If you've ever tried to go anywhere far from home or apply for anything requiring proof of identity, it is likely that one of the items requested of you was a birth certificate. This is simply a record of the time of your birth down to the minute and the location of your birth down to the city or even hospital. If you were born in a decent sized hospital, your birth certificate may have originally been issued by that hospital and signed by the attending doctor. If you were born elsewhere, any government certified attendee could have filled out a certificate or your parents would have filled out a certificate. It would then be submitted to a government agency for certification and filing.

Typical Birth Certificate Data

• The infant's name, time of birth, sex, and location of birth.

• Government approved certifying agent's signature or seal.

• Mother's birth date, name, and place of birth

• Father’s birth date, name, and place of birth

• Other data as required by issuing state, such as parents' ethnicity and marriage status.

Typical Birth Certificate Uses

The government uses this data for general census and population studies purposes. It may also be used for legal purposes as applicable in the state of issue. The reasons you might want one are also mainly government related, as it serves as identification when you want a driver's license, identification card, passport, or social security number. There are other less common uses as both identification and for information gathering, such as genealogical research projects. When used as identification, you must typically have a certified copy of the birth certificate with a government seal.

A Marriage Certificate

The marriage certificate is basically what you get after you have completed your marriage. Most of the information used is taken from your marriage license application. States typically keep copies of marriage license as they typically take jurisdiction over them and have specific laws regarding married couples. In most states the original marriage certificate is the completed marriage license that has been copied back into electronic form and then reissued on certified paper with an official seal. The information is pretty straightforward, usually just documenting who you are and when the marriage took place. It is typically only requested of you by a government agency or an insurance company seeking proof of your marriage.

A Certificate of Divorce

A certificate of divorce is issued at the end of any accepted legal proceedings for divorce. It generally just declares that such a divorce took place and is used for verification of that fact. It will also typically have factual information such as win the marriage took place and the dates of such events. This certificate may also come in handy for genealogical research.

Separate divorce records may also appear in various states from the original application for divorce and any divorce agreements entered into by the parties involved. They may also include and rulings made by judges presiding over divorce proceedings. These records may be needed for insurance applications or adjustments, as well as for tax filings.

A Death Certificate

A death certificate is straightforward, stating that a death occurred and signed by whomever is certified to sign such a certificate in the location where the death took place. It is typically a doctor or coroner. Other information typically included are the time and place of death, as well as the cause or suspected cause of death. Death certificates are usually required for the transfer or management of estate assets, transfer of property rights, and life insurance claims.