Funeral home records vary greatly in the information they contain. They may give death and burial date and place, birth date and place, parents, spouse, maiden name, other family members, religion, and names of the person or persons respon-sible for the funeral expenses. It is not uncommon for a funeral home to include a biography or obituary and the names and residences of surviving relatives.

Some funeral home records start as early as the 1880s, although many of the earliest records have been lost or destroyed. Old records may be in the custody of a funeral home currently in business in the area; often, mortuaries that changed hands or relocated saved the old records. Some records have been given to local libraries or societies. Funeral home personnel are generally helpful and are familiar with the locations of active cemeteries and sextons or caretakers you can contact. Telephone calls or personal visits are generally more effective than letters.

The Minnesota Historical Society Library has a directory covering funeral homes from 1911 to 1936.

Minnesota Board of Health. Directory, Embalmers and Funeral Director Holding the License of the Minnesota State Board of Health. (MHS book RA623.83m63).

A few funeral home records are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

MINNESOTA, [COUNTY], [TOWN] – FUNERAL HOMES

An example of the funeral home records found at the Family History Library is:

Kelly-Johnson-Bowman Mortuary (Mankato, Minnesota). Funeral Records, 1926–1930. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (FHL film 1674228; computer number 604819.) Their records give names of the deceased, birth-place, relationship to nearest kin, date and place of funeral, date and place of death, occupation of the deceased, marital status, religion and age. Records also give the names of parents and their birthplaces. Information is not complete in every record.

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