My great grandfather was born out of wedlock in 1884 and I can't find a birth certificate on him. I'm sure we know who his mother was, but we have no proof. Where can I find a birth certificate or didn't they issue them in 1884 or to children born out of

Dear Ms. Winesickle,

Thank you for contacting History Hub!

Perhaps you could try local historical societies as they might have genealogies, family bibles, newspapers, and other sources that are not widely available on the internet.

In the 1800s, in many areas, especially in the U.S., it generally was not required for an individual to register the birth of a child. It is possible that a birth record for your ancestor does not exist especially if he was born out of wedlock. Similarly, in regards to the obituary, not everyone had an obituary published for their ancestor’s death which could be due to many reasons (e.g. cost, family found it unnecessary, no family to publish it, etc.).

If you could provide more information on the individuals and locations in question, we may be able to provide better assistance on where to look for information.

Best of luck in your research!