Online Death Certificates - Updated

This article was updated on 12 July 2009.

Here is a list of some collections of online digitized death certificates or death ledgers (some are free, some fee-based). Note that some death certificate images at these websites may be unavailable because of errors or other reasons.

Arizona
Arizona Death Certificates 1844-1958 (free) also includes birth certificates 1855-1933

Georgia
Georgia Death Certificates 1919-1927 (free)

Illinois: Chicago and Cook County
The Cook County Clerk's office has birth certificates more than 75 years old, marriage certificates more than 50 years old, and death certificates more than 20 years old available online for a fee. The records go back as far as 1872 -- earlier records were lost in the Chicago Fire of 1871. See: Historical Cook County Vital Records - Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates (searches are free; requires a fee to download copies of the records; note that some records may not yet be available online)

Also see: Online Chicago and Cook County Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Kentucky
As part of their subscription-based collection of genealogy records, Ancestry has digitized Kentucky death certificates from 1911-1953. See: Online Kentucky Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Massachusetts (beta testing)
Currently being tested in the FamilySearch Labs are Massachusetts Death Records 1906-1915. FamilySearch Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. This database will eventually cover 1841-1915. (free)

Michigan

• Currently being tested in the FamilySearch Labs are scanned Michigan death ledgers from 1867-1897. FamilySearch Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. Note these are not death certificates, but death registers or ledgers. (free)


• Michigan Death Records 1897-1920 (ongoing project - not yet complete) from the Archives of Michigan and the Library of Michigan (free)

Missouri
Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1958 (free) from the Missouri State Archives

North Carolina
As part of their collection of online genealogy records, Ancestry has scanned North Carolina death certificates from 1909-1975 available for downloading (subscription required). And FamilySearch Labs has digitized North Carolina death records from 1906-1930 (free to download). For information on these see: Online North Carolina Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Ohio (beta testing)
Currently being tested in the FamilySearch Labs are scanned Ohio death certificates from 1908-1953. FamilySearch Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. (free)

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia (beta testing)
Currently being tested in the FamilySearch Labs are scanned Philadelphia City death certificates from 1803-1915. FamilySearch Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. (free)

South Carolina
As part of their collection of online genealogy records, Ancestry has digitized South Carolina death certificates from 1915-1955 (subscription required). And FamilySearch Labs has digitized South Carolina death records from 1915-1943 (free to download). For information on these see: Online South Carolina Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Texas (beta testing)
Currently being tested in the FamilySearch Labs are scanned Texas death certificates from 1890-1976. FamilySearch Labs is a pilot program so there may occasional errors or downtime. Very few certificates are available prior to 1903. (free)

Utah
Utah Death Certificates 1904-1956 (free)

West Virginia
West Virginia Death Certificates 1917-1958 (free) coverage varies by county - also has birth and marriage records for some counties

Other States - Death Indexes
For a directory of online death indexes, including some cemetery records, obituaries, and probate records see: Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records