About Death Records
Together with birth and marriage records, death records make up the category known as "vital records". Genealogists should keep in mind that many types of records should be consulted when researching information about an individual's death, including cemetery, census, church, military, probate, Railroad Retirement Board, and Social Security, all of which are described in other sections of this area. The remainder of this document describes records whose primary purpose is to document the death of an individual.
In the United States prior to 1850, few states had laws requiring that deaths be registered, and the year in which such laws were enacted varied from state to state. The earliest records generally record only the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death.
Records from the 19th century tend to include more information, such as the cause of death, the age of the deceased, the date and place of birth, the name of the parents, the occupation of the deceased, the name of the spouse, the name of the person who provided the information and that person's relationship to the deceased. Race and slave-status may be included as well.
Death records from the 20th century may be even more elaborate than those of the 19th century. They may include sex, marital status, Social Security number, residence, place of burial, and birthplace of parents.
It should be pointed out that obtaining the date of birth, place of birth, or name of parents from a death certificate is risky, given the unreliability of documenting this information years after the original event.
One valuable use of death records is to provide a date and location that can be used to locate an obituary, which may then provide a wealth of information about the deceased.
Another valuable use of death records is to provide cause of death, critical information when you are attempting to document genetic predisposition to illnesses in a family.
Written and contributed by George G. Morgan
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