The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory has been updated with links to the following items...
Alabama
- Montgomery County Cemeteries
Arizona
- Arizona Death Records Index 1844-1958 (update: year 1958 added)
- Maricopa County: Double Butte Cemetery Burials (Tempe, Arizona)
California
- Riverside County: Lake Elsinore Cemetery Burials
Colorado
- El Paso County Cemeteries (from the Colorado Tombstone Transcription Project)
- Larimer County: Local History Archive (includes burials in Grandview and Roselawn Cemeteries and indexes for some obituaries)
Florida
- Escambia County: St. John's Historic Cemetery Burial Search (Pensacola, Florida)
Illinois
- Kane County: St. Charles Public Library Local Newspapers Index 1993-present (includes obituaries)
- Madison County Genealogical Resources - includes Cemetery Burials (from the Edwardsville Public Library and the Illinois Digital Archives)
- McHenry County Historical Society Obituaries Index
- Winnebago County Death Index 1844-1981
Indiana
- Morgan County Cemeteries Index
Kentucky
- Jefferson County: Herman Meyer & Son Jewish Funeral Home - Burials and Headstone Photos (Louisville, KY) ongoing project
Maryland
- Early Maryland Probate Indexes
- Allegany County: Percy Cemetery Burials and Obituaries (small older cemetery in Frostburg, MD)
- Washington County Obituary Locator 1790-2007
Massachusetts
- Barnstable County: Barnstable Patriot Newspaper Archive 1830-1930
Michigan
- Michigan Death Records 1897-1920 (ongoing project - not yet complete)
- Delta County Genealogical Society - Genealogy Indexes (includes: probate index 1873-1975, and a cemetery burials index)
Mississippi
- Monroe County Book of the Dead: Cemetery Burials (work in progress)
Missouri
- Missouri Death Certificates Index and Images 1910-1958 (update: year 1958 added)
New Hampshire
- Belknap County: Sanbornton Historical Society Cemetery Burials (ongoing project)
- Sullivan County: Cemeteries of Washington, NH
New Jersey
- New Jersey Death Records Index, June 1878-June 1884 (from the NJ State Archives)
New Mexico
- Bernalillo County: Burials in 4 Albuquerque Cemeteries
- San Juan County Genealogy Indexes (includes an obituary index 1982-Feb. 2000, and cemetery burials)
New York
- Chautauqua County Cemeteries (also has some church death and burial transcriptions)
- Western New York Genealogy Indexes from the Painted Hills Genealogy Society (includes cemetery burials and other indexes for Allegany County, Cattaraugus County, Chautauqua County and Steuben County)
- Northern New York Historical Newspapers (for Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, and Saint Lawrence Counties)
- For more historical NY newspapers see the New York section at: Historical Newspapers and Indexes on the Internet - USA
Ohio
- Clermont County Cemetery Photo Project
- Trumbull County: Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Obituaries Index
Oregon
- Washington County Cemetery Records
Pennsylvania
- Assorted Pennsylvania Cemeteries/WebCemeteries (a collection of mostly small cemeteries in PA; includes a genealogy search)
- McKean County Cemeteries
- Philadelphia County Cemeteries (USGenWeb Archives)
- Potter County Cemeteries
- York County Death Indexes and Genealogy Indexes (update: new URL and new indexes added)
South Dakota
- South Dakota Gravestone Photos (ongoing project)
Tennessee
- Rutherford County Cemeteries
Texas
- Nueces County: Corpus Christi Obituary Index and Old Bayview Cemetery Burials (update: Bayview cemetery added)
Washington
- Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State Cemetery Project
West Virginia
- West Virginia Death Index 1917-1958; coverage varies by county (update: year 1958 added)
- Huntington Herald Dispatch & Charleston Gazette Obituaries Index 1990-2005 (PDF files; has some gaps)
Wisconsin
- Milwaukee County: Wisconsin Jewish Death & Burial Index, and Jewish Chronicle Obituary Index
See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries
For finding online genealogy databases, records and resources. The focus is on vital records (birth, marriage and death records), obituaries, census records, naturalization records, military records and ship passenger lists. Although the blog is based in the USA, online European, Canadian, and other records sources are sometimes included. You may also occasionally see a fun post or genealogy news.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Michigan Death Certificates 1897-1920 Online
The Archives of Michigan and the Michigan Historical Center have made nearly a million death records from 1897-1920 available on their "Michiganology" website (previously at the "Seeking Michigan" website). Update: more years are now available.
You can download copies of the currently available death certificates for free at: Michigan Death Records 1897-1920
For a list of more online Michigan death records and indexes see: Online Michigan Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries
For information about online death certificates for some states, see: Online Death Certificates (USA)
This article was updated on 3 February 2020
You can download copies of the currently available death certificates for free at: Michigan Death Records 1897-1920
For a list of more online Michigan death records and indexes see: Online Michigan Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries
For information about online death certificates for some states, see: Online Death Certificates (USA)
This article was updated on 3 February 2020
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Tips for Finding German Genealogy Records for Your German-American Ancestor
After I posted Tips for Finding Your German Immigrant Ancestor's Hometown in Germany last month, someone asked me what the next step was. She already had the name of her immigrant ancestor's hometown and didn't know where to look for further research. So here are some suggestions that may be helpful...
Is Anything Online? - German Genealogy Records on the Internet
Some German genealogy indexes and digitized records are available online. Here's a handy starting point: Online German Genealogy Indexes and Databases.
German Genealogy Records at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City
I usually start a German genealogy research project by checking the FamilySearch Catalog to see if they have any digitized microfilm records for the place where my German ancestor lived. Doing a "Place Search" in their online catalog for the name of the town can tell you whether they have digitized microfilmed records for that town. You may also want to search for the broader region or for nearby towns.
Be aware that other German towns across Germany may have the same or similar names as the town you're looking for. To help find the correct location you might try checking German maps or German gazetteers.
Church records are often used for doing genealogy research in Germany so it is helpful to know your ancestor's religious affiliation. If your ancestral family's place of residence doesn't have a church they may have gone to one in a nearby town.
German Genealogy Records in Germany (if not available from FamilySearch)
If FamilySearch doesn't have the records you need, then you can try writing letters or emails to local parishes, civil or religious archives, or civil registration offices in Germany. The book, Ancestors in German Archives: A Guide to Family History Sources, can be a helpful reference (try your local library). Some German archives have websites. Many of these are listed in the book, or you might try a Google search for the name of the archive you need. This directory may also be helpful: Deutsche ArchivPortal
The Germany Letter Writing Guide from the FHL may be helpful for writing to German parishes and archives. There will usually be fees for any research requests you have (even if records are not found). In some cases, you may want to hire a local researcher in Germany, especially if you need extensive research done.
Disclaimer: you may not be able find records for your German ancestor using this guide. These are merely suggestions.
The next article in this series: How I Found Some Genealogy Records for My German Ancestors
This article was updated on 12 May 2020
Is Anything Online? - German Genealogy Records on the Internet
Some German genealogy indexes and digitized records are available online. Here's a handy starting point: Online German Genealogy Indexes and Databases.
German Genealogy Records at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City
I usually start a German genealogy research project by checking the FamilySearch Catalog to see if they have any digitized microfilm records for the place where my German ancestor lived. Doing a "Place Search" in their online catalog for the name of the town can tell you whether they have digitized microfilmed records for that town. You may also want to search for the broader region or for nearby towns.
Be aware that other German towns across Germany may have the same or similar names as the town you're looking for. To help find the correct location you might try checking German maps or German gazetteers.
Church records are often used for doing genealogy research in Germany so it is helpful to know your ancestor's religious affiliation. If your ancestral family's place of residence doesn't have a church they may have gone to one in a nearby town.
German Genealogy Records in Germany (if not available from FamilySearch)
If FamilySearch doesn't have the records you need, then you can try writing letters or emails to local parishes, civil or religious archives, or civil registration offices in Germany. The book, Ancestors in German Archives: A Guide to Family History Sources, can be a helpful reference (try your local library). Some German archives have websites. Many of these are listed in the book, or you might try a Google search for the name of the archive you need. This directory may also be helpful: Deutsche ArchivPortal
The Germany Letter Writing Guide from the FHL may be helpful for writing to German parishes and archives. There will usually be fees for any research requests you have (even if records are not found). In some cases, you may want to hire a local researcher in Germany, especially if you need extensive research done.
Disclaimer: you may not be able find records for your German ancestor using this guide. These are merely suggestions.
The next article in this series: How I Found Some Genealogy Records for My German Ancestors
This article was updated on 12 May 2020
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Tips for Finding Your German Immigrant Ancestor's Hometown in Germany
This article was updated on 24 March 2020.
Here are some suggestions where you might find the German place of origin (city, town, or village) for your immigrant ancestor who came to America from Germany. Knowing the name of the town can help you take your genealogy research back to Germany to look for German genealogy records.
Ship Passenger Records (arrivals)
This outline was derived from the "Find your Immigrant Ancestor" section of the Basic Reasearch Guide for German Genealogy. It was created for the Germanic Genealogy Society of Colorado.
You can download a printable PDF version of this outline from: Genealogy Roots Blog Files: Finding Your German Ancestor's Hometown
Next Article in this Series: Tips for Finding German Genealogy Records for your German-American Ancestor
Here are some suggestions where you might find the German place of origin (city, town, or village) for your immigrant ancestor who came to America from Germany. Knowing the name of the town can help you take your genealogy research back to Germany to look for German genealogy records.
Ship Passenger Records (arrivals)
- "Last residence" (name of town) for each passenger is usually given on U.S. passenger arrival records starting about 1893 (this varies by port). All New York passenger arrival records starting with June 1897 and later should have this information for each passenger. Earlier passenger records (beginning with 1820) sometimes list the town of residence for the passengers, but most do not.
- Ship Passenger Lists Guide, 1820-1960s For Ships Arriving at U.S. Ports from Europe and Other Places
- Finding Passenger Lists before 1820 lists many sources for finding immigration related material before 1820
- Germans to America indexes German immigrant passengers for the major ports (New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and New Orleans).
- Germans to America 1850-1897
- The 1850-1897 period can be searched online at: National Archives - Access to Archival Databases - Passenger Lists
- Germans to America Series II: the 1840s (books only)
- New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924
- Also see: Ship Passenger Lists and Records on the Internet
- Many Hamburg departure lists have survived and they usually give the last residence for each passenger.
- For information see: The Hamburg Passenger Departure Lists 1850-1934
- Church Records...
- American church records sometimes give the place of origin of immigrant families - FamilySearch might have some of these on digitized microfilm - check the FamilySearch Catalog.
- Sometimes church records for German churches in America will list the German place of birth of the parents in the baptismal records of their children (try FamilySearch).
- If you don't know which church your ancestor attended look for churches near the address where he or she lived - you can sometimes find addresses in census records and city directories.
- Death Certificates usually give place of birth (often just the country, but sometimes the town is given).
- Online Finding Aid: Directory of Online Death Records Indexes and Death Certificates
- Obituaries - search the local newspaper(s) where your ancestor died a day or more after the date of death
- Obituaries in American German language newspapers...
- List of American German Language Newspapers Online at Chronicling America
- Also try checking at a library in the area your ancestor lived
- Naturalization Records Naturalization records from September 27, 1906 and later usually list the place of birth; Naturalization records before Sept. 27, 1906 generally do not name the place of birth, but a few occasionally will have this.
- Guide to Finding U.S. Naturalization Records
- The 1900-1940 federal censuses show whether an immigrant was naturalized. The 1920 census gives year of naturalization.
- Types of Naturalization Records describes declarations of intention, petitions, certificates, etc.
- Suggested Book: Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States by Christina Schaefer
- Passport Applications - these usually have the applicant's place of birth (although some just have state or country). Not everyone had a passport. Passport applications are available from the U.S. National Archives for 1795-1905 (with gaps) and 1906-March 31, 1925. See the "Guide to Finding U.S. Naturalization Records" link above for information about these records with links to online records.
- County Histories and Biographies
- Online Finding Aid: Online County Histories, Biographies and Indexes
- Family tradition - talk to your relatives
- Family documents, photo albums, family Bibles...
- World War I Draft Registration Cards nearly 11 million (men born about June 1886 to June 1897) of the 24 million total draft cards asked for location of birth (town, state, nation).
- World War II Draft Cards have place of birth ("town or county" and "state or country"). See: Online World War II Indexes and Records - USA
- Records in Germany...
- German Emigration Lists (lists of people who applied to leave Germany)
- Germany Births and Baptisms 1558-1898, Marriages 1558-1929 and other records at FamilySearch These collections are not complete, but they may contain clues to help further your research in German records.
- Places to Find German Genealogy Records and Databases Online
- International Genealogical Index (IGI)
- Determining a Place of Origin in Germany from FamilySearch is a helpful resource
This outline was derived from the "Find your Immigrant Ancestor" section of the Basic Reasearch Guide for German Genealogy. It was created for the Germanic Genealogy Society of Colorado.
You can download a printable PDF version of this outline from: Genealogy Roots Blog Files: Finding Your German Ancestor's Hometown
Next Article in this Series: Tips for Finding German Genealogy Records for your German-American Ancestor
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Latest Additions - Online Indexes for Obituaries and Death Records
This list kept getting longer and longer and so I thought, time to post it...
The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory has been updated with links to the following items...
Arizona
- Arizona Gravestone Photo Project (has over 61,000 gravestone photos from across Arizona)
California
- Early California Population Project (contains baptism, marriage, and burial records in the California mission registers from 1769-1850, documenting nearly 110,000 early residents)
- Lassen County Obituary Index (for various newspapers and years)
- Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Burials 1849-2000 (PDF file)
- Siskiyou County Obituary Index
Illinois
- Adams County: Quincy Historical Newspaper Archive 1835-1919 (update: more years added)
- Sangamon County: Oak Ridge Cemetery Interment Records, March 1858-July 1918 (in Springfield, IL)
Indiana
- Elkhart County: Wakarusa Public Library Obituaries
- Washington County: Crown Hill Cemetery Burials, Salem, Indiana
Kansas
- Norton County Cemeteries
- Norton County Obituaries Indexes
Maine
- Cumberland County: Portland Diocese Catholic Cemetery Burials (ongoing project)
Massachusetts
- Worcester County: Worcester Evening Post Deaths Index 1897-1898 (with some from 1899)
Michigan
- Calhoun County Death Index, c. 1930s-recent
- Hillsdale County Cemeteries
- Kalamazoo County Genealogy Records (includes vital records, cemeteries, probate records and more)
- Oakland County: Machpelah Cemetery Jewish Burials (Ferndale, Michigan)
Mississippi
- Monroe County: Pearce Chapel Church Cemetery
Missouri
- Jefferson County Newspaper Index 1866-1910 (includes birth, marriage and death notices)
- St. Louis: St. Peter's Cemetery Burial Search (St. Peter's Evangelical United Church of Christ)
- St. Louis: Missouri History Museum Genealogy and Local History Index (includes: Missouri Republican death index, 1870-July 13, 1871 & 1880-July 2, 1881, also indexes many other sources)
- St. Louis County: Cemetery Records, St. Paul's Evangelical Church, Creve Coeur
Montana
- Lewis and Clark County: Helena Independent Record Obituary Index Jan-1984 to Dec-2006 (also has some cemetery indexes and other genealogy indexes)
- Yellowstone County: Vital Statistics from Early Billings Gazettes 1882-1901
New Jersey
- Monmouth County Archives Searchable Genealogy Databases (includes Coroner Inquests Index 1786-1915 and other indexes)
New York
- Franklin County Cemeteries
- Steuben County Cemeteries
North Carolina
- Craven County: New Bern Obituaries and Death Notices Index (update: several years added)
North Dakota
- Stark County: City of Dickinson Cemeteries Burial Database (PDF files)
Ohio
- Franklin County: Union Cemetery Burials, Columbus, Ohio
- Montgomery County: David's Cemetery Burials, Kettering, Ohio
- Washington County Genealogy (includes some burials and an index to 17,792 Obituaries 1987-1999)
Oklahoma
- Carter County Cemetery Burials
Oregon
- Multnomah County: Portland Historic Pioneer Cemeteries Search
Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia Jewish Exponent Obituary Database
Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1927 (Update: year 1927 added)
Vermont
- Vermont Probate Files 1791-1919 at FamilySearch Labs (not yet complete)
See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries
The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory has been updated with links to the following items...
Arizona
- Arizona Gravestone Photo Project (has over 61,000 gravestone photos from across Arizona)
California
- Early California Population Project (contains baptism, marriage, and burial records in the California mission registers from 1769-1850, documenting nearly 110,000 early residents)
- Lassen County Obituary Index (for various newspapers and years)
- Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Burials 1849-2000 (PDF file)
- Siskiyou County Obituary Index
Illinois
- Adams County: Quincy Historical Newspaper Archive 1835-1919 (update: more years added)
- Sangamon County: Oak Ridge Cemetery Interment Records, March 1858-July 1918 (in Springfield, IL)
Indiana
- Elkhart County: Wakarusa Public Library Obituaries
- Washington County: Crown Hill Cemetery Burials, Salem, Indiana
Kansas
- Norton County Cemeteries
- Norton County Obituaries Indexes
Maine
- Cumberland County: Portland Diocese Catholic Cemetery Burials (ongoing project)
Massachusetts
- Worcester County: Worcester Evening Post Deaths Index 1897-1898 (with some from 1899)
Michigan
- Calhoun County Death Index, c. 1930s-recent
- Hillsdale County Cemeteries
- Kalamazoo County Genealogy Records (includes vital records, cemeteries, probate records and more)
- Oakland County: Machpelah Cemetery Jewish Burials (Ferndale, Michigan)
Mississippi
- Monroe County: Pearce Chapel Church Cemetery
Missouri
- Jefferson County Newspaper Index 1866-1910 (includes birth, marriage and death notices)
- St. Louis: St. Peter's Cemetery Burial Search (St. Peter's Evangelical United Church of Christ)
- St. Louis: Missouri History Museum Genealogy and Local History Index (includes: Missouri Republican death index, 1870-July 13, 1871 & 1880-July 2, 1881, also indexes many other sources)
- St. Louis County: Cemetery Records, St. Paul's Evangelical Church, Creve Coeur
Montana
- Lewis and Clark County: Helena Independent Record Obituary Index Jan-1984 to Dec-2006 (also has some cemetery indexes and other genealogy indexes)
- Yellowstone County: Vital Statistics from Early Billings Gazettes 1882-1901
New Jersey
- Monmouth County Archives Searchable Genealogy Databases (includes Coroner Inquests Index 1786-1915 and other indexes)
New York
- Franklin County Cemeteries
- Steuben County Cemeteries
North Carolina
- Craven County: New Bern Obituaries and Death Notices Index (update: several years added)
North Dakota
- Stark County: City of Dickinson Cemeteries Burial Database (PDF files)
Ohio
- Franklin County: Union Cemetery Burials, Columbus, Ohio
- Montgomery County: David's Cemetery Burials, Kettering, Ohio
- Washington County Genealogy (includes some burials and an index to 17,792 Obituaries 1987-1999)
Oklahoma
- Carter County Cemetery Burials
Oregon
- Multnomah County: Portland Historic Pioneer Cemeteries Search
Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia Jewish Exponent Obituary Database
Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1927 (Update: year 1927 added)
Vermont
- Vermont Probate Files 1791-1919 at FamilySearch Labs (not yet complete)
See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries
Monday, December 01, 2008
St. Louis, Missouri Death Records Indexes and Obituaries
The online death indexes directory now has a new separate webpage for St. Louis, Missouri...
Online St. Louis Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries
There you will find links to online St. Louis and Missouri death indexes, obituary indexes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some cemetery burial indexes, a St. Louis Coroner's index, ordering information for Missouri death certificates, and more.
For other Missouri cities and counties see: Online Missouri Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries
Online St. Louis Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries
There you will find links to online St. Louis and Missouri death indexes, obituary indexes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some cemetery burial indexes, a St. Louis Coroner's index, ordering information for Missouri death certificates, and more.
For other Missouri cities and counties see: Online Missouri Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries
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