Death record research is a basic part of genealogy research. They can be among the most informative records you find, but availability, access, and the information recorded vary by time and place. If you have not yet learned how to use death records in your genealogy research and do not know what they can offer you, here is what you need to get started.
How to Get Death Records
Where and how you can obtain a death record depends on when and where the death occurred. Statewide civil registration began at different times, and records may be held by a state, county, city, town, church, cemetery, or another repository. For a twentieth-century death, the state or local vital-record office is often the best starting point. Who can request a certified copy, what identification is required, fees, and privacy waiting periods vary by jurisdiction. The CDC’s Where to Write for Vital Records page can help you find the appropriate state or territorial office.
In New England, towns often began recording births, marriages, and deaths early, but coverage and surviving records vary by community. A town clerk’s office, historical society, library, or published vital-record collection may be the best place to begin. American Ancestors, a subscription site for New England research, includes many useful sources. For deaths before official civil registration in a particular place, look for church registers, cemetery records, probate files, newspaper notices, family Bibles, obituaries, and funeral-home records.
For U.S. ancestors who died from 1850 through 1880, the Mortality Index: United States, 1850–1880 may provide age, birthplace, month of death, and cause of death. The Social Security Death Benefit Records Index can help verify a death date and last known residence for an ancestor included in the index. Treat index entries as clues and seek the original record when possible.
What Information Is Found in Death Records
Very early death records may have only a name, age, and death date. Later certificates can contain more details, but forms and the information supplied vary. You may find:
- Full name of the deceased and, in some cases, a married woman’s maiden name or an earlier surname
- Name of the spouse
- Birth date or age; age can help estimate a birth year but may not prove an exact date
- Date and place of death
- Names and birthplaces of parents
- Cause and duration of death, if recorded
- Name of the attending physician, if listed
- Name of the informant, often a relative but not always
- Whether the remains were buried, cremated, or otherwise disposed of, along with a cemetery and burial date if recorded
Death records can give you valuable clues about an ancestor and their family. Treat each detail as information to compare with other records, especially facts supplied by an informant. A death record may lead you to an obituary, cemetery record, probate file, or a parent’s birthplace. Start using death records in your genealogy research today and see what clues they can offer.
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