[or-roots] Vital Search

[Leslie Chapman]

I have never paid for any Vital Search info, the big plus with them is that
they (as a teaser) make some stuff available online, I have never found any
of it anywhere but in California, but haven't tried too hard to look either,
in California you can download images of the indexes of the death, birth and
marriage records of the state for free from Vital Search for 1909 - 1949 or
some such, later birth records are available as a searchable database on
names, dates and mother maiden name (father last name too I think) 1940 or
1949? (if anyone reaally wants to know I can look it up) to 1986 or so death
index completely searchable which also gives date of birth and state of
birth

There are other things available in Calif, as I say I don't know if any
other state they have made any freebies available or not, I suspect
Suzanne's remark about cost is probably true and their main reason for
existence is to milk folks too [insert term here] to go to the source, or
those jurisdictions that will not make the same information available. For
instance I was told that in California as a matter of law; you can no longer
get birth info from State Vital records for anyone but yourself or someone
you can show a valid legal reason you are entitled to the information of,
but Vital Search obtained all this info when access to it was legal and for
some reason California can't stop them from selling/giving it away.

I had thought that Vital Search was owned by Ancestry and is just another
way for "them" to gouge the public.

Okay, I just went and tried to find something comparable to California for
Oregon on Vital search and the conclusion I have come to is that one of the
California Genealogy societies is making their stuff available through the
society, and not out of the goodness of Vital Search Org.s heart, everything
I tried to access any Oregon info took me right back to a 14 day "free"
trial of Ancestry. I think if Ancestry had a system where you paid in
proportion to the amount of useful info you got, and paid at a reasonable
rate, or some such I might be tempted, but the prices they charge and then
everytime you turn around they want more money to get to some other part of
their database [correct me if I am wrong, but this is what I have been told
is how they do business] tends to make me not want to do business with them
at all.

I am further disappointed in Ancestry in that of the time I have spent
personally (several hours) searching for info, I have found exactly ONE
relevant Census, which then was useless except in general info as there  was
no way at that time for me to get a decent image at the Family History
Center.

Okay enough ranting, now I see Cheryl says there are ways to access free
stuff from other states, so where do you go to do that Cheryl?

California;

http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/cadeathm.htm

death index home page, those things that require you to ask for free guest
pass,

the login is vitalguest

password is enjoy

marriages;

http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/camarrin.htm

birth;

http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/cabirthm.htm