United States Death Records

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Death Record
Many experts recommend starting your research with the death record first, instead of with a birth record. The death record is the most recent record making it more likely to be available. Death Records or Death registers can provide burial location, and often the deceased's birthplace. Prior to death registers being recorded at the local county court house, a record of burial could be found in Church records. Church records are still a good place to find records of death. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database whose records reveal an individuals' full name and residence at time of application, birth and death dates and last known residence. For more information about the SSDI see the U.S. Social Security Records for Genealogists page. A death record is considered a primary source.

Death Certificate
The information on a death certificate is usually given by someone close to the ancestor called an informant. Other than the date, time and place of death, a death certificate is taken from the information known by the informant. This makes a death certificate a secondary source of information for things like the birth place and date, and the names of the deceased's parents.

For more information concerning death records by State see the Summary of Death Records in the United States by State page.

Things you may find on a death certificate or record

 * Age at death
 * Cause of death
 * Date and/or place of birth
 * Date and/or place of burial
 * Details about the length of illness
 * Disposition of cremated remains
 * Exact time of death
 * How long in this country or location
 * Maiden name of deceased woman
 * Marital status at the time of death
 * Name of surviving spouse
 * Name (and sometimes address) of informant, frequently a surviving spouse, child or other close relative
 * Name and location of mortuary
 * Names of parents
 * Occupation and/or name of employer
 * Residence of the deceased
 * Religion
 * Signature of attending physician
 * Whether single, married, widowed or divorced
 * Witnesses at the time of death

How information from death records can help research
Dates; birth date and year of immigration can be listed. Places; birth place, address to help in the search for land records, city directories, locate on map and narrow un-indexed census'. Names; maiden, parent's, children, spouses, or witnesses help to find other relatives that you seek. The name of the cemetery and/or funeral home, leads to further information on you ancestor. If death is listed as an accident or killed, there might be a newspaper article about the individual. The mention of cause of death could develop a medical family history for your family.