On March 10, 1913 the General Assembly ratified "An Act to Provide for the Registration of all Births and Deaths in the State of North Carolina." Compliance with this law was less than complete at first. Most births and deaths still took place at home--isolation, carelessness, and the habits of generations inhibited enforcement. By World War II, however, births and deaths were being registered on a regular basis. Development of Social Security and other government programs that required proof of birth date necessitated the recording of births that had occurred prior to 1913 or whose birth in a later year escaped the notice of registrars. Delayed birth certificates were filed if needed for Social Security proof, a passport, or for other reasons. Individuals must furnish documentary proof of birth date or age, birthplace, and parentage from such other records as family Bibles, marriage licenses, children's birth certificates, affidavits of older relatives or others with personal knowledge, insurance policies, school records, voter registration records, military records, and other sources. The certificates show the registrant's name at birth, sex, and date of birth; attendant at birth (if known); birthplace (city & county); full name of father, his color and birthplace; maiden name of mother and her color and birthplace; signature of registrant or his/her representative; relationship of representative to registrant; dated notarization of the registrant's oath of the truth of statements; abstracts of the supporting evidence identifying the proofs by description, location and date; statement of the facts given in each proof on the subjects birth date or age, birthplace, and parentage; signature of register of deeds; and date of filing. Present owners of family Bibles can often be identified by consulting delayed birth certificates. Delayed Certificates of Birth are filed chronologically in the county of birth but are indexed apart from other vital statistics. [Source: North Carolina Research by Helen F.M. Leary, Editor; pgs. 166-170]

There are 4 books of Hyde County Delayed Births:

• Book 10 holds certificates numbered from 1-814 and were filed from May 1941 to the 1950's. Certificates 46, 47, 48, & 708 were Standard Birth Certificates which had been misfiled in book 10. I did not include them in this project.
• Book 13 holds certificates numbered from
• Book 15 holds certificates numbered 1-727 filed in the late 1950's, 1960's and '70's.  Certificate #141 was missing; certificate #189 appears to be a Pasquotank Co. Delayed Birth for Margaret Susan Carver which I did not include in this project.
• Book 17 holds certificates numbered 1-354 filed from the early 1970's up to 2000.

Certified Delayed Birth Certificates are $3.00 and non-certified are $.10 each To order these certificates send a letter with a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Hyde County Register of Deeds
P.O. Box 294
Swan Quarter, NC 27885

Since these records were filed in chronological order, BE SURE to include the Book & certificate number of the Delayed Birth Certificate with your request!