How do you find birth records of someone born 1861 if records only start 1864?

Question:

How do you find birth records of someone born 1861 if records only start 1864?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: You won't. You can sometimes (not always) find out a person's exact birth date from
Death records - Obituary, death certificate, funeral records
Military records
Tombstone (died April 1, 1941, aged 80 years, 4 mo, 5 days)
Family Bible
Church records, if the person belonged to a denomination that christened children within a week of birth. (Watch out for the ones that confrim children at 7 - 10 years old, and adults who get baptized.)

The 1900 US census asked for birth month and year. Other censues just asked for age at last birthday. They tend to vary, but you should be able to pin it down to a 5-year range.

If they live long enough to get an article in the small town paper ("Springfield's Oldest Resident has seen town grow"), it might mention the exact date.

Marriage records sometime give the age of the bride & groom - again, it will be in years and thus not the exact date.