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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1998)
■M M * 1 >>rS^*Y?J¿*ír¡ Page A5 (Eljc Jlortlitnb ©bsrruer An Aid To Locating Vital Records Vital records are just that...vital. We need access to them. In this age o f bureaucratic docu mentation, everyone has need ofcop ies o f records o f birth, death, mar riage or divorce. An application for benefits from the Veterans Adminis tration or Social Security, a passport or marriage license requires not only the information in the records but usually copies o f the records them selves. All these records are stored per manently by municipalities, coun ties, states and the Federal govern ment. We all know this, but where each document is kept is frequently unknown. T he C onsum er Education Re search Center, a national non-profit consumer group, found there was little uniformity on where the records were avai lable and the costs. I n some states, birth records are kept by the city and in others by the county or state. To further complicate matters, often older records are held in differ ent places than current ones. In addi tion, the addresses where the records are kept are changed quite often. The consumer group found many people had difficulty in locating the records they needed. Often, it was necessary to make expensive long distance calls ju st to find out where to write, what information was re quired and how much money to send. For that reason CERC has been pub lishing a book entitled Where To Write Worldwide For Vital Records which contains a state-by-state list ing o f the addresses and telephone numbers o f the archive where each record can be found, the cost o f a copy o f the document and sample form letters containing all the infor mation needed to get these and other vital documents. For those needing information from foreign countries, the book contains a list o f govern ment offices where you can get help in loeating vital records kept in al most every country. Even U.S. citi zens born overseas, on a ship or aircraft can locate the place where their records are kept. CERC found that many people have used previous editions to locate their family trees or roots. For those, the book includes information on the Family History Library o f the Mor mon Church. This library contains over 200,000 volumes o f family his tory records and a list o f almost a quarter-million people who are will ing to share information to help you find your family roots. CERC has just released an up dated 1996 edition. To get a copy o f this useful book, send $9.97 (Plus $2 s&h) to C onsum er C enter-D ocu m ents, 1980 S p rin g fie ld A ve, Maplewood, NJ 07040 or call 800- 872-0121 with credit card. More in formation can be found on the World Wide W eb http://www.planet.net/ cere Robert L. Berko, executive direc tor o f CERC says that originally the book was published to satisfy the needs o f persons applying for vari ous benefits but many others have found it useful. He has received let ters from libraries, coroners, law en forcement, social agencies, credit grantors, collection agencies, stock ownership tracers, lawyers, persons searching for missing heirs, adoptees and those interested in searching their family roots. All these and others have found use fora book that helps them locate and prove the status o f individuals. Many times documents can be used to prove things other than what they record. For instance, one woman wrote to the group telling them that a birth certificate for her child proved her residence at that time in the United States and helped her become eligible for legal residence and citizenship. Congratulations to Jemeiah Harris and Quandrae Streeter, the proud parents of Quandre Deshawn Harris Streeter, Jr. Born April 8, 1998 and weighing 71bs. 9ozs. and 20.5 inches long. MAY 13, 1998 Mural atthe Guardino Building Photo by Norm Whitten Artists Dave England and Jude Cornwell paint a mural on the Guardino Gallery Building at 30th and Alberta. England, an experienced sign painter who applies art on shoes o f vehicles from motorcycles to log trucks, is guiding Cornwell on her first large mural venture. I he illustration, created by Cornwell, is that o f a bird drawn for a bilingual children's look, “El Pajaro Cantor,” seeking publication. Both artists have studios only feet away rom the 12 X 20 foot mural. LOTTFPY V
