Dear Tommie, I'm not quite sure what you are asking me for. Are you seeking various methods of researching these individuals or how to obtain their birth records? I am just beginning myself. I have been doing internet genie research less then six months, so if SKS has any helpful additions or corrections please do set the record straight or assist us with your more extensive knowledge. I can tell you right now that they didn't necessarily have birth certificates/records because they weren't required prior to 1871 in Washington, DC but I can tell you from family experience that some individuals born up until at least 1820 in Washington, DC in my own family didn't have birth certificates. So that period of time wouldn't be covered by mandatory records. Birth certificates in the state of Maryland are found below: Registration Form The civil recording of births began in 1875 for Baltimore City and 1898 for Maryland counties. Birth records are restricted for 100 years after the date of birth and are available only to the ... http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/forms/html/ birthmail.html - 6.5KB - MD: 4, birth: 15, certificate: 10, When MD...: 7 70% 05 Aug 02 Find Similar Civil Birth Record Search Request The civil recording of births began in 1875 for Baltimore City and 1898 for Maryland counties. Birth records are restricted for 100 years after the date of birth and are ... http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/html/birth.html - 5.6KB - MD: 1, birth: 23, certificate: 10, When MD...: 7 Where did they live in MD or DC? Also, some parts of DC were still covered by MD for various record keeping purposes during that period in time. If you want my suggestions where to look - have you tried the census? city directories? land, marriage, and will probate records if they had property and you know enough about where, & when to make looking feasible. If you start with the census and city directories you may find enough to be able to start looking in the other places. I don't know off hand when city directories were started in this area so this may or may not be a good idea. Have you joined the MD or DC lists and requested any look-ups? Do you know about the Martin Luther King, Jr., Library which has a Washingtoniana room with considerable historical and genealogical information? It has a webpage with information. Do you know about the Washington, DC & MD Historical Society and the many MD & VA county Historical Societies many of these counties adjoin/abut Washington, DC and most if not all have WebPages. Have you done a Google.com search for the names with genealogy typed in at the end or a Google.com search for research facilities such as but not limited to the above? Have you checked all the genealogy websites? Have you joined the rootsweb.com DeVaughn name list that one can subscribe to? Have you looked at all the general genealogy rootsweb.com lists that have tips on how to research your ancestors on them and browsed the archives to see if they are helpful or worth joining? Does any of this help or have you done all this already? Deborah in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, USA ----- Original Message ----- From: Tjdphill@aol.com To: djaquiss@pressroom.com Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 8:51 AM Subject: Re: [UK Genealogy] Who or what is SKS? Hi Deborah, I am trying to an SKS for a person from Wales, Here is the info, do you have any suggestions since youre in that area. I sent away to Wash.,D.C. for a birth certificate > for my father, William M. DeVaughn, born 1892 in Wash.,D.C. They searched > 1891-1893 and said they found nothing, $17. later.His father was also Wm. > DeVaughn(difference-middle name was James)and hismother was Lillian(Sledge) > DeVaughn. The father was supposedly born in Md, and the mother also. I have > no dates for my grandfather, my grandmother was born in 1876. > Any help appreciated! > Florence I've already told them that with the fires and war a lots of records were lost, perhaps you might have a suggestion. Tommie Houton, Texas USA