Vital Records
Under NH statutory requirements and applicable administrative rules, certain older records are open to the public while other, more recent records, are only available when the applicant has a “direct and tangible interest” in the record. The records in the genealogy research facility (open to the public) are in the following categories:
Birth Records – Prior to 1901
Death Records – Prior to 1948
Marriage Records – Prior to 1948
Divorce Records – Prior to 1948
Each town or city clerk maintains the official record for all births and deaths occurring in the town and of all marriage licenses issued. These records are not always indexed.
The NH Bureau of Vital Statistics arranges data by type of record, filed alphabetically by surname. The records for births, marriages and deaths date from 1640 and divorces from 1880. The Bureau has an index by the bride's maiden name.
The NH State Library has a name index to the early town records. Not every town is included and the last date is frequently 1835
Each Superior Court maintains a file of divorces granted by the court.