Death Certificates – Begin Your Records Search at the End

Vital records are an invaluable source of information when you are on the genealogy journey. These records include birth, death, and marriage certificates and adoption records. While it may be tempting to start your records search with the birth of a family member, it is actually better to begin with the death certificate simply because it is the most recent record of that person and it may be the only record. There may not be any birth or marriage records for the ancestor you are researching. This means that it may be the most accessible and the most accurate document you can find for that person. You may also need a copy of the death certificate in order to obtain a birth certificate.

Unfortunately, death certificates are generally not as accurate as birth certificates, but they can supply a good deal of information if filled out in full. A death certificate will have the following information:

• Name

• Date of death

• Place of death

The death certificate may also contain the following information, usually supplied by someone who knew the deceased:

• Age at death

• Cause and time of death

• Date and place of birth

• Place of residence at death

• Occupation

• Names of parents

• Name of spouse (including maiden name if spouse is wife)

• Marital status

• Funeral home and place of burial

• Name of physician or medical examiner

• Name of witnesses at death

• Name of informant and relationship to the deceased

The place to find the death certificate is the records office or archives in the state or country in which the death occurred. They are generally only available to the person named on the certificate (how he or she could ever claim it is a mystery) or an immediate family member. You will need to give them the following information (this may vary from state to state and country to country):

• Name on the certificate

• Date and place of death

• Your name and relationship to the deceased

• The reason for your request

• Your contact information

Once you begin at the end of someone’s life, you can trace your way back to the beginning and from there a whole new world of ancestors may open up for you to explore. So enjoy yourself as you journey up your family tree, exploring every branch, limb, and leaf.