Searching for Death Certificates

One part of your genealogy is to find the death certificate. You will gain great information from this piece of paper. I will never forget when I received in the mail my first death certificate. Here was the information on one of my great grandfather.

To help you in your search I have found this great link to online death certificates. This information is thanks to Genealogy Roots Blog


Online Death Certificates -

Here is a list of some collections of online digitized death certificates or death ledgers (some are free, some fee-based). Note that some death certificate images at these websites may be unavailable because of errors or other reasons.

Arizona Arizona Death Certificates 1844-1958 (free) also includes birth certificates 1855-1933

Georgia Georgia Death Certificates 1919-1927 (free)

Illinois: Chicago and Cook County The Cook County Clerk's office has birth certificates more than 75 years old, marriage certificates more than 50 years old, and death certificates more than 20 years old available online for a fee. The records go back as far as 1872 -- earlier records were lost in the Chicago Fire of 1871. See: Historical Cook County Vital Records - Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates (searches are free; requires a fee to download copies of the records; note that some records may not yet be available online)Also see: Online Chicago and Cook County Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Kentucky As part of their subscription-based collection of genealogy records, Ancestry has digitized Kentucky death certificates from 1911-1953. See: Online Kentucky Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Michigan currently being tested in the Family Search Labs are scanned Michigan death ledgers from 1867-1897. Family Search Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. Note these are not death certificates, but death registers or ledgers. (free)

Michigan Death Records 1897-1920 (ongoing project - not yet complete) from the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan (free)

Missouri Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1957 (free) from the Missouri State Archives

North Carolina As part of their subscription-based collection of genealogy records, Ancestry has scanned North Carolina death certificates from 1909-1975 available for downloading. See: Online North Carolina Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Ohio (beta testing)Currently being tested in the Family Search Labs are scanned Ohio death certificates from 1908-1953. Family Search Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. (free)

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia (beta testing) Currently being tested in the Family Search Labs are scanned Philadelphia City death certificates from 1803-1915. Family Search Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. (free)

South Carolina As part of their subscription-based collection of genealogy records, Ancestry has digitized South Carolina death certificates from 1915-1955. See: Online South Carolina Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Texas (beta testing)Currently being tested in the Family Search Labs are scanned Texas death certificates from 1890-1976. Family Search Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. Very few certificates are available prior to 1903. (free)UtahUtah Death Certificates 1905-1956 (free)

West Virginia West Virginia Death Certificates 1917-1958 (free) coverage varies by county - also has birth and marriage records for some counties

Other States - Death Indexes For a directory of online death indexes, including some cemetery records, obituaries, and probate records see: Online Search able Death Indexes and Records