A: U.S. RECORDS
1: Records
2: Location, Maps, Geo
3: Regions / States
4: Timelines & Histories |
B: VITAL RECORDS
1: Vital Rec.
2: Birth
3: Adoption
4: Marriage
5: Death, Obits
6: Cemetery |
C: CENSUS
1: Records
2: By Decades |
D: IMMIGRATION
1: Records
2: Passenger / Nat.
3: Other
4: Migration |
E: MILITARY
1: Records
2: By Conflict |
F: OTHER RECORDS
1: Religious
2: Land, Probate, Tax
3: Court
4: News.
5: Arch. / Lib.
6: Help
7: Misc.
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Goal B5: Explore death records and obituaries.
Death records and obituaries are plentiful sources for ancestor records.
ChoicesVault
A Learn more about death records.
Summary
- Death records contain death dates, birth dates, cause of death, burial information, and more.
- Overview: Learn about the types of information contained in death records.
FS Wiki—Death Records
TH—Important Things You Can Learn from Death Records - 2019 - Watch this video for an overview of U.S. death records.
AAC—Vital Records - Deaths—4:07 - Get an introduction to death records in these videos.
AC—Using Death Records to Learn More about My Ancestor's Life—20:57 - 2011
Death Records for Genealogical Research—85:40 - 2019
- Learn about death records and indexes online.
TH—Online Death Records and Indexes - 2020 - Certificates: Read these articles for a detailed look at death certificates.
AC—Death Certificates
AR—Anatomy of a Death Certificate - 2013 - Learn about using death certificates for research.
LT—Death Certificates: Both a Primary and Secondary Source
AAC—Death Records Case Study: Hiller—2:04
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for death records. Then use the learnings for death record searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
B Explore death record resources.
- Searches: Do effective searches for death records.
AC—Searching for Death Records—20:52 - 2012
AC—Guide to Searching for Death Records—5 pgs. - 2016 - Clues: Find clues in death records that can give you more information about your ancestors.
AC—Finding Clues in Death Records—25:21 - 2012
FHF—Clues on Death Records for Ancestors: Genealogy Brick Wall Research—21:03 - 2020
- Explore the
DeathIndexes site for state-by-state research of death records and indexes. - Learn how to find death information in a variety of record types.
21 Ways to Find Ancestors Death Information - 2020
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for death record resources. Then use the learnings in searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
C Use the U.S. Social Security Death Index to provide ancestor information.
- Learn the basics of the Social Security Death Index. It has death records since 1962, and it provides names, birth dates, death dates, and place of last residence of deceased individuals.
FS—U.S. Social Security Death Index - 2015
AC—Social Security Death Index (SSDI) - Watch this video for an overview of the Social Security Death Index.
AAC—Social Security Death Index (SSDI)—4:57 - Learn more about using the Social Security Death Index to find ancestors.
AC—Social Security Death Index
GTV—How to Research the Social Security Death Index Online—11:17 - 2020
- Access the Social Security Death Index on FamilySearch or Ancestry or MyHeritage or Findmypast.
- Learn about Social Security Death Benefit records.
Social Security Death Benefit Records—5:40 - 2015
- Find ancestor information in Social Security benefit records.
RT—Records Analysis: Decoding Social Security—Providing Benefits to Our Ancestors—20:48 - 2021
FS—Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT) - 2023
- Learn about the SSDI and the Social Security Applications and Claims Index.
LT—Using the Records of the Social Security Administration
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for Social Security resources. Then use the learnings in searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
QUIKLinks
D Find death record alternatives.
- Learn about basic alternatives to death records.
AC—Alternatives to Death Certificates—24:32
- Options: See other available options when you can't find a death certificate for an ancestor.
AC—Can't Find Death Certificates—25:00 - 2012 - Ancestry: Use the Ancestry message boards to read or post questions about U.S. death certificates.
- Missing: Read this MyHeritage blog post for advice what to do when death records can't be found.
MH—Digging Deeper: When You Can't Find a Death Record - 2017
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for death record alternatives. Then use the learnings in searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
QUIKLinks
E Explore online obituaries.
Vault Summary
- Obituaries typically contain death and burial information and may also show family relationships.
- Introduction: Get an introduction to obituaries in the United States.
FS—United States Obituaries
QUIZ - Learn how to find obituaries for research.
FS—Obituaries – A Family History Goldmine - 2019
FS—Top Tips to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person - 2020 - Learn more about obituaries and what they contain, in these articles.
AR—Clues You Can Use; Dissecting Obituaries - 2011
GC—Obituaries: More than Meets the Eye - Watch this video for an overview of obituaries in research.
AAC—Obituaries—2:14 - Clues: Learn about research clues in obituaries.
AAC—Mining Obituaries for New Evidence—Video series
Research with Obituaries: Clues to Look For—112:10 - 2012
- Online: Learn more about online obituaries by watching these Ancestry videos.
AC—The Obituary Daily Times Index and the U.S. Obituary Collection—31:24 - 2014
AC—Tips for Online Grave Digging—23:32
- Explore the Obituaries Daily Times site to search for obituaries.
- Explore the Legacy.com site to search for obituaries.
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for obituaries. Then use the learnings in searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
QUIKLinks
- FS: Currentobituary.com Index, 2001-2004 (More)
- FS: GenealogyBank Obituaries (More)
- FS: United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011 (More)
- FS: United States, Selected GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 (More)
- FS: Obituaries, Germans from Russia, 1899-2012 (More)
- AC: Obituary Collection, 1930-2015
- FMP: United States Obituary Notices
- MH: United States and Canada, Index of Obituaries, 1900-2019
F Make use of funeral home and coroner's records.
- Funeral Homes: Get an introduction to using funeral home records.
FS—Funeral Home Records
GC—Using Cemeteries and Funeral Homes in Genealogy - Learn more about funeral home records in this article.
LT—Finding Funeral Home Records for Your Ancestors
- Here are some tips for searching funeral home record collections.
APL—Death Business: Searching Funeral Home Collections—54:20 - 2020
- Learn about genealogy resources from funeral homes and mortuaries.
BYU—Using the Genealogical Resources of Funeral Homes and Mortuaries—49:49 - 2023
- Burial Records: Learn about various types of burial records.
MH Wiki—Burial Records
How Do You Find Burial Records? - Coroner: Learn more about coroner and medical examiner records.
AC—Wiki: Coroner or Medical Examiner Records
LG—Coroner's Records & Inquest Case Files - Explore coroner records by state on the Ancestor Hunt site.
Exercises
- * Good: Using the articles and videos in this Choice, write down key learnings for funeral home and coroner records. Then use the learnings in searches for a U.S. ancestor.
- * Proficient: Same as above, for two or more ancestors.
QUIKLinks