Records stamped "For Genealogical Purposes Only"

[adamf]

I just got a packet of documents I requested from Bureau County in Illinois. They are all certified, but are all stamped in red "For Genealogical Purposes Only." Strangely enough, this same county clerk's office sent me other documents back in August without that stamp.

I don't know enough about the "jus sanguinis" process to know if this could be a problem. Will the state of Illinois still apostille these documents if they're stamped "For Genealogical Purposes Only??" The weird thing is, Bureau County only offers certified copies, so its not like I paid for the cheaper "genealogy copy." I paid full price for all the docs and they have this stamp on them.

Should I worry about this??

Thanks all.

[johnnyonthespot]

I just got a packet of documents I requested from Bureau County in Illinois. They are all certified, but are all stamped in red "For Genealogical Purposes Only." Strangely enough, this same county clerk's office sent me other documents back in August without that stamp.

I don't know enough about the "jus sanguinis" process to know if this could be a problem. Will the state of Illinois still apostille these documents if they're stamped "For Genealogical Purposes Only??" The weird thing is, Bureau County only offers certified copies, so its not like I paid for the cheaper "genealogy copy." I paid full price for all the docs and they have this stamp on them.

Should I worry about this??

Thanks all.

Call them up and complain. Tell them you want the correct documents and that you "hope I won't be charged again..."

If your consualate holds to standard practice, they will not accept genealogical use only copies. Also, I am not certain you can get them apostilled (depends on the state).

[Mulé]

The only requirement for the apostille is the "live/recognized" signature. Most county clerks/notaries have their signatures on record. Each state registers their signatories, if the document isn't signed by one of the approved signatories, it can not have an apostille attached. It is the chain of authorization/verification that needs to remain intact.

I am not sure what business of theirs it is how you use these documents. I am not sure the stamp carries any weight either. Almost as to signify that the data in these documents isn't valid, unless used for genealogical purposes only. Doesn't quite make sense.

What documents were in your packet? Divorce or Marriage license applications? Most birth and death certificates come from the state level unless really old and your state hasn't indexed old records yet. So I am not sure the level of impact that red stamp will have. If it is a large concern and affects many documents, I would go back to the county clerk and insist on duplicate documents without the stamp or a refund as per your view the stamped documents don't serve your needs. Bring along the non stamped document to show them, in case they claim it is their policy to stamp all documents.

[adamf]

A few birth, marriage, and death records. I don't have my appointment with the consulate til this October, though. So I've got time to fix this if I need to. Thanks for the input.