Panel Discussion: the Reduction of Fraud in the Use of Vital Records, Held in the Abbey Hotel, New York City, New York, Friday, June 2, 1961

Discusses early 1960s US official fears about the possibility of vital records (birth certificates) being used to commit passport fraud. On page 8, an official from the federal Passport Office discusses a case of a legally male American citizen who successfully altered her birth certificate to pass as female.

(This image is displayed; the rest of the document is available as a PDF in the "File Metadata" section at the bottom of the page.)

American Association for Vital Records and Public Health Statistics

American Association for Vital Records and Public Health Statistics, “Panel Discussion: the Reduction of Fraud in the Use of Vital Records, Held in the Abbey Hotel, New York City, New York, Friday, June 2, 1961,” Folder “Passport Office/Issues and Controversies/Document Fraud/American Association for Vital Records and Public Health Statistics,” Box 52, Frances Knight Parrish Papers, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.

Shane Landrum

June 2, 1961

June 2, 1961

The documents reproduced here are among the records of Frances Knight Parrish in the custody of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and the National Archives of the United States. Shane Landrum does not claim any copyright interest in these official U.S. Government records.

American Association for Vital Records and Public Health Statistics, “Panel Discussion: the Reduction of Fraud in the Use of Vital Records, Held in the Abbey Hotel, New York City, New York, Friday, June 2, 1961,” Folder “Passport Office/Issues and Controversies/Document Fraud/American Association for Vital Records and Public Health Statistics,” Box 52, Frances Knight Parrish Papers, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.

Digital images by Shane Landrum, June 2008.

New York State birth certificate with message to parents, 1903/1919

This birth certificate for the unnamed-at-birth child of Louis Ganzmann and Anna Bosinger Ganzmann of Buffalo, New York, was issued in 1919 for a birth that took place in 1903. Because this particular copy was issued around their son's 16th birthday, it seems likely that it was used for acquiring a work permit under the relatively new child labor laws.

The more interesting part of this document is its reverse side, which declares that it is an "Important Notice to Parents" and urges them to "carefully preserve this certificate by having it framed." The rest of the text gives a sense of how novel birth certificates may have been for some American parents in the 1910s.

May 26, 1903

September 3, 1919

Purchased from a private seller.

Birth certificate postcard, Virginia, September-June 1914

During the 1910s and 1920s, these postcards were used by the Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics to inform parents that their child's birth had been registered and to explain the importance of birth registration to their child's future.

This card is for the unnamed-at-birth white male child of Joseph Wine and Ellen Lee Wine, born at Flat Rock, Shenandoah County, Virginia on June 27, 1914. It's postmarked in late September, reflecting the relatively slow operation of the state's registration system.

June 1914

Birth Certificate

Purchased from a private seller.

'Your Boy May Be Up Against This,' 1914

C.T. Texas, a young man carrying a briefcase, faces a locked stockade-style gate to the "business world." The sign on the gate reads, "Notice!!! Applicants without birth certificates not considered."

Albert Mitchell for Texas State Board of Health

1914

1914

Out of copyright. Public domain.

“Your Boy May be Up Against This,” Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Texas 8, no. 11-12 (1914) 5.

“Texas Young Men Should be Equipped to Answer These Questions,” 1914

A young man, C.T. Texas, faces a number of questions "out in the world" about his identity. This illustration was part of a promotional campaign for birth registration.

Albert Mitchell for Texas State Board of Health

September-October 1914

1914

“Texas Young Men Should be Equipped to Answer These Questions,” Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Texas 8, no. 9-10 (1914): 99.

Illustration promoting birth registration, 1914

[Illustration of pig and baby]

Importance of birth registration

Shows a pig and a baby side by side. The pig is labeled with a breed-registration number, captioned "registered." The baby is unlabeled, captioned "Not Registered." Below is the question, "Why?"

Agricultural comparisons were common ways that health departments emphasized the importance of birth registration to rural people during the early 20th century.

Albert Mitchell for Texas State Board of Health

April-June 1914

April-June 1914

Public Domain.

Albert Mitchell, “Why?” [cartoon of pig and baby], Bulletin of the Texas State Board of Health 8, no. 4-6 (April-June 1914) 9.

Blanche M. Haines to Ionia R. Whipper, Douglas, Georgia, November 7, 1927

Blanche M. Haines

Shane Landrum

November 7, 1927

The documents reproduced here are among the records of the United States Children's Bureau in the custody of the National Archives of the United States. Shane Landrum does not claim any copyright interest in these official U.S. Government records.

10Mar2008-000000 DSCN5302.JPG

Blanche M. Haines to Ionia R. Whipper, Douglas, Georgia, November 7, 1927, File 4-2-1-2-1, Folder 1, Box 267, Central File 1925-1928, Records of the US Children's Bureau (RG 102), National Archives, College Park, Maryland.

Digital image by Shane Landrum, March 2008.

Ionia R. Whipper, Douglas, Georgia to Blanche M. Haines, November 11, 1927

Ionia R. Whipper, Douglas, Georgia

Shane Landrum

November 11, 1927

The documents reproduced here are among the records of the United States Children's Bureau in the custody of the National Archives of the United States. Shane Landrum does not claim any copyright interest in these official U.S. Government records.

10Mar2008-000000 DSCN5301 Whipper on travel ATL-TX with 'least discomfort'.JPG

Ionia R. Whipper, Douglas, Georgia to Blanche M. Haines, November 11, 1927, File 4-2-1-2-1, Folder 1, Box 267, Central File 1925-1928, Records of the US Children's Bureau (RG 102), National Archives, College Park, Maryland.

Digital image by Shane Landrum, March 2008.

Blanche M. Haines to Ionia R. Whipper, Atlanta, Georgia, January 31, 1928

Blanche M. Haines

Shane Landrum

January 31, 1928

The documents reproduced here are among the records of the United States Children's Bureau in the custody of the National Archives of the United States. Shane Landrum does not claim any copyright interest in these official U.S. Government records.

10Mar2008-000000 DSCN5300.JPG

Blanche M. Haines to Ionia R. Whipper, Atlanta, Georgia, January 31, 1928, File 4-2-1-2-1, Folder 1, Box 267, Central File 1925-1928, Records of the US Children's Bureau (RG 102), National Archives, College Park, Maryland.

Digital image by Shane Landrum, March 2008.

Blanche M. Haines to Ionia R. Whipper, Austin, Texas, February 1, 1928

Blanche M. Haines

Shane Landrum

February 1, 1928

The documents reproduced here are among the records of the United States Children's Bureau in the custody of the National Archives of the United States. Shane Landrum does not claim any copyright interest in these official U.S. Government records.

10Mar2008-000000 DSCN5298.JPG

Blanche M. Haines to Ionia R. Whipper, Austin, Texas, February 1, 1928, File 4-2-1-2-1, Folder 1, Box 267, Central File 1925-1928, Records of the US Children's Bureau (RG 102), National Archives, College Park, Maryland.

Digital image by Shane Landrum, March 2008.