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Hawaiʻi - Genealogy Research

 

Birth, Marriage, Death Records

FamilySearch | Hawaiʻi State Archives | Hawaiʻi State Library | Hamilton Library

FamilySearch

Created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch.org is an online database filled with indexes to and images of government vital records such as birth, marriage, and death records. They have microfilmed many internal indexes of vital records from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. Many of these indexes are now partially available online and grouped into the following collections below. Sometimes an image of a record is available online. If you find an index entry for a vital record, you will need to submit a request with the Department of Health to purchase the record or you may be able to get the record when you visit a FamilySearch Center (here are the locations in Hawaiʻi).

Hawaiʻi State Archives

To find vital records at the Hawaiʻi State Archives, use the Vital Statistics Collection, which contains reports of vital statistics and other records (access finding aid for the collection). Many of these records were microfilmed and the microfilms are available online now through the Hawaiʻi State Archive's Digital Archives (access microfilms).  Although vital statistics were required by law, the statistics were under reported, making this collection—especially the early years— incomplete. If you are having difficulty finding records in this collection, review the finding aid (linked above) and consult with the Hawaiʻi State Archives.

Outside of the Vital Statistics Collection, check the Hawaiian Genealogy Indexes at Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library. These indexes cover marriages, divorce court records, deaths probate and will court records, and citizenship records. If you find any indexed entry that does not have a digital copy of the record linked to it, you will need to check the Hawaiʻi State Archive's Digital Archives to see if they digitized the record. If you are unable to find the digitized record online, consult with the Hawaiʻi State Archives.

Additionally, the Hawaiʻi State Archives has an Index to notices of Births, Marriages, and Deaths in the newspapers prior to 1950. This is partial index of notices published in Pacific Commercial Advertiser, Honolulu Advertiser, Friend, Hawaiian Gazette, Independent, Ka Hae Hawaii, Polynesian, and Honolulu Star-Bulletin This index was originally a card index, has been microfilmed, and is partially searchable online via FamilySearch (Search Online but only births). 

Hawaiʻi State Library Main Branch

In the Hawaiʻi State Library's Main Branch Hawaiʻi and Pacific Collection, there are a number of indexes in print and on microfilm of records held at the Hawaiʻi State Archives and the Department of Health. Some of these indexes are searchable in FamilySearch.org. All will be searchable in the FamilySearch centers.

  • Delayed Birth Record Index, 1859-1938 (Hawaiʻi State Library catalog record to see where located) (search in FamilySearch)
    • This index will list family members who applied for a delay birth record under the Certificate of Hawaiian Birth Program. In 1911, this program allowed individuals to get a delayed birth registration. A person born in Hawaii who was one year old or older and whose birth was not previously registered was eligible. There are many births listed in the index prior to 1911. The earliest index entry is 1859 and the latest is 1970. The program terminated in 1972 and was replaced by Late Birth Registration. The certificates and the registration application package are available at Department of Health. The registration application package is also available on microfilm at FamilySearch Centers. These are a great resource for genealogy research because it will have a picture and interviews with other family members and friends who could vouch for the person's identity.
  • Territory of Hawaii Births, 1896-1909 (Hawaiʻi State Library catalog record to see where located) (search in FamilySearch below) 
  • Birth Index, 1909-1914, 1946-1948 and Birth Certificates, 1909-1911, 1921 

UHM Hamilton Library

The only items the Hawaiian Collection has are copies of indexes from the Hawaiʻi State Archives and the Department of Health. These items are partially searchable online and some are available online in its entirety.

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