Delayed Birth Certificates

Delayed birth certificates are a resource that should not be ignored. I have come upon two delayed birth certificates in my research. The first was filed in 1909 for an 1893 birth. The second was filed in 1904 for an 1890 birth. I do not know why they were not initially filed nor what the circumstances were in 1909 and 1904 to necessitate a registration at those times.

Joseph Cassidy was born on 7 Aug 1893 according to his baptismal certificate dated 14 Jun 1918. He was christened at St Gabriel’s Church on East 37th Street in New York City on 13 Aug 1893 with his mother’s siblings Dominick and Maria Benson as sponsors. This was the only official record for his date of birth or so I thought.

I came upon receipt from the Department of Health The City of New York dated 25 Feb 1909 stating that according to the records of this office Joseph Cassidy was born 7 Aug 1893 signed CJ Burke, MD, Assistant Registrar. It took a couple of requests through the mail to the NYC Municipal Archives but eventually they checked the delayed records and found the 17 Feb 1909 delayed birth certificate #483 filing from John McKew, MD 153 East 61st Street.(Dr. McKew was a Catholic doctor born in NYC and reared in the antebellum south to Irish stock parents and moved to New York shortly after the Civil War.)

Joseph Cassidy, male, white, 7 Aug 1893, Jos Cassidy(father), 246 E 35, (born) Ireland, 45 yrs., boilermaker, Bridget Cassidy, Bridget Benson(name before marriage), 246 E 35, (born) Ireland, 40(yrs.), 0 children previously born, 1 now living in all. 

This was curious that he never had a civil birth certificate registered in 1893. He was his mother’s only child but his father’s third child. Both of the elder Joseph Cassidy’s daughters had civil birth certificates to substantiate the dates of births recorded on their baptismal entries. 

Mary Cassidy was born on 22 Dec 1882 at 416 East 18th Street and CE Campbell, MD was the doctor who delivered her. She is birth certificate #356513 and was also recorded in the birth registry ledger book on page 344 line number 13734. For reference her first cousin also named Mary Cassidy was born 19 Sep 1882 at 506 East 14th Street birth certificate number #348688 and recorded also in the birth registry ledger book on page 148. Not every birth was recorded so this reveals the minimum number of babies delivered in the three months between Mary Cassidy and Mary Cassidy. 

Annie Cassidy was born at 338 East 39th Street on 2 Aug 1888 with John McKew(same as 1893 above), MD 231 East 40th Street as the doctor who delivered her. She was birth certificate #24214 for that year. The birth registry ledger book was no longer utilized a short time before Annie’s birth. 

I will never know why the birth took 15 years to register. It did give further credence to the fact that Bridget Cassidy was 40 when she became a first time mother. The family always maintained that she was 39. This delayed recording agreed with the 1853 baptismal register from Ballysadare, County Sligo that Brigida Benson was baptized 3 Jul 1853 and therefore 40 in Aug 1893.

Patrick Goodwin, male, white, 31 Aug 1890, 602 W 46 St, John(father), 602 W 46 St, (born) Ireland, 26 yrs, driver, Catherine, McGinn(name before marriage), 602 W46 St, (born) Ireland, 31 yrs, One child previously born, 2 now living in all. Catherine (X) Goodwin, 532 W 43 St. It was stamped granted 21 Dec 1904 and issued certificate #4150.

My earliest address for the John and Catherine Goodwin family was 660 11th Avenue where they were enumerated with their infant Patrick during the NYC Police Census taken between Sep to Oct 1890. They showed up in the city directory at 602 West 46th Street the next year. I am suspicious of the place of birth especially given the fact that the date of birth and ages of the parents are provably inaccurate.

Patrick Goodwin was baptized 30 Jul 1890 at Holy Cross Church on West 42nd Street. The date of birth on that certificate of 29 Jul 1890 makes far more sense than the 31 Aug 1890 filed 14 years later.

The baptismal register for Clogher Catholic parish in County Tyrone, recorded that Catherine McGinn was born 1 Jan 1860 and baptized 3 Jan 1860. Her husband was born 10 Dec 1860 and baptized the next day. That would make the mother 30 and time of birth not 31 and the father was 29 not 26.

One thing that did agree with the 1888 birth registry from Clogher for their first child was that Catherine (McGinn) McGuigan Goodwin could not write. Both documents are marked with her “X”.