“DOH’s retention schedules say those have to be maintained permanently”
Yep.
“There should be either original copies or microfilms.”
There was a grant back in the early 80’s for city and county clerks to put the books onto microfilm. This was for two reasons. One, because many of the older books were getting damaged by the public rumaging through them, and two to save room. However, most still let the public use the original books. At this point in time, I would not trust that microfilm any more than I’d trust the microfilmed newspaper announcements. BTW, the birth indexes are NOT off limits to the general public. But, and this is a big BUT, that doesn’t mean that the index can’t be faked. The indexes are put together with loose pages and pages are added as needed, so a page can easily be substituted. Even the original record books and be quickly faked if they are the loose leaf kind and not the bound kind. Of course the bound kind can be faked by someone with the proper materials and access.
Check this out for addresses and resources (did the Health Dept quit making a distinction in registering delayed births in 72?):
http://files.usgwarchives.net/hi/misc/locate.txt
Obituary Daily Times (you’ll know what to do):
http://obits.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/obit.cgi
SS# :
http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi
BTW, what is VDR?
I think VDR might be Vital Delayed Records.
Hawaii only wants the public to see sanitized computer print-outs. And you have to wait at least 10 business days to get even a copy of that. More if they tell you they don’t understand what you’re asking for. Sigh.
At this point in time, I would not trust that microfilm any more than I’d trust the microfilmed newspaper announcements.
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You’re one of the smart ones.