take you to a search page on the site) and though we are not allowed to copy them, we do make transcriptions, for $2 a pop. This service is, I think, unique to Yates Co., certainly in NY. By all means write your state representatives; the DoH is a *very* heavy agency, and trust me, genealogists are definitely low men on the state's totem pole. Not even the tourism people have entirely caught on. Fran Dumas Yates County Historian Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NYYATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message