My father's sister was born in August 1900. Her birth certificate had no name because the parents hadn't agreed on a name yet. It also showed that she was A BOY. Whoops! Her family, not wanting to confuse genealogists, the rest of the family and cause future legal problems, promptly had an amended birth certificate issued. This certificate not only declared her as a girl but also gave her name.
The moral of the story is, not all birth certificates are accurate. That includes my wife's birth certificate which declared her birthday as August 27. While her mother went into the hospital on the 27th, that's not when Nancy was born. Nancy took her time and arrived Saturday morning August 28. The local newspaper got it right in the family always celebrated her birthday on 28th.
So what is included in a delayed birth certificate? Following post was from the Riverton FamilySearch center gives some of the details.
Delayed Birth Certificates – A Treasure Chest!
What are Delayed Birth Certificates in the U.S.?
A delayed birth certificate is any birth certificate not filed within one year of the date of birth. There are many reasons for not filing a birth certificate at the time of a child’s birth, i.e. they were born at home, weather issues, travel distance, personal reasons; plus, some rural areas were slow to comply with the requirement.
Birth certificates are relatively “modern” records. The start dates for vital records vary from state to state. For instance, birth certificates were not required in North Carolina until 1913. However, by the end of WWI, all counties were recording births and creating birth certificates. When researching birth records, begin by establishing the State in which birth records began to be recorded.
Why was a delayed birth certificate needed? Passport and Social Security applications required individuals to provide proof of birth.
Why is a delayed birth certificate so valuable?
To request a certificate, the applicants were required to supply “supporting evidence” of the birth date and place. That evidence often contained more genealogical information than a birth certificate filed at the time of birth.
Typical “evidence” could include the following records: baptism, school, doctor’s office, military, census, employment, voter registration, hospitalization, and records of family documents (i.e. family bible).
The information on the application, therefore, could contain additional information beyond what is typically recorded at birth.
• Birthdate and location
• Name, place of birth and age of parents • Applicant’s married name and spouse
• The existence of a family bible and its information • Signature of mother
• Information on the applicant’s children • Location of those listed at the time
• Evidence of a death record
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