Vital Records
Certified copies of Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates are $10.00 each.
OVERVIEW
The Town Clerk serves as the Register of Vital Records and Statistics for the Town of Harvard. The Clerk accepts for filing, and maintains the records of all births, deaths, and marriages that occur in the Town of Harvard, as well as births and deaths of residents that occur in other communities within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Clerk is authorized to issue certified copies of all vital records in his/her custody, as well as to execute adoption and amendment depositions regarding records originating in the Town, in accordance with State Law and compliance with the Department of Vital Records and Statistics procedures
TO REQUEST A CERTIFIED COPY OF A VITAL RECORD:
Requests for certified copies of records may be made by email, phone or by mail. You may also request and pay for a vital record at this link: https://www.harvard.ma.us/home/pages/online-payments Each certified copy is $10.00 by mail and $11.00 online.
To obtain a certified copy by mail, please click here: Vitals Record Request Form. Complete the Request Form and include it with a check or money order made payable to the Town of Harvard, as well as a stamped, self-addressed envelope. There is a minimal turn-around time once the request and payment have been received. You may telephone or e-mail this office first if you are not sure if the record is on file here, but payment is required before we can send a record. Include a photocopy of your license with requests for birth records for minors or for restricted records. Mail form, check and self-addressed envelope to:
Town Clerk
13 Ayer Road
Harvard, MA 01451-1458
TO ORDER A BIRTH, DEATH OR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE ONLINE:
You now have the option to pay for vital records by electronic check, credit card or debit card online; CLICK HERE for the Unipay online payment center.
BIRTHS
The Harvard Town Clerk's Office has birth records on file for all children whose parents resided in Harvard at the time the event occurred, whether the birth was in Harvard or any other facility within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
FORT DEVENS BIRTHS
The following list is for birth records for Fort Devens:
- Station Hospital Fort Devens - records in Ayer - December 1941 to June 1944
- Lovell General Hospital Fort Devens - records in Shirley - July 1944 to January 1946
- Station Hospital Fort Devens - records in Shirley - April 1950 to July 1950
- U.S. Army Hospital, Fort Devens – records in Shirley - August 1950 to November 28, 1971
- Cutler Army Hospital, Fort Devens - records in Harvard - November 30, 1971 to September 9,1974, as well as a few births which occurred sporadically from 1975 to 1979, and from 1990 to 1996.
DEATHS
The Harvard Town Clerk's Office maintains death certificates for those who actually died in Harvard, and for residents of Harvard whose legal residency at their time of death is listed as Harvard on their death certificate.
MARRIAGES
The Harvard Town Clerk's Office maintains marriage licenses of couples that filed their "Marriage Intentions" in our office, whether they were married in Harvard or in another Massachusetts community. If you filed intentions in another Massachusetts community, your marriage certificate will be filed in that office. Many couples require certified copies for health insurance, social security benefits, etc., as well as, proof of name change with the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
STATE REGISTRY OF VITAL RECORDS and STATISTICS
If the record you are looking for is not found in Harvard, or if you are not sure where the record is filed, you may contact the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The Registry maintains a central index of all vital record events (births, marriages and deaths) which occurred in Massachusetts.
A certification or legalization is generally necessary for documents which leave the United States. Common types of documents which require certification for acceptance into a foreign country include documents for an international adoption, diplomas from an American college or university and various types of records and contracts integral to a company which does business in a foreign country. This certification is obtained from the Secretary of State's office. Please see link above.