Birth Record Substitutes.  As noted above, the best substitute is a record created close in time to the birth and by a person who has first-hand knowledge of the event. However, Oregon nineteenth-century birth records are seldom found, and other sources must be used.

Baptismal Records. Some religious denominations record the births or infant baptisms of their members' children. Baptismal records often give the date of birth as well as the date of baptism. Major denominations that practice infant baptism include the Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, Roman Catholic, and Congregational (now United Church of Christ) churches.

Bible Records. Before births were recorded by localities and states, some families recorded births in the family Bible. It is common to find, written on pages included for that purpose in the front, back, or center of the Bible, the names of the husband and wife followed by a list of their children with their birth dates. Transcriptions of family Bible records have been collected by genealogical and historical societies and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Some have been published in genealogical periodicals. Some transcribed Bible records are available online.

Census Records. The 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses all give an age and a state of birth. The 1900 census gives the month and year of birth and the state of birth. Since the informant is seldom known, we need to compare census evidence with other pieces of evidence.

County Histories. A number of county histories were produced in the late nineteenth-century, and they contain biographies with information that was supplied by the individuals who told when and where they were born.

Death Records. Death records usually have primary information for the date and place of death, but the birth information is usually secondary and likely to have errors.

Land Records. Most nineteenth-century births occurred at home. When we have a birth year and we know where a family lived, we can say that "probably" the birth occurred there.

Marriage Records. Typically, nineteenth-century Oregon marriage records did not include birthdate or birthplace. Oregonians who lived near the Washington border often went to Washington to wed. Nineteenth-century Washington State marriage records contained significantly more information, and the birth date and place are often recorded. Historic marriage records for Washington are indexed in the Washington State Archives' digital index.

Mortality Schedules. The 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 census schedules include a Mortality Schedule for deaths that occurred in the twelve months prior to the census day of 1 June. Indexes to these schedules are on Ancestry.com.

Newspaper Birth Announcement. A one-line birth announcement in the local newspaper often gave the birth-date. Published in 1846 in Oregon City, the Oregon Spectator was the first newspaper on the Pacific Coast. This paper and other papers that followed included vital records such as births, marriages, and deaths. The largest collection of microfilmed Oregon newspapers is at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The University will loan films, and a catalog of their holdings is online. URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/ speccoll/ image_ svcs/onp/index.html. Of secondary, but still significant, size is that of the Oregon Historical Society in Portland.

Online Family Group Sheet.  Numerous websites have uploaded family group sheets. The information is seldom documented, and it needs to be verified with other sources, but it is a starting place. The NGS Member Ancestry Charts (MACs) are available to NGS members. They are a massive collection of family group sheets sent in by NGS members since the 1960s. About half of the MAC collection abstract has now been uploaded to the NGS Members-Only section and more data is uploaded daily. Images of the MACs are being scanned into PDF format, linked to the abstract, and uploaded as well.

Tombstone Inscription. Older tombstone inscriptions often give the deceased's age at death in years, months, and days instead of the date of birth.

World War I Draft Record. During the years 1917 and 1918 there were three draft registrations, which eventually included all men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, whether native born, naturalized citizens, or aliens. The draft registration cards include the man's date of birth. Image copies are in the Ancestry.com collection.

CG, Certified Genealogist, is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.