Where Can I

Get Death Records?

Death records, in general, may be obtained

from the state or municipality in which the

individual died. However, the process of

obtaining a death record often involves a bit

more legwork than simply requesting it.

Death records provide a good deal of useful

information about an individual’s

death, including: the date of death, the place

of death, and the name of the mother and

father. Death records may also include the

maiden name of the deceased’s mother.

Regardless of why you are requesting a

death record, it is important to understand

that state and local governments are the only

entities that issue death records; it is

therefore often practical to head to the vital

records office of the state or city in which the

individual died.

There are many resources for obtaining a

death record; however, the conveniences of

the Internet have allowed many individuals

to obtain information on loved ones and

ancestors that otherwise would have been

quite difficult and time consuming to find.

Most vital records offices accept walk-in

requests; however, because most of

these vital records offices are inundated

with vital records requests, you may

have to wait several weeks before they

provide you with the death record in

question.

With that said, you may also obtain a

copy of a death record through the vital

records website of the state in

question, and you may also send in a

written request for the information.

Social Security Death Index

Another valuable search tool for death certificates

is through the Social Security Death Index. Begun

in 1935, this online database is quite

comprehensive, and it may be particularly useful if

you don’t know the state in which an individual

died. This website, however, may ask a lot of

information about the deceased, including the

name, the date of birth, the date of death, the

social security number, and the state or county of

residence.

The Social Security Death Index is a valuable

search tool, as it contains over 80 million

records of death that have been reported to

the SSA. However, it is important to

understand that the Social Security Death

Index does not have information on all

individuals.

•

Online Searches

There are a number of online

archives, however, that can provide you with

death records in a more convenient fashion.

All reputable search engines will require a

fee; however, these fees are typically very

small, and the search can be completed from

the comfort of your home.

•

Perhaps the most convenient part of using

an online archive database is that you can

search for individuals who died in different

states. In other words, instead of searching

for ancestors using separate state

websites, you can perform comprehensive

searches from just one location.

There are many websites that either provide

links to the appropriate state’s website or

utilize search engines of their own. Either

way, they can be highly useful when

searching for death records from nearly any

time and place.

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