Reply #21: I think that must be it.

[murielm99]

What they do in Illinois, where I was born, might differ from other states. And the laws could have changed, too.

My kids were also born in Illinois. The birth certificates I have for them don't look anything like mine. They have a seal and stamp on them, but they don't appear to be originals. I have a feeling that the original birth certificates for my children are in the courthouse in the county where they are born, and they won't be given out to anyone. I could go back and look at what I have for them, but I think I may have given them to my kids. They are all in their late twenties and early thirties now.