Two related documents for Gale Fulghum's son Gary: the Missouri Standard Certificate of Live Birth (with a 1976 certified copy) and a commemorative hospital certificate from Independence Sanitarium and Hospital. Provided by Gary Vaughan Fulghum, March 2026.
Document 1: Standard Certificate of Live Birth
FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY NATIONAL OFFICE OF VITAL STATISTICS
THE DIVISION OF HEALTH OF MISSOURI STANDARD CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| State File No. | 64991 |
| Registration District No. | 146 |
| Primary Registration District No. | 3026 |
| Registrar's No. | 933 |
| Filed | Oct 25 1948 |
Place of Birth
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| County | Jackson |
| City or town | Independence |
| Hospital or institution | San. and Hosp. (Independence Sanitarium and Hospital) |
| Mother's stay before delivery | In hospital or institution: 1 day; In this community: 25 yrs |
Usual Residence of Mother
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| State | Missouri |
| County | Jackson |
| City or town | Independence |
| Street No. | Rt. 1, Box 326 |
Child
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name of child | Gary Vaughn Fulghum |
| Date of birth | October 7, 1948 (10/7/48) |
| Sex | Male |
| Twin or triplet | 1 (single birth) |
| Number of months of pregnancy | 9 |
| Is mother married | Yes |
Father of Child
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Aura Gale Fulghum |
| Color or race | W |
| Age at time of this birth | 25 yrs |
| Birthplace | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Usual occupation | Engineer |
| Industry or business | Jones and Laugh Line (Jones and Laughlin Steel Company) |
Mother of Child
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full maiden name | Doris Maxine Vaughan |
| Color or race | W |
| Age at time of this birth | 25 |
| Birthplace | Buckner, Missouri |
| Usual occupation | Housewife |
| Industry or business | (blank) |
Other Children Born to This Mother (Not Including This Child)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| How many other children now living? | 0 |
| How many born alive but now dead? | 0 |
| How many children born dead? | 0 |
Certification
"I hereby certify that I attended the birth of this child who was born alive at the hour of 4:22 p.m. on the date above stated and that the information given was furnished by Mrs. Fulghum, related to this child as Mother."
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Attendant's signature | M. Etzenhouser |
| M.D., D.O., midwife, or other | (M.D. implied) |
| Address | Indep. Mo. |
| Date signed | 10/13/48 |
Filing
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date received by local registrar | 10-20-48 |
| Registrar's own signature | James H. Drake |
1976 Certified Copy Header
THIS IS A CERTIFIED COPY OF AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENT (Do not accept if rephotographed, or if seal impression cannot be felt.)
THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS DOCUMENT IS PROHIBITED BY LAW (Chap. 193.380 RSMo 1969)
STATE OF MISSOURI, CITY OF JEFFERSON
I HEREBY CERTIFY that this is an exact reproduction of the certificate for the person named therein as it now appears in the permanent records of the Bureau of Vital Records of the Division of Health of Missouri. Witness my hand as State Registrar of Vital Statistics and the Seal of the Division of Health of Missouri this date of FEB 23 1976.
Signed: Herbert R. Domke, M.D., State Registrar of Vital Statistics
Document 2: Independence Sanitarium and Hospital Certificate
Independence Sanitarium and Hospital Independence, Missouri
(Engraved illustration of the hospital building; corporate seal affixed)
This Certifies That Gary Vaughn Fulghum was born to Mr. and Mrs. Aura Gale Fulghum in this Hospital at 4:22 p.m. Thursday the seventh day of October A.D. 1948
In Witness Whereof the said Hospital has caused this Certificate to be signed by its duly authorized officer and its Corporate Seal to be hereunto affixed.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Superintendent | Gertrude E. Copeland, R.N. |
| Attending Physician | M. W. Etzenhouser, M.D. |
(Printed by Ziller of K.C.)
Analysis
Doris's Full Maiden Name
This certificate records Doris's full maiden name as Doris Maxine Vaughan. The middle name "Maxine" does not appear in any other vault document (obituary, DAR applications). This is the primary source for her full legal name.
Gale's Occupation
Gale is listed as an Engineer at Jones and Laughlin (rendered on the certificate as "Jones and Laugh Line"), one of the major American steel companies. This is his first documented post-war employer, consistent with his metallurgical engineering degree from Missouri School of Mines. He was 25 years old and had been out of the Navy for approximately two years.
Independence Sanitarium and Hospital
The hospital, affiliated with the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ), was a major Independence institution. The attending physician, M. W. Etzenhouser, M.D., signed both the state certificate and the hospital certificate. The same physician also appears on Sybil Dora Holt's records and on Clinton Orrill's death paperwork in earlier vault notes, suggesting Etzenhouser was the Fulghum family physician in Independence.
Gary as First Child
The certificate confirms Gary was Doris's first pregnancy (0 other children living, 0 dead, 0 stillborn). Gale and Doris married September 14, 1944; Gary was born October 7, 1948, four years into the marriage.
The Name "Vaughn" vs. "Vaughan"
Gary's name is spelled "Vaughn" on the birth certificate (no "a"), while Doris's maiden name is spelled "Vaughan" on the same document. The family surname is consistently "Vaughan" in other sources (DAR applications, obituaries, census). The dropped "a" in Gary's given middle name may have been intentional or a clerical simplification.
Source
Photographs of original documents, provided by Gary Vaughan Fulghum to Jordan Fulghum, March 2026.