Dover, N.J. Free Public Library

Births: Date of birth, birthplace, name, whether legitimate or not, gender, blood-type of child, parents' names, mother's birth name, other children born to the mother, parents' race(s), ages, places of birth, employment, home address (as of the date of issue), and, on a separate sheet, social security numbers of both parents. Additional sources include hospital records, physicians records, newspaper notices and census records, baptismal records and wills.

Marriages: License applications include names, ages, places of birth, current hometowns, occupations, previous marriages (if any), marital status of the prospective bride and groom. Names and birthplaces of the parents of the bride and groom-to-be are most useful for genealogists. Marriage certificates include date, place of marriage, names, ages, bride's family name, surname by previous marriage, if any, and the name of officiant. Additional sources include newspaper notices, wills, church records and census records.

Deaths: Date of death, name, sex, marital status, age, occupation, place of death, birthplace, parents' names, cause of death and date death was recorded. Not everyone has access to the cause of death information on a death certificate. Surviving spouses, care-taking partners, parents, executors or other authorized representatives may see the entire death certificate. Local registrars will need written authorization from survivors or their authorized representatives permitting the researcher to see this portion of the death certificate. Additional sources include funeral directors and cemetery records, obituaries, wills, Social Security and Veterans Administration.