Vital records are the legal governmental documents that record the major events of a person's life such as birth, marriage, and death. Vital records usually contain the full name of the involved individual(s); the date of the event; and the city, county, and state where the event took place.

Many vital records can contain much more information. For example, death certificates often include where the person was buried, cause of death, occupation, and the name of the individual who reported the death.

Vital records are considered primary sources because they were recorded at the time of the event they document. They can also serve as a good secondary source of other information. For instance, a death certificate is the primary source for the date and location of death but a secondary source for the date and location of birth.

There are two types of copies available: certified and uncertified.  Certified copies are official copies that can be used as identification whereas uncertified copies do not contain the governmental authority's seal and often are marked that they should not be used for identification (Ex. “For Genealogical Purposes Only”). 

There may be additional restrictions in place on who can actually request a certified copy, such as immediate family or someone with written authorization.  Certified copies are usually much more expensive than uncertified copies.  Certified records must be requested from the Tazewell County County Clerk or from the Illinois Department of Public Health. 

For Tazewell County, whether the vital records are stored at the county, regional, or state level (or in more than one location) depends on the type and date of the desired record. The cost of obtaining the vital record can vary widely depending on the repository and whether the copy is certified.  For more details, click the entry of the vital record type of interest in the above menu,

As with most genealogical research, we recommend you start with the most current event and work backward – so, in general, you would want to obtain an individual's death record, then his marriage record, and finally his birth record.