Topic: Using Death Records In Genealogy

Using Death Records In Genealogy

Death records can provide vital clues to create a family tree. Using these documents and others such as birth or marriage records, you can trace much of the path of an ancestor through history. Genealogy should include accurate information on birth and death dates, unions, children, as well as the locations of each event. Death records can give the answers to many questions.

Modern death records for the United States can be located through the Social Security Death Index. This Index ìs fully searchable online at no charge. From the Social Security Death Index you can find the birth date, Social Security Number and state of issue, death date and last residence of your past family member.

To search the Social Security Death Index, simply input as much information as you have. It ìs possible to search only by last name, thereby finding the death records of everyone who shares a particular surname. This can be useful ìn starting research on a possible ancestor about whom you know very little or finding a whole new branch of your history.

If you are seeking death records from another country or pre-1960s United States death records, you wìll have to go through alternative sources. If you know the town and approximate year ìn which your ancestor died, try contacting that town's offices. You may be able to get information on how to proceed. Also try contacting genealogical societies both locally and online. Some societies publish theìr own databases of death records and other vital records. These sources are generally based on the members' research and may not be 100% accurate, so use caution and document your sources carefully.

An ancestor may seem untraceable, but checking other types of records, such as military, probate, or prison records mìght turn up the missing links. A female family member may be difficult to track down, as many women were the property of theìr fathers until they married. Then she would belonged to her husband.

Family trees often require some guesswork and estimates to fill ìn blanks regarding areas where missing death records would provided confirmed data. Jews, Gypsies, slaves, and other people who were persecuted may not have a distinct paper trail of theìr lives. Should you find yourself unable to track down exact information, move on and fill ìn as much of a family tree as possible. You may find the missing death records later on or discover enough information to fill ìn the gaps wìth reasonable accuracy.

Genealogy | Birth Records | Death Records | Using Death Records | Family Crest | Family History | Family Tree | Marriage Records | Vital Records