In doing genealogy research, many times the death records (death certificate, obituary and funeral home records) can offer a treasure trove of information…not only for the deceased, but on their family members as well! There have been several instances when looking at a death record I was able to find a clue to another member of the family that had eluded me otherwise! Of course birth certificates and marriage certificates are great to have, but don’t undervalue what you can derive from the death records! Sometimes you can find information that can lead you to another source and stay hot on the trail. Here are some of the things you can find from death records:
- DECEASED NAME
- AGE AT TIME OF DEATH
- CAUSE OF DEATH AND DETAILS ABOUT ILLNESS
- NAME OF ATTENDING PHYSICIAN
- TIME OF DEATH
- WITNESSES AT TIME OF DEATH (If any)
- NAME AND LOCATION OF MORTUARY
- DATE AND PLACE OF BURIAL OR CREMATION
- MAIDEN NAME (If deceased is a woman)
- MARITAL STATUS AT TIME OF DEATH
- NAME OF SURVIVING SPOUSE
- DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH
- PARENTS NAMES (And sometimes THEIR place of birth as well)
- NAME OF INFORMANT (And sometimes their address)
- RESIDENCE OF THE DECEASED
- OCCUPATION AND/OR NAME OF EMPLOYER
- MILITARY SERVICE
- RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
- SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (COMMON ON RECORDS AFTER 1950)
Many death records have been uploaded online and many have even been indexed for a searching. Ancestry, MyHeritage, Genealogy, Family Search all have access to billions of records, including death certificates and obituaries.
Remember, it isn’t just about dates and filling in a blank… next time in your hunt, try looking at the death records and help build a better, more complete picture and history of the person that you are researching.
