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United States > Wyoming > Wyoming Vital Records
Introduction to Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Wyoming Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.

Contents

 
  

Birth Records Marriage Records  Death/Will Records


Wyoming Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online

The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Wyoming Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Most online resources for Wyoming Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.

If you are aware of other online databases, please feel free to add them.

Birth and Death Records 

Statewide registration of births and deaths in Wyoming began in July 1909, and was generally complied with by 1922. Individuals who were born prior to 1909, or who for some reason did not have a birth certificate, could apply for a delayed birth certificate. The Wyoming Vital Records Services began keeping delayed birth certificates in the 1920s.

For copies of state birth and death records write to:

Vital Records Services
Hathaway Building
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Telephone: 307-777-7591
Fax: 307-635-4103
Internet: Wyoming Vital Statistics Services Program

The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces. [1]Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and at many Family History Centers. You can also write to the Vital Records Services for current information.

Copies of the birth records can only be released to those named on the certificate unless you can provide proof of the person's death. You will also need to state your relationship to the individual and your purpose for obtaining the record.

The Family History Library has not acquired copies of the state birth and death records.

County Records of Births and Deaths

A few Wyoming counties kept records of births and deaths a few years prior to state registration. For information about pre-1909 birth and death records, write to the local county clerk. The records in the county courthouses are open to the public, but the Family History Library has not acquired copies of these records. The library has a few records, such as birth registers and coroner's reports, that have been transcribed and published. The county clerk does not usually keep copies of birth and death records filed after July 1909.

Adoption Records

open / closed / state statues

Marriage Records

Statewide registration of marriages began in May 1941. For information about marriage records kept after that date, write to the Vital Records Services. Copies of the records can be released only to the individuals named on the certificate, unless you provide proof of death. The Family History Library does not have copies of these records (see county recording of marriages).

County Records of Marriages

Many counties began recording marriages soon after the county was organized. Some county records begin as early as the 1860s, such as the Albany County marriage records that begin in 1869. The office of the county clerk for each county maintains the county marriage records from the earliest dates to the present. Most counties have indexed their marriage records, and the files are open to the public. Beginning in 1941, county clerks have sent duplicate copies of marriage records to the Vital Records Services.

The Family History Library has acquired copies of the marriage records for most of the Wyoming counties from the Wyoming State Archives. These copies generally date from the earliest entries to about 1930. For example, the library has Sheridan County marriage records (1888 to 1925) and marriage licenses (1888 to 1916).

More than 23,800 early marriages are indexed on the Western States Marriage Index (website).

Eloping couples from Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Colorado went to Evanston, (Uinta County) Wyoming to be married. There was little or no paper or waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage.

Divorce Records

Substitute Records

Wyoming Church Records

Wyoming Cemetery Records

Wyoming Census

Wyoming Newspapers

Wyoming Periodicals

Wyoming Military Records

Tips

  • Information listed on vital records is given by and informant.  Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information.
  • If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial.  A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths.
  • Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records.  Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
  • Search for Vital Records in the Family History Libray catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records.  Search for Wyoming to locate records filed by the State and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by the county.

Archives, Libraries and Societies

Wyoming Archives and Libraries

Wyoming Societies

References

  1. Hyattsville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993; Family History Library book 973 V24wv.

 

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