In a message dated 10/8/2002 11:26:07 AM US Mountain Standard Time, mmcclure@lakesplus.com writes: > How would one go about confirming birth dates in the Town of Manchester, > Morgan County, OH? > Does someone still have the original records for the Valley Chapel Church? > Did the township maintain early vital records? > Birth records began in Ohio in 1867 and were at that time kept at the county level. Do not expect much from the first few years of the records. Reporting, usually by the father, was very spotty and when reported often did not include the child's given name. For example, my grandfather was born in McConnelsville, Morgan Co., Ohio in 1873. His father reported his birth with only the month, year, and sex of the infant; no day and no given name. His next oldest siblings born in 1868 and 1869 should also have been reported, but weren't. One of the siblings died a year after birth and no that wasn't reported either. My great grandfather, who reported only the one birth, was well read owner of a local business who kept up on things. Evidently he either didn't think much of the reporting rules or much of what was turned in to the county didn't actually get recorded. I'm currently looking at microfilm of Morgan Co. deaths and the earlier reporting of deaths was possibly even less than births. Barbara