The Hamilton County Health Department Office of Vital Records issues birth and death certificates for those born in Tennessee within the last 100 years and for deaths in Tennessee within the last 50 years. "Certified copy of the original" means it will be on the government-issued blue security paper and have the state seal located on the lower corner of the front page. For birth records more than 100 years old and death records more than 50+ years old, check with the Tennessee State Library and Archives here http://sos.tn.gov/tsla/history