New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Index, 1659-1900

Vital records in early New Hampshire are kept at the town level, with some records dating back to early Colonial days. Statewide registration was required by law beginning in 1866, although compliance didn’t follow immediately, and even as late as the 1880s, not all records found their way to the Secretary of State.

In 1905, New Hampshire established its Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics. To create a state set of vital records, towns were asked to send in copies of their pre-1905 records, and the cards shown in this database were created by the state using details extracted from those original town records.

What You Can Find in These Records

This database includes images of birth records created by the state through 1900. Details typically include the following:

• child's name
• date of birth
• place of birth
• gender and color
• living or stillborn
• number of child (1st child, 2nd, etc.)
• father's name, birthplace, color, age, residence, and occupation
• mother’s maiden name, birthplace, color, age, and occupation
• name and address of physician or person reporting the birth

Not every town provided copies of its records to the Bureau of Vital Records, so even if your ancestor doesn’t appear in this database, it doesn’t necessarily mean a record doesn’t exist at the town level. Images are arranged alphabetically by first and thrid letter of surname (A*a, A*b, etc.). This may cause images to appear out of order.