I warned you.
Last week, I blogged that I would stay vigilant over record availability in Indiana — and last Saturday morning, my worst fears were confirmed.
When I tried to access the Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907–1940 database from home, it was gone from Ancestry’s Card Catalog. Only the older birth records up to 1933 remained:
Alarmed, I drove to one of my local libraries in DeKalb County, Indiana to check if this was just a glitch with the home edition. It wasn’t.
No access. Nowhere.
Then I did what any professional genealogist would do: I asked colleagues around the country — and around the world.
In Michigan? Full access.
In Wisconsin? Full access. In Texas? Full access.
In California? Full access.
Even in Germany? Full access.
Everyone except Indiana still had the record set.
Indiana Hoosiers — the very people whose ancestors’ records these are — are now blocked.
And here’s the kicker:
Indiana’s new 99-year birth record restriction law doesn’t even take effect until July 1st.
There is absolutely no lawful reason for Ancestry to have prematurely restricted Hoosiers from their own historical records.
Why did Ancestry jump the gun? Who knows. But it stinks to high heaven.
And it gets worse. FamilySearch, too, has removed the Indiana, Births and Christenings, 1773–1933 database from its Indiana Wiki pages.
Last week? Still there.
Today? Gone.
Here’s what you now see if you go looking for it:
Shame on you, too, FamilySearch!
What You Can (and Must) Do Right Now:
- SAVE EVERYTHING.
If you find a record, immediately save a copy outside of Ancestry and FamilySearch. I now maintain a separate digital file of all Indiana birth records I’ve located, independent of any online platform. - DON’T TRUST THAT THEY’LL BE THERE TOMORROW.
I’ve gone through my family tree twice to make sure I’ve captured every birth certificate between July 1926 and 1944. NOTE: Some were indexed wrong so play around and others were never included, my father-in-law, for example. - SPEAK OUT.
Let Ancestry and FamilySearch know that Indiana genealogists will not quietly stand by while access is stripped away without warning or legal justification.
The clock is ticking, and history is being erased in front of our eyes.
Don’t think this affects you because you have no Indiana family? Think about this adaption of Martin Niemoller’s poem with assistance from ChatGPT:
First they sealed the adoption records.
Then they erased the mental health histories.
Then they locked away the birth, marriage, and death records.
Each time, we said, “It’s just one set.”
Now the archives stand empty,
And we have no memory left to defend.
I will remain vigilant and continue to speak out to preserve all of our history.