Montana Death Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to deaths from the State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Statistics in Helena for the years 1860 to 2007. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Death
 * Age at Death
 * Estimated Birth Year
 * Date of Death
 * Certificate Number or page number
 * Name of Deceased
 * Name of Father
 * Name of Mother
 * Name of Spouse
 * Place of Death
 * Gender of Deceased
 * Page Number

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of birth or death
 * The place where the death occurred
 * The name of a parent or spouse

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the death index, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information found in the index to obtain the death certificate
 * Search for an obituary in a local newspaper
 * Use the information to locate funeral home or cemetery records
 * Use the information to find vital records such as birth, christening, and marriage
 * Search for the family in census, land and probate records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Montana.
 * Montana Guided Research
 * Montana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Montana Research, 1880-Present

Related Family History Library Holdings

 * the Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration. Guide to public vital statistics in Montana. Bozeman, Montana : Historical Records Survey (Montana), 1941

Related Digital Books

 * Work Projects Administration, Service Division, the Historical Records Survey Project. Inventory of the vital statistics records of church and religious organizations in Montana. Bozeman, Montana : The Inventory of Public Archives, Montana Historical Records Survey, 1942

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.