ANSWER: History of identity documents in the United States

answer: 

Here is an article on searching passport applications for geneology research but gives some good sources on the history of Passports, be sure to check part 5
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/passport/

and this article has the history of adoption birth certificates
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1281475

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