Death Records

With genealogy, you should always start with the most recent events first, and work backwards. Death certificates should be one of the first things you look for when researching an ancestor, before census records, marriage certificates, or birth records.

Death records, from certificates to obituaries, can tell us a lot of information about a person’s life. You can learn the individual’s full name, birth date, death date, cause of death, length of illness, residence at the time of death, and place of burial. You may find out their occupation, their spouses name, their marital status, their parent’s names and mother’s maiden name, and more. But remember - although they are considered a primary and an original source, death certificates are only as reliable as the person providing the information. The informant, whether it was a grandchild, neighbor, or witness, may have been misinformed or may not have known all correct the information. There could also be spelling or transcription errors.

Like with all vital records, states were required to start recording registrations at different times. While Massachusetts began requiring state death certificates as early as 1841, states like New Mexico didn’t require them until 1920. Local counties and towns may have been collecting them earlier. Before you start looking for records that do not exist, look up when your ancestor’s county and state started collecting vital records. Death records not recorded at the town, county, or state level may be found in church records, home sources, newspapers, and other places examined below.

When requesting more recent death records from the government or third-party agencies like vitalchek, you may have to prove your relationship to the deceased or provide ID, sometimes even a signed notary letter, in addition to a small fee.

Types of Death Records & Sources:

  • Burial Records and Registers: May list name, date of death, possibly spouse, location of burial. Usually lines in burial registries (in handwritten or early records) were entered chronologically, in the order they occurred. A registry may be called a sexton’s book.

  • Church Death Records: may include funeral records, notices of church member deaths, final sacraments, burial registers for religious cemeteries. See Church Records.

  • Coroner’s Reports or Medical Examiner Reports: only issued if a death suspicious or reason for death was unknown, may include autopsy results and other findings. Can be requested from county or state where death occurred, or from the coroner’s office.

  • Cemetery Records: gravestone images and inscriptions, cemetery deeds and plots, maps, burial registers, sexton’s records, burial permits, grave opening orders, transcriptions of gravestones. Could be from public cemeteries, church cemeteries, family burying grounds, or veterans burial sites. Cemeteries may have moved over time. Cemetery records may be only record of children or wives’ names. Usually families are buried together, so check nearby plots or similar surnames. Early cemeteries may have different sections devoted to certain groups of people. Match plot records or notes from burial registers with gravestones. Contact cemetery offices directly, visit in person, or look for online records. Please note making gravestone rubbings are no longer encouraged due to the damage they may cause - instead take photographs and transcriptions.

    • Findagrave.com - Find a Grave, free search by name for user submitted images of gravestones and cemetery records

    • BillionGraves.com - User uploaded photos and transcriptions of gravestones, with GPS location tagging to help map cemeteries

  • Coffin Plates: Also called casket plaques or plates. May show the name and date of death, used from the 17th through 19th century. Were displayed at funerals and then taken home as a memento, or attached to the coffin and buried with the deceased. Look for images online, check home sources and relatives’ attics, or browse local thrift and antique stores.

  • Death Certificate: vital record documents issued by county or state department of health at the time of the event. Look up the state, county, or town where the death occurred and request either certified or informational copies, for a fee. You may have to prove your relationship to the deceased if it was a recent death.

  • Death Records and Indexes: May not have as much information as certificates, perhaps a line or paragraph in a book of records from that area, that gives information like the name and date of death, location of death, age, and parent’s names. May also show cause of death, marital status and spouse name, birth date and place, location of burial, and more. Find out the state, county, or town where the death occurred and search or browse for records in that location.

    • Online Collections from State Archives or local historical societies (several links further down)

    • Online Collections from FamilySearch Catalogs: Search catalogs by place, then browse to Vital Records, Town Records, or the appropriate collection

  • Funeral Home Records: The name of the funeral home may appear in an obituary, death certificate, or cemetery records (or the name of the funeral director, which can lead you to the funeral home). Explore the possibility the funeral home may have more in-depth records about your ancestors’ death.

    • U.S. Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847 - Current - Ancestry.com, $

    • Request information from Funeral Homes, if still in business. If no longer in business, find out who bought it - many homes changed ownership and kept records. Check city directories, or local historical societies may be able to help.

    • Local historical or genealogical societies may keep funeral home records in their archives.

  • Home Sources: You may find a variety of sources in your home or that of relatives with information about an ancestors’ death, including family bibles, funeral prayer cards or programs, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, and so on. See Home Sources

  • Military Death Records: Request the Compiled Military Service Records, request or find pension files, look for Old Soldiers’ Home for Disabled Soldiers records. Find them in Veterans’ cemeteries or memorials. See Military Records.

  • Mortality Schedules: created as a special census schedule in some states between 1850 and 1900, though records for 1890 and 1900 no longer exist. Include the details of death of those who died in the year before the taking of the census

  • Newspaper Records: may include obituaries, memorials, news stories reporting of deaths, see Newspaper Records

  • Probate Records & Wills: probates may include date of death, as well as notations of deaths of relatives or children, see Court Records

  • Obituaries: Often written by relatives of the deceased, may paint a broader picture of their lives. May tell many relatives names and show relationships.

  • Social Security Death Index (SSDI) - deaths reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA), mostly after 1962. If you find a record, you can use this info to order a copy of their application for a social security card (SS-5 Application) for a fee.

Old Diseases and Medical Terms

Did you know if your ancestor had “winter fever”, it was likely pneumonia? Likewise, if you see the phrase “long sickness”, your ancestor probably suffered from tuberculosis.

Online Collections of Death Records: from States

States not listed below may have catalogs available through FamilySearch or subscription-based sites like Ancestry.com, or death certificates may be available for purchase through the state or third-party sites.

Online Collections of Death Records & Other Helpful Sources

Transcribed Records

Note these records are not as reliable or trustworthy as primary sources, and should only be used as clues for further research: