I received this article several months ago from a researcher in Oregon. I asked if I could share it and was told to go ahead. (then I forgot all about it until last night ) May others find this useful. Since it is a long article don't know if RootsWeb will put it on the mailing list. I have used #3 several times with good results. Evelyn "DEATH RECORDS: A Checklist of Ten Documents Every Genealogist Should Own" by William Dollarhide Here are ten places to look for a death record. All ten sources should be obtained for every ancestor on your pedigree chart and every member of a family on your family group sheet. 1. DEATH CERTIFICATE. A rule in genealogy is to treat the brothers and sisters of your ancestors as equals. That means you need to obtain genealogical sources for all of them. For instance, for every ancestor on your pedigree chart, and for every brother or sister of an ancestor, you need to obtain a death certificate (assuming they are dead). If there were six siblings in an ancestor's family, a death certificate for each brother and sister will give six different sources about the same parents; places where the family lived; names of spouses; names of cemeteries; names of funeral directors; and other facts about a family. If a death certificate for your ancestor fails to provide the name of the deceased's mother, for example, a sibling's death certificate might give the full maiden name. How do you get a death certificate? Go to the www.vitalrec.com site, where detailed information about accessing death records can be found. It is a free-access website, and all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories or possessions are represented. Always start with a death certificate because the names, dates, and places you will find on a death certificate will lead you to further records. 2. FUNERAL RECORD. A death certificate may mention the name and location of a funeral director. Find a current funeral home in North America at www.funeralnet.com. This site has the listings from a directory of funeral homes called "The Yellow Book." A funeral record may include names of survivors; names of the persons responsible for the funeral expenses; and, often, obscure biographical information about the deceased not available anywhere else. Modern funeral records are full of genealogical information about the person who died and may include copies of newspaper obituaries, death certificates, printed eulogies, funeral programs, and other details about the person. A reference to a burial permit, cremation, or cemetery can be found here as well. Generally, funeral directors are very easy to talk to and very cooperative. Even if the old name of a funeral home is not listed in a current directory, it should be possible to locate the current funeral home holding the records of an earlier one. Funeral homes rarely go out of business, but are more often taken over by another funeral director. If at one time a town had two or three funeral homes, but only one today, the "Yellow Book" listing is still the source for finding the current funeral home in that town, which can lead you to information about the older funeral home. Funeral directors are also experts on the location of cemeteries in their area. 3. CEMETERY RECORD. If the name of a cemetery is mentioned on the death certificate or funeral record, that cemetery is now a source of information about the person who died. There may be a record in the sexton's office of the cemetery, or off-site at a caretaker's home; and the gravestone inscription may be revealing as well. When you contact a funeral home, ask about the cemetery where the person was buried, and whether the funeral home has an address or phone number for the cemetery office, or at least know who might be the keeper of records for the cemetery. At the same time, ask the funeral director for the names of monument sellers/stone masons who cater to cemeteries in the area. As a back-up, a local stone mason may have a record of a monument inscription for the deceased's gravestone. To locate a cemetery anywhere in the U.S., a special list can be obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) within their Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The G! NIS contains the names of over two million place names (map features) in America, of which about 107,000 are cemeteries. The GNIS website is located at http://geonames.usgs.gov/. Click on "Domestic Names" to search for any named cemetery. 4. OBITUARY. A newspaper obituary was probably published soon after the person's death. Old newspapers from the town where the person died are usually available in the local public library. They may be on microfilm. Find the website for any library in the U.S. at the Libweb-Library Servers site at http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/. If the library responds but says it is unable to look for an obituary or make copies for you, then you may need to find a person living in that town to go to the library for you. One way to locate such a person is to write to a local genealogical society and ask if they know someone who can do a bit of research for you. Most genealogical societies have a volunteer who responds to such requests, and there will most likely be a small fee for this service. A good list of American genealogical societies is in THE GENEALOGIST'S ADDRESS BOOK, 5th Edition, edited by Elizabeth Petty Bentley (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2005; see the following article for more information about this work.) You may also find a genealogy helper on the Internet. Do a place search for people involved in genealogy in a locale near where you need help, drop them an e-mail message and promise to do something in exchange for them. A spattering of historic newspaper obituaries are beginning to appear on the Internet. Check www.cyndislist.com under the category "obituaries" for direct links to websites on the Internet specific to actual obituaries transcribed and made available in various sites. Also, use your browser to search for "obituaries," which should provide names of newspapers, dates, etc., and what may be available. 5. SOCIAL SECURITY RECORD. If a person died within the last 35 years or so, the death certificate probably includes the deceased's Social Security number. With or without a person's Social Security number, you can write for a copy of any deceased person's original application for a Social Security card, called a form SS-5. Since 1935, virtually every working person in America has applied for a Social Security account. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) needs to be consulted to see if the person is listed. Any person who died after 1962 should be listed there. One of the easiest of these look-up services is found at http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/, where a search in the SSDI can be made by the surname or optional first name or the place in the U.S. where a person died. With the name and Social Security number, you can obtain a copy of the deceased's application for a Social Security account, which was filled in by the person and gives his/her full name, date and place of birth, place of residence, name of parents, occupation, and name of employer. For deaths before 1962, the RootsWeb SSDI site is still a good place to start; click on any person to get the form letter asking for a form SS-5, modify it to fit the person you want, and add more details. 6. PROBATE RECORDS. Details pertaining to a deceased person's estate may be located in a county courthouse. These records may provide important information about the heirs of the deceased. Probate records may include dockets (court calendars), recorded wills, administrator's records, inventories of estates, sheriff's sales, and judgments. Microfilmed probate records for nearly every county in the U.S., are located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. To find them, go to the www.familysearch.org site. Do a "place" search for a state, then click on "Review Related Places" to see a list of the counties for that state. The topics listed include probate records, and a review of what records have been filmed can be located quickly. 7. PRIVATE DEATH RECORDS (Insurance Papers, Medical Records, Doctor's Office Records). If the deceased had insurance, there is undoubtedly a record of the death within the insurance company's files. There may be much more information concerning the deceased's survivors and the disposition of an estate. Hospital records are almost always closed, but a close family member may be able to get some information. Records at a doctor's office are also usually closed, but again, close family members may be given access. 8. CORONER AND MEDICAL EXAMINER RECORDS exist for any person who died under suspicious conditions, or for whom an autopsy was performed, or in most cases for people who died outside of a hospital. Coroner records are public records kept at the county level in virtually all states. In addition to the circumstances of the death, there may be vital details about the deceased. Locating a coroner or medical examiner for a county is not difficult. Many have their own websites or are part of a county government website. 9. MEDICAL RECORDS for deceased veterans are public records. The National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center (Military Records Facility) is located at 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100. Write for a form SF-80 to request copies from any soldier's or sailor's military file. Their online website is at www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/index.html. Next of kin to a deceased veteran can access data online. Others need to use the SF-80 to obtain information about the deceased veteran. 10. CHURCH RECORDS. A death record may be recorded within a church's records, plus information about a burial. Check www.cyndislist.com under the category "Religion and Church" to survey what is available online. GO GET THE DEATH RECORDS! A death certificate is not enough, and may not even be correct. If you know a person's exact date and place of death, there are several more sources pertaining to a person's death. If you can obtain these other death records, you will certainly learn more about your ancestors.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I tried to get my step-mother's death certificate and the state wouldn't give it to me. Now maybe the funeral director's record will be enough for what I need it for. Again, thank you! Susan ----- Original Message ----- From: "evelyn cooper" <[email protected]> To: "niagara county mailing list" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 10:07 AM Subject: [NYORLEAN] Articial on Sources for looking for Death Records >I received this article several months ago from a researcher in Oregon. I > asked if I could share it and was told to go ahead. (then I forgot all > about it until last night ) May others find this useful. Since it is a > long article don't know if RootsWeb will put it on the mailing list. I > have > used #3 several times with good results. > > Evelyn > > > > "DEATH RECORDS: A Checklist of Ten Documents Every Genealogist Should Own" > by > > William Dollarhide > > Here are ten places to look for a death record. All ten sources should be > obtained for every ancestor on your pedigree chart and every member of a > family on your family group sheet. > > 1. DEATH CERTIFICATE. A rule in genealogy is to treat the brothers and > sisters of your ancestors as equals. That means you need to obtain > genealogical sources for all of them. For instance, for every ancestor on > your pedigree chart, and for every brother or sister of an ancestor, you > need to obtain a death certificate (assuming they are dead). If there were > six siblings in an ancestor's family, a death certificate for each brother > and sister will give six different sources about the same parents; places > where the family lived; names of spouses; names of cemeteries; names of > funeral directors; and other facts about a family. If a death certificate > for your ancestor fails to provide the name of the deceased's mother, for > example, a sibling's death certificate might give the full maiden name. > How > do you get a death certificate? Go to the www.vitalrec.com site, where > detailed information about accessing death records can be found. It is a > free-access website, and all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all > U.S. territories or possessions are represented. Always start with a death > certificate because the names, dates, and places you will find on a death > certificate will lead you to further records. > > 2. FUNERAL RECORD. A death certificate may mention the name and location > of > a funeral director. Find a current funeral home in North America at > www.funeralnet.com. This site has the listings from a directory of funeral > homes called "The Yellow Book." A funeral record may include names of > survivors; names of the persons responsible for the funeral expenses; and, > often, obscure biographical information about the deceased not available > anywhere else. Modern funeral records are full of genealogical information > about the person who died and may include copies of newspaper obituaries, > death certificates, printed eulogies, funeral programs, and other details > about the person. A reference to a burial permit, cremation, or cemetery > can > be found here as well. Generally, funeral directors are very easy to talk > to > and very cooperative. Even if the old name of a funeral home is not listed > in a current directory, it should be possible to locate the current > funeral > home holding the records of an earlier one. Funeral homes rarely go out of > business, but are more often taken over by another funeral director. If at > one time a town had two or three funeral homes, but only one today, the > "Yellow Book" listing is still the source for finding the current funeral > home in that town, which can lead you to information about the older > funeral > home. Funeral directors are also experts on the location of cemeteries in > their area. > > 3. CEMETERY RECORD. If the name of a cemetery is mentioned on the death > certificate or funeral record, that cemetery is now a source of > information > about the person who died. There may be a record in the sexton's office of > the cemetery, or off-site at a caretaker's home; and the gravestone > inscription may be revealing as well. When you contact a funeral home, ask > about the cemetery where the person was buried, and whether the funeral > home > has an address or phone number for the cemetery office, or at least know > who > might be the keeper of records for the cemetery. At the same time, ask the > funeral director for the names of monument sellers/stone masons who cater > to > cemeteries in the area. As a back-up, a local stone mason may have a > record > of a monument inscription for the deceased's gravestone. To locate a > cemetery anywhere in the U.S., a special list can be obtained from the > United States Geological Survey (USGS) within their Geographic Names > Information System (GNIS). The G! > NIS contains the names of over two million place names (map features) in > America, of which about 107,000 are cemeteries. The GNIS website is > located > at http://geonames.usgs.gov/. Click on "Domestic Names" to search for any > named cemetery. > > 4. OBITUARY. A newspaper obituary was probably published soon after the > person's death. Old newspapers from the town where the person died are > usually available in the local public library. They may be on microfilm. > Find the website for any library in the U.S. at the Libweb-Library Servers > site at http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/. > If the library responds but says it is unable to look for an obituary or > make copies for you, then you may need to find a person living in that > town > to go to the library for you. One way to locate such a person is to write > to > a local genealogical society and ask if they know someone who can do a bit > of research for you. Most genealogical societies have a volunteer who > responds to such requests, and there will most likely be a small fee for > this service. A good list of American genealogical societies is in THE > GENEALOGIST'S ADDRESS BOOK, 5th Edition, edited by Elizabeth Petty Bentley > (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2005; see the following article > for > more information about this work.) You may also find a genealogy helper on > the Internet. Do a place search for people involved in genealogy in a > locale > near where you need help, drop them an e-mail message and promise to do > something in exchange for them. A spattering of historic newspaper > obituaries are beginning to appear on the Internet. Check > www.cyndislist.com > under the category "obituaries" for direct links to websites on the > Internet > specific to actual obituaries transcribed and made available in various > sites. Also, use your browser to search for "obituaries," which should > provide names of newspapers, dates, etc., and what may be available. > > 5. SOCIAL SECURITY RECORD. If a person died within the last 35 years or > so, > the death certificate probably includes the deceased's Social Security > number. With or without a person's Social Security number, you can write > for > a copy of any deceased person's original application for a Social Security > card, called a form SS-5. Since 1935, virtually every working person in > America has applied for a Social Security account. The Social Security > Death > Index (SSDI) needs to be consulted to see if the person is listed. Any > person who died after 1962 should be listed there. One of the easiest of > these look-up services is found at http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/, > where a search in the SSDI can be made by the surname or optional first > name > or the place in the U.S. where a person died. With the name and Social > Security number, you can obtain a copy of the deceased's application for a > Social Security account, which was filled in by the person and gives > his/her > full name, date and place of birth, place of residence, name of parents, > occupation, and name of employer. For deaths before 1962, the RootsWeb > SSDI > site is still a good place to start; click on any person to get the form > letter asking for a form SS-5, modify it to fit the person you want, and > add > more details. > > 6. PROBATE RECORDS. Details pertaining to a deceased person's estate may > be > located in a county courthouse. These records may provide important > information about the heirs of the deceased. Probate records may include > dockets (court calendars), recorded wills, administrator's records, > inventories of estates, sheriff's sales, and judgments. Microfilmed > probate > records for nearly every county in the U.S., are located at the Family > History Library in Salt Lake City. To find them, go to the > www.familysearch.org site. Do a "place" search for a state, then click on > "Review Related Places" to see a list of the counties for that state. The > topics listed include probate records, and a review of what records have > been filmed can be located quickly. > > 7. PRIVATE DEATH RECORDS (Insurance Papers, Medical Records, Doctor's > Office Records). If the deceased had insurance, there is undoubtedly a > record of the death within the insurance company's files. There may be > much > more information concerning the deceased's survivors and the disposition > of > an estate. Hospital records are almost always closed, but a close family > member may be able to get some information. Records at a doctor's office > are > also usually closed, but again, close family members may be given access. > > 8. CORONER AND MEDICAL EXAMINER RECORDS exist for any person who died > under > suspicious conditions, or for whom an autopsy was performed, or in most > cases for people who died outside of a hospital. Coroner records are > public > records kept at the county level in virtually all states. In addition to > the > circumstances of the death, there may be vital details about the deceased. > Locating a coroner or medical examiner for a county is not difficult. Many > have their own websites or are part of a county government website. > > 9. MEDICAL RECORDS for deceased veterans are public records. The National > Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center > (Military Records Facility) is located at 9700 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO > 63132-5100. Write for a form SF-80 to request copies from any soldier's or > sailor's military file. Their online website is at > www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/index.html. Next of kin to a > deceased veteran can access data online. Others need to use the SF-80 to > obtain information about the deceased veteran. > > 10. CHURCH RECORDS. A death record may be recorded within a church's > records, plus information about a burial. > Check www.cyndislist.com under the category "Religion and Church" to > survey > what is available online. > > GO GET THE DEATH RECORDS! > > A death certificate is not enough, and may not even be correct. If you > know > a person's exact date and place of death, there are several more sources > pertaining to a person's death. If you can obtain these other death > records, > you will certainly learn more about your ancestors. > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >