American Sentinel Birth Records

How to Search for Birth Records in the American Sentinel

GenealogyBank makes searching for American Sentinel birth records simple. Start your search with the last name of your ancestor and click the “Search” button.

You can also download the “Tips for Searching Newspapers” guide for free to learn about smart techniques that can help you to narrow down your results and uncover those elusive family members.

Follow these steps to perform an advanced search of birth notices in the American Sentinel:

1. Step One – Include first and last names. This is especially useful for searching newer records, which tend to also include middle names.
2. Step Two – Narrow down your search with keywords. Know where an ancestor was born? Add it as a keyword. Know which hospital your ancestor was born in? Add it to your search.
3. Step Three – Know more about your ancestor? Exclude keywords that don’t apply to your ancestor to further narrow down your results.
4. Step Four – Include a year range if you know roughly when your ancestor was born. This is especially important if you have a common last name. It’s wise to use a year range as parents often waited a few months to put a birth announcement in the newspaper. US Census Records also provide birth year information.
5. Step Five – Try changing the sorting order. GenealogyBank automatically orders by best match, but you can also filter by newest and oldest records.

Tips for a Successful American Sentinel Birth Records Search

Older records in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania were not always the most accurate. Only in the modern age did birth certificates include first and middle names. Plus, many records offices took down information orally, which resulted in misspellings and missing information.

Remember, nobody audited records in the newspaper, apart from busy newspaper editors.

If you’re finding it difficult to get American Sentinel birth records, try following these tips:

• Search by initials. Many birth records in the American Sentinel may have only included initials plus the surname.
• Look for common misspellings. Records were often taken down orally, and there were high levels of illiteracy, meaning many people didn’t know how to spell their names. This is particularly important when dealing with names of foreign origin or longer names.
• Look for illegitimacy. Children born out of wedlock were often registered under their mother’s maiden surname.
• Expand your year's search. It wasn’t uncommon for people to be unaware of their real birth date or to lie about it, particularly when it came to war service records.

Finally, if you’re struggling to find a relative, consider searching for siblings or other family members first. Remember, not everyone may have chosen to register births in newspaper records.

How to Get Copies of Birth Certificates in the American Sentinel

Newspapers only made birth announcements. They were never responsible for handling official government records. As a result, it will be impossible to find American Sentinel birth certificates. To get physical copies of birth certificates, you will need to visit the Office of Vital Records, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Certified copies of historical birth certificates can be obtained either via an in-person visit or by mailing in your application.

Here’s how to get real copies of birth certificates found based on American Sentinel birth records:

• Visit the Office of Vital Records in person or print out and mail in your application.
• Provide a copy of a legal photo ID, such as a passport or driving license.
• Pay or mail in a check to cover the fee.

Family historians looking to get physical copies of birth certificates don’t need to jump through many hoops.

Using the American Sentinel as a starting point for your research can help you to nail down those lost ancestors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and build up your family tree.

Other Useful Collections To Try

• US Newspapers Archives
  • Birth Records
  • Marriage Records
  • Passenger Lists
• Government Publications
• Social Security Death Index
• US Cultural Archives
• African-American
• Hispanic Ancestry
• Irish Genealogy Records
• Native American Ancestry
• German-American
• Italian Genealogy
• Jewish-American