A Star Is Born

Ruth's death certificate said that he was born Feb. 7, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. Death certificates are usually correct for birth dates but they are far removed from the event. It is only as accurate as the informant's recollection.

In the case of George, he thought it was Feb. 7. It was only when he had to supply a birth certificate for a passport application that he found it to be Feb. 6. In most family history research it is usually the year that is off by one or two - not the month or day.

Fortunately, he was born in Baltimore City. Birth and Death certificates were required starting in 1875. The counties of Maryland started certificates in 1898.

"The earliest certificates contained the sex, race, and number (birth order) of the child, date and place of birth, names and birthplaces of the parents, occupation of the father, and the name and address of the medical attendant. In 1903 the city's Bureau of Vital Statistics revised the form to add a line for the child's name. However, the certificates do not routinely include the name of the child until 1911."

Birth Certificates that are 100 years or less are restricted. We are free to view and print all before 1908. However, we either have to pay the Maryland Archives or do it ourselves. The archive is located at 350 Rowe Blvd., Annapolis, MD 21401. The birth certificates are indexed by the last name and provides the actual certificate number. The microfilm series is described at the link: MicrofilmBirths. The film we want is CM1134-11. We may have to use the 1894 and 1896 films, if we do not find anything for 1895.

The index gives the certificate number as A63400. At this point we can find the appropriate microfilm and print from there or we can view the copies of the actual certificate. The list of certificate groupings is at the link: ArchiveBirths.

* Dates: 1895/02-1895/03
* Description: 3, A63352-A64044
* Accession No.: 50,257-46
* MSA No.: C6-46
* Location: 2/61/1/23

I filled in the form at the desk and they provided the box. After viewing the image I decided that I wanted a certified copy. So, I paid $25.00 for an image with an embossed stamp. The citation is: Birth Certificate, 1st child, male of Geo. H Ruth and Katie Shamborg, 06 Feb. 1895, Baltimore City Health Department Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate no. A63400. {MSA C6, MdHR 50,257-46, 2/61/1/23} (1). Copy in possession of BabeRuthGenealogy.

The date of birth is not the 7th. It looks like a "6" that is over top of an "8". George is the first child born. The only names listed are the parents (Katie Shamborg and Geo. H. Ruth) and the midwife, Mrs. Minnie Graf. Father and mother were born in Baltimore and the father's occupation is a "Lightning Rod Worker". The place of birth is 216 Emory Street.

The mother's name on the birth certificate is a shortened form of Schamberger. According to the Babe Ruth Museum Site, he was born in the home of his mother's father, Pius Schamberger.

The 1899 Baltimore City Directory shows Pius and Gustav living at this address. Pius is an upholsterer. The address on the birth certificate provided clues for other family members. The directory lists Minnie J. Graf, midwife at 827 W. Lexington Street. In later postings we will use census data and city directories to search for people and addresses.

If we did not have access to birth certificates, we would turn to church Baptism records. There may be sponsors who are related.


LINKS:


BabeRuthMuseum

MD Archives

MicrofilmBirths

Archive Births

NEXT POSTING: Baptism Records - Both Of Them.

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