Why do people who have children born in other states or countries register their infants with the state of Massachusetts when they move there? I remember reading something about having to register a marriage but can no longer find the source or reason. My great grandparents were from Pittsfield, but apparently eloped and married in New Lebanon, NY, but then registered in Pittsfield when they returned to live there. But i am also finding births that occurred out of state, or out of country as with my Great Grandfather's family who immigrated from Scotland to Boston and registered their young son, born in Jan 1886, immigrated in Sep 1886. Yesterday, I found a registration of a baby who was born in Plattsburgh, NY, in 1892, but apparently moved to Springfield, Massachusetts the same year and his registration is in the birth registers. I also noticed several others from Albany, NY. It is only the young babies, none of the older children are registered. I just wrote to my cousin in Massachusetts but she does not know why. However, says it still happens for marriages and deaths, she didn't mention births. I searched online, and the two wikis, FS.org and Ancestry, but can't find the explanation I have found in the past. Thanks Margie Beldin Washington State