Using Death Records in Genealogy

[Marlon Christian]

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 is 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 is possible to search only by last name,
thereby finding those of everyone who shares a particular surname.
This can be useful in 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 ones, you will have to go through alternative sources.
If you know the town and approximate year in 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 their 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.
The death records of women can be difficult to track down because
during certain periods of time and in different locations, women were
considered property. They belonged to husbands and fathers, and some
had no documented evidence of significant events in her life.
The same problem may arise with a male ancestor, but checking prison
records, probate, military or school records might turn up the
appropriate information on date of death.
Family trees often require some guesswork and estimates to fill in
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 their lives.
Should you find yourself unable to track down exact information, move
on and fill in as much of a family tree as possible. You may find the
missing ones later on or discover enough information to fill in the
gaps with reasonable accuracy.

Search Millions of Public Records: http://www.pubrecs.tk/

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