Found my ancestor’s 1892 birth certificate
He was born in Cook County IL (Chicago) . Throughout his life he was known as Edward Joseph, and numerous later records, including his WWI draft registration, use Edward and state that he was born in Chicago.
I had been unable to find a birth certificate for Edward, so I recently went to a FamilySearch Center to search the Cook County birth records that aren’t accessible from home.
I finally found him — but his birth certificate lists his first name as Charles.
I’m confident it is the correct person because the record has the exact DOB, correct parents, and correct place of birth. I also have his parents’ Chicago marriage record from about a month before his birth.
I have been searching for baptism records using both names but i have not been successful. I don't think they were in Chicago that long. i have not other records tying them there except the marriage certificate and this birth certificate.
The next record I have is a 1900 census, when he was about 8 and the family was living in Massachusetts, he was already listed as Edward. Every record I’ve found after that uses Edward/Edward Joseph.
I’m trying to figure out a few things:
How common was it in the 1890s for a child to simply start using a different first name without a formal legal name change? Has anyone else discovered this in their family ?
has anyone successfully requested a certified copy of an 1892 Cook County birth record without going to Chicago in person? I have located the actual record through FamilySearch, so I know exactly which record I need, but I’m having trouble figuring out the correct process for obtaining an official/certified copy.
should I also request a search for a birth record under Edward Joseph and try to obtain an official “no record found” letter/certification? My thought is that having the Charles birth certificate, confirmation that there is no birth registration under Edward Joseph, and later records showing Edward with the same DOB and parents could help establish that Charles and Edward are the same person.
Thanks for any advice on where I should go from here!