Death Records

Instantly Search Anyone's Death Records Now!

FIND THE RECORDS YOU
NEED NOW! SEARCH WITH ANCESTRY

FIND THE RECORDS YOU
NEED NOW! SEARCH WITH
ANCESTRY

Find Anyone's Death Records Now!

Types of Death Records

When someone dies, the coroner will create a death certificate. This certificate typically lists a cause of death or simply says “unknown” and lists the name and age of the deceased as well as some other basic information. The coroner will usually issue the death certificate within one week of the individual’s passing, but this often occurs much faster. A death certificate is a type of vital record that the government uses to show that the person passed away.

If you are a close family member, you will usually receive a copy of the death certificate from the funeral home. The funeral home can make additional copies that you can give to loved ones and anyone else who needs a copy. This typically costs $25 or more per copy, though you can add those copies to the total cost of the burial and other expenses.

The death certificate is not the only type of record you can view though. You can usually use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to request copies of death records from the federal government, especially if your loved one served in the military. Death records are also available from newspapers that run obituaries and from some online sources.

Reasons to Get Death Certificates

When a loved one passes away, you need an official death certificate before you can begin probate and handle the estate. Probate lets you go through the deceased’s will and find out what he or she wanted done with different pieces of property and other belongings. If the individual did not leave a will, probate lets you decide to do with the things that individual owned, including:

Homes
Vehicles
Furniture
Bank accounts
Expensive jewelry and artwork

You also need a death certificate to close any bank accounts the deceased had and to turn off utilities. Even the car insurance provider your loved one had may require a copy of the death certificate before it will turn off the insurance he or she had.

Another reason to get a death certificate is that it can reveal details that you didn’t know about your loved one. You can add that information to the family tree that you have on your computer. There are a number of websites that also let you create family trees and add more details and photos as you find them.

What Death Records Tell You

The coroner is responsible for determining the cause of death of an individual. If the family does not request or demand an autopsy, the cause of death may state unknown or a general term that describes what the coroner saw. The coroner also has the option of listing a primary cause of death and any underlying or secondary causes. You can find out more from the certificate than just the COD though such as the full name of the deceased and his or her age. The certificate will also state where the person lived and died and both the date and time of the death.

Where to Find Death Records

If you are a direct family member, you can request that the funeral home get copies of the death certificate for you. You can also contact the vital records office associated with the state or county where the deceased lived. Those offices usually do not keep the records online because they want to protect the deceased from identity thieves.

In most cases, the office will ask that you submit an official request. You need to fill out a form with your name and address and list your relationship to the deceased. Some offices will also ask a fee that covers the cost of the certificate and shipping it to your home. Though you will come across websites that offer free or paid access to death records, most of those sites offer minimal access to official records and may not give you the information that you need.

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