[JMS] Let me clarify the situation with Birth Certificates

[Sherrill Watkins]

Friends of the Society: In regards to Mr. James Millen's Birth Certificate,
please be advised that the respective States DID NOT begin to issue birth
certificates until they were required to do so by an Act of Congress in the
year 1912. This is because Congress passed an amendment(I think?)to the
Federal Census Act, circa 1910, requiring Birth Certificates to be issued and
recorded by each state beginning in 1912. Since James Millen was born BEFORE
1912, he initially DID NOT have a birth certificate issued by Virginia. He
would have had an OFFICIAL DELAYED CERTIFICATE OF BIRTH issued sometime AFTER
1912 and BEFORE he could begin to collect Social Security benefits when he
retired. This is a requirement of the S.S. Administration. It may or may not
be possible to obtain a copy of Mr. Millen's Birth Certificate but I will try
to do so. -73- watt