As Judy Russell states in almost all her speeches, "You have to know the laws of the place and time." For Massachusetts, I googled "Massachusetts General Law out-of-state births" and immediately found a reference to the law. There was the answer in chapter 46, section 1B. IT seems to be related to having a birth registered at the residence of the mother or father. Even today, clerks in towns in which there are birthing centers forward birth records to clerks in towns in which the parents reside. A friend who was an assistant town clerk for Burlington had just this task because her town housed Lahey Hospital. M.G.L., Chapter 46, Section 1B. Any resident of the commonwealth who is the parent of a child born outside the commonwealth may personally present to the town clerk of the town where such parent was domiciled at the time of such birth, or in the case of an adopted child, at the time of such adoption, an original certificate or other written evidence of the birth, and a certified copy of the adoption decree if adopted, or a duly authenticated photostatic copy thereof. The town clerk may file such documents as evidence establishing such birth or adoption, or may make a copy thereof, which he shall attest as a true copy, and which he may then file as such evidence. If such evidence is not, in the opinion of the town clerk, sufficient to establish such birth or adoption, and he refuses to file the same, a judge of probate in the county where such town lies may, on petition and after a hearing at which the clerk shall have an opportunity to be heard, order him to receive such certificate, written evidence or photostatic copy as sufficient evidence to establish such birth or adoption, whereupon such clerk shall file the same.

Did this law evolve from the practice of warnings out? I've seen interesting patterns of registrations in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries where a family that moved between locations would reregister births in the new town. I've also seen a family move out of and back into a town that registered only the children born while resident and had a gap in the middle for children born while living elsewhere. Each town must have decided on its level of interest in supporting said children should the family become unable to do so. -Denise On Tue, Mar 21, 2017 at 9:11 AM, Barbara Mathews < barbara@demandinggenealogist.com> wrote: > As Judy Russell states in almost all her speeches, "You have to know the > laws of the place and time." > > For Massachusetts, I googled "Massachusetts General Law out-of-state > births" > and immediately found a reference to the law. There was the answer in > chapter 46, section 1B. IT seems to be related to having a birth registered > at the residence of the mother or father. Even today, clerks in towns in > which there are birthing centers forward birth records to clerks in towns > in > which the parents reside. A friend who was an assistant town clerk for > Burlington had just this task because her town housed Lahey Hospital. > > M.G.L., Chapter 46, Section 1B. Any resident of the commonwealth who is the > parent of a child born outside the commonwealth may personally present to > the town clerk of the town where such parent was domiciled at the time of > such birth, or in the case of an adopted child, at the time of such > adoption, an original certificate or other written evidence of the birth, > and a certified copy of the adoption decree if adopted, or a duly > authenticated photostatic copy thereof. The town clerk may file such > documents as evidence establishing such birth or adoption, or may make a > copy thereof, which he shall attest as a true copy, and which he may then > file as such evidence. > > If such evidence is not, in the opinion of the town clerk, sufficient to > establish such birth or adoption, and he refuses to file the same, a judge > of probate in the county where such town lies may, on petition and after a > hearing at which the clerk shall have an opportunity to be heard, order him > to receive such certificate, written evidence or photostatic copy as > sufficient evidence to establish such birth or adoption, whereupon such > clerk shall file the same. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- -Denise

I dont know the why but I know when I moved to Massachusetts in the 80s the town we lived in at the time registered my son's birth from the US Army hospital in Germany and his brother that was ultimately born in a different town I'm Massachusettes. The clerk told me it was for convenience and they could issue a certified copy from filling it with them if we ever needed it in the future. They even took a copy of my military discharge. On Mar 21, 2017 9:30 AM, "Denise Cross" <crossd4@gmail.com> wrote: Did this law evolve from the practice of warnings out? I've seen interesting patterns of registrations in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries where a family that moved between locations would reregister births in the new town. I've also seen a family move out of and back into a town that registered only the children born while resident and had a gap in the middle for children born while living elsewhere. Each town must have decided on its level of interest in supporting said children should the family become unable to do so. -Denise On Tue, Mar 21, 2017 at 9:11 AM, Barbara Mathews < barbara@demandinggenealogist.com> wrote: > As Judy Russell states in almost all her speeches, "You have to know the > laws of the place and time." > > For Massachusetts, I googled "Massachusetts General Law out-of-state > births" > and immediately found a reference to the law. There was the answer in > chapter 46, section 1B. IT seems to be related to having a birth registered > at the residence of the mother or father. Even today, clerks in towns in > which there are birthing centers forward birth records to clerks in towns > in > which the parents reside. A friend who was an assistant town clerk for > Burlington had just this task because her town housed Lahey Hospital. > > M.G.L., Chapter 46, Section 1B. Any resident of the commonwealth who is the > parent of a child born outside the commonwealth may personally present to > the town clerk of the town where such parent was domiciled at the time of > such birth, or in the case of an adopted child, at the time of such > adoption, an original certificate or other written evidence of the birth, > and a certified copy of the adoption decree if adopted, or a duly > authenticated photostatic copy thereof. The town clerk may file such > documents as evidence establishing such birth or adoption, or may make a > copy thereof, which he shall attest as a true copy, and which he may then > file as such evidence. > > If such evidence is not, in the opinion of the town clerk, sufficient to > establish such birth or adoption, and he refuses to file the same, a judge > of probate in the county where such town lies may, on petition and after a > hearing at which the clerk shall have an opportunity to be heard, order him > to receive such certificate, written evidence or photostatic copy as > sufficient evidence to establish such birth or adoption, whereupon such > clerk shall file the same. > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- -Denise ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message