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Using Veterans Affairs ‘BIRLS’ Files for research
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs “Beneficiary
Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS)” Death File,
1850 – 2010, is a Veterans Benefits Administration database
that lists the names of deceased persons who received benefits
while they were alive.
The automated index contains
birth and death dates for more than 14 million veterans who
served between 1800 and 2010. The database records list
veterans who received educational benefits, and survivors who
applied for VA benefits.
Information found in the
index may include name, gender, birth date, death date, the
cause of death (natural or combat), branch of service,
enlistment dates and release dates. The data files are
searchable by a veterans name, event or keyword. It is a
useful tool for genealogical and historical research.
The Veterans
Administration’s BIRLS Death File is a new option on the
“Ancestry Library Edition” database, available on computers
located in the 15 branches of the Palm Beach County Library
System. More information about the “Ancestry Library Service”
at the County Library is found at:
http://www.pbclibrary.org/genealogy.htm .
Accessing State and Municipal Codes Online
The not-for-profit “Public.Resource.Org,”
a public domain codes and archives web site, is a new menu
option added to the Palm beach County Library System’s Legal
Research web site.
“Public.Resource.Org” was
incorporated with the specific purpose to “create, architect,
design, implement, operate and maintain public works projects
on the Internet for educational, charitable and scientific
purposes to the benefit of the general public and the public
interest…”
The site’s “State and
Municipal Building, Fire and Utilities Codes Archives’ heading
is linked to the Florida Legal Resources index of the Library
System web site. Address:
http://www.pbclibrary.org/legal-floridaresources.htm.
Researchers may search an
alphabetical geographic index to find full-text codes for
states and cities. The site includes 2008 Florida codes. For
more information, contact the Library’s Government Research
Service (GRS) section at: grs@pbclibrary.org |
