>1. were birth certificates REQUIRED for every child born in DC as early as my grandmother's 1876 birth..?? Or were they just optional ?? or the birth might not be recorded on such if the child was born at home rather than in a Hospital back then ?? >2. When did Birth Certificates begin in Montgomery Co., Maryland ??? > 3. back then in march of 1876 was Georgetown a part of DC ???Or was it instead part of Maryland ??? and if part of Maryland, then what Maryland County was it part of ??? Joe, I believe Georgetown became a part of DC in 1871. But like you said, if the child was born at home, the birth may not have been recorded. As for the recording of births in Md, this page is helpful: http://www.vitalrec.com/md.html There you will see that the births were recorded in Baltimore City since 1875, but the rest of Md only has records since 1898. Prior to that time, I think your only chance of finding any recording of a birth is either in a Family Bible or church records. I will say your story makes me think there is a possibility that the mother of Margaret Agnes either had her out of wedlock or as the result of an affair. As food for thought, there is a Maggie Murphy in DC in the 1880 census, District 79 Family 420/499. She is age 3, living with HOH Jane Murphy, age 35. Living next-door (family 421/500, HOH Bernard Buchanan) is a boarder Henry Murphy, age 25. Sue Dotson [email protected]