How to Find Death Notices
Check the online Social Security Death Index., Search for city or state death records databases., Look for newspaper obituaries.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Check the online Social Security Death Index.
The SSDI includes the record of anyone with a U.S.
Social Security number whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration.Websites such as genealogybank.com and ancestry.com allow you to access portions of the SSDI free of charge.
You can search the SSDI by the person's first and last name, date of birth, date of death, last known residence, Social Security number, or any combination thereof.If you have limited information about the person for whom you need a death notice, you can use the information in the SSDI to fill in the blanks.
For example, if you are looking for the death notice for your great-great grandmother, and you know her first and last name but not exactly when or where she died, you may be able to find a listing in the SSDI that would provide you with that information.
Once you know when and where she died, you have a better idea of where else to look to find her death notice. -
Step 2: Search for city or state death records databases.
Many larger cities and some states have online databases available for use by the general public.
State death indexes typically go back further in time than the SSDI, so if you're looking for the death notice of someone who died in the 1700s, for example, you'd be more likely to find the information at the state level.
Although some of these indexes are available online for free, those databases typically only cover deaths through the early 1900s.
If you're looking for an older death, you may have to pay a one-time fee or join a subscription site to gain access to the records., Depending on your purpose, a newspaper obituary may be all you need to get details of a person's death.
Keep in mind that for most people, the write-up in the paper is the official death notice.
The death notice generally gives a brief story of the person's life and lists their surviving family members and the arrangements made.
Newspaper staff writers typically create obituaries only for famous or significant people.In small towns, the newspaper may include more staff-written obituaries.
You also might find obituaries or reprints of the death notice in church or community newsletters.If someone lived most of their life in one place, but died in another, their hometown often will reprint the death notice.
So if you're not sure exactly where the person died, but you know where they were born and grew up, try checking the newspapers there.
Some newspapers publish their archives online, while others make their obituaries available on websites such as legacy.com.Several websites such as obitsforlife.com offer a searchable database of funeral home death notices, which for most people would be the notice published in the local newspaper.Some of these websites allow you to search for free, but require you to pay a fee or sign up for a subscription service before they grant you access to the records. -
Step 3: Look for newspaper obituaries.
Detailed Guide
The SSDI includes the record of anyone with a U.S.
Social Security number whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration.Websites such as genealogybank.com and ancestry.com allow you to access portions of the SSDI free of charge.
You can search the SSDI by the person's first and last name, date of birth, date of death, last known residence, Social Security number, or any combination thereof.If you have limited information about the person for whom you need a death notice, you can use the information in the SSDI to fill in the blanks.
For example, if you are looking for the death notice for your great-great grandmother, and you know her first and last name but not exactly when or where she died, you may be able to find a listing in the SSDI that would provide you with that information.
Once you know when and where she died, you have a better idea of where else to look to find her death notice.
Many larger cities and some states have online databases available for use by the general public.
State death indexes typically go back further in time than the SSDI, so if you're looking for the death notice of someone who died in the 1700s, for example, you'd be more likely to find the information at the state level.
Although some of these indexes are available online for free, those databases typically only cover deaths through the early 1900s.
If you're looking for an older death, you may have to pay a one-time fee or join a subscription site to gain access to the records., Depending on your purpose, a newspaper obituary may be all you need to get details of a person's death.
Keep in mind that for most people, the write-up in the paper is the official death notice.
The death notice generally gives a brief story of the person's life and lists their surviving family members and the arrangements made.
Newspaper staff writers typically create obituaries only for famous or significant people.In small towns, the newspaper may include more staff-written obituaries.
You also might find obituaries or reprints of the death notice in church or community newsletters.If someone lived most of their life in one place, but died in another, their hometown often will reprint the death notice.
So if you're not sure exactly where the person died, but you know where they were born and grew up, try checking the newspapers there.
Some newspapers publish their archives online, while others make their obituaries available on websites such as legacy.com.Several websites such as obitsforlife.com offer a searchable database of funeral home death notices, which for most people would be the notice published in the local newspaper.Some of these websites allow you to search for free, but require you to pay a fee or sign up for a subscription service before they grant you access to the records.
About the Author
Robert Cook
Creates helpful guides on lifestyle to inspire and educate readers.
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