Online Vital Records News for AZ, IL, MO and PA

Arizona and Missouri Online Death Certificates
The Arizona Department of Health and the Missouri State Archives have both added the year 1962 to their online collections of death certificates. The year 1937 has also been added for Arizona births. See...

Arizona Deaths 1844-1962 and Births 1855-1937 from the Arizona Department of Health; early years may be spotty

Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1962 from the Missouri State Archives

For a list of more online death certificates see:
Online Death Certificates and Records

Pennsylvania Death Certificates Are Being Digitized
Ancestry and the Pennsylvania State Archives have a partnership to digitize and index Pennsylvania death certificates (1906-1963).

April 2014 Update: Ancestry has now begun putting scanned Pennsylvania death certificates online (fee required). For details see:

Online Pennsylvania Death Records, Indexes and Obituaries

Illinois: Cook County and Chicago Online Images Removed
Unfortunately, FamilySearch has removed digitized images for Cook County, Illinois birth, marriage and death records from their website. However, their online indexes for these records remain. The images were removed for: Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922; Birth Registers, 1871-1915; Deaths, 1878-1922; and Marriages, 1871-1920. For more information see this entry at the FamilySearch wiki: Cook County Death Records

Copies of these records can still be obtained online for a fee from the Cook County Clerk. And the indexes for these records (and for some later years) are still available online. See: Chicago Genealogy Records and Sources on the Internet

Online Death Records, Indexes and Obituaries - Latest Additions and Updates

The Online Death Records Indexes and Obituaries website has been updated with links to the following items...

Arkansas
 - Arkansas Death Certificate Search 1935-1961

California
 - Los Angeles County: Pacific Crest Cemetery Burials (Redondo Beach, CA)
 - Los Angeles County: Harbor View Memorial Cemetery Burials (San Pedro, CA)
See: Online Los Angeles, California Death Records & Indexes

Colorado
 - La Plata County: Animas City Cemetery Burials (includes photographs of the grave markers)
 - La Plata County: Greenmount and Animas City Cemeteries - Burials Map (Durango, CO)
 - La Plata County Coroner Records, early 1893-early 1914
 - Logan County: Riverside Cemetery Burials (Sterling, Colorado)
 - San Juan County: Hillside Cemetery Burials (Silverton, CO)

Idaho
 - Idaho Death Certificates, 1911-1937 from FamilySearch

Illinois
 - McDonough County Probate Case Files Index 1833-1925
 - Vermilion County: Danville Jewish Community Obituaries

Indiana
See: Recently Added Indiana Death Records and Obituaries Indexes

Iowa
 - Des Moines County: Burlington Public Library Genealogy Index (indexes birth and marriage announcements, and obituaries in local newspapers from the 1830s-1897)

Kansas
See: Kansas Death Records and Obituaries Indexes - Newest Additions and Updates

Kentucky
 - Boone County Cemetery Registers

Maine
 - Maine Vital Records, 1670-1907 from FamilySearch (birth, marriage and death returns; currently indexed from 1892-1907)
 - Oxford County: Town of Dixfield Cemeteries
 - Penobscot County: City of Brewer Cemetery Records (includes North Brewer Cemetery, Oak Hill Cemetery, and Woodlawn Cemetery)

Maryland
 - Washington County Obituary Locator 1790-2011 (update: more years added)

Michigan
 - Calhoun County: Albion Area Obituaries Index and Riverside Cemetery Records 1830s-present (update: more years added)

Minnesota
 - Wadena County Death Index 1880-February 1994

Mississippi
 - Jones County Cemeteries

Nevada
 - Carson City Recorder Genealogy Indexes: includes birth records index 1867-1957; death records index 1887-1957; and burial indexes for Lone Mountain Cemetery and Empire Cemetery (update: more indexes added)

New Mexico
 - Rio Abajo Area of Central New Mexico - Burial Records (downloadable research papers - 3 volumes) for the villages of Tomé, San Fernando, Los Enlames, Valencia, Peralta, Casa Colorada and Manzano, 1793-1956

New Jersey
 - Warren County: Belvidere Apollo Obituary Index 1826-1914 (update: more years added)

New York
See: New York Death Records and Cemetery Indexes - New Additions

North Carolina
 - Craven County: New Bern Obituaries and Death Notices Index 1751-1927 and 1968-Recent (update: more years added)

North Dakota
 - North Dakota Gravestone Photos (ongoing project)

Ohio
See: Ohio Death Records and Obituaries Indexes - New Additions

Pennsylvania
 - Butler County: Butler Area Public Library Online Obituary Database 1818-2012 (update: more years added)
 - Montgomery County: Lower Merion Historical Society Burial Records Search
 - Philadelphia: Christ Church Philadelphia Genealogy Search (includes Baptisms 1709-1900, Marriages 1709-1913, and Burials 1709-1900)
 - Westmoreland County Estate and Marriage License Search

South Carolina
 - South Carolina Death Index 1915-1961 (update: years 1960 and 1961 added)

South Dakota
 - Pennington County: Rapid City Society for Genealogical Research - Online Indexes (includes: Rapid City Journal Obituaries Index 1970-2010 and Behrens' Mortuary Indexes 1879-1971)

Tennessee
 - Sumner County Genealogy Indexes (includes cemeteries and funeral home records)

Texas
 - Texas Death Records 1977-1986 from FamilySearch (not yet fully indexed; includes digitized copies of the death certificates)
 - Lamar County Death and Cemetery Records Database (update: more entries added)

Virginia
 - Arlington County: Arlington National Cemetery Burials (from the official website of Arlington National Cemetery)
 - Fairfax County: Civil War Veterans Buried in Fairfax County, Virginia

Wisconsin
 - Forest County: Crandon Public Library Local History Obituary Index 1890-1925, 1992-1994, 2001-2003 and 2005-recent (update: more years added)
 - Green Bay Area Research Center Genealogy Indexes; includes: Brown County Wills and Probate Case Files, 1821-1976; Oconto County Wills and Probate Case Files, 1857-1952; Outagamie County Probate Case Files, 1853-1958 (listed in the Brown County section)
 - La Crosse Public Library Genealogy Index; indexes obituaries 1904-1960, 1968-1969, and 1983-present; also has indexes for birth, marriage, divorce and cemetery records (update: more years added)
 - Walworth County: Lake Geneva Public Library Obituary and Birth Announcement Indexes

This is a list of the most recent additions. There are many more links for death records indexes at: Online Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Kansas Death Records and Obituaries Indexes - Newest Additions and Updates

Links to the items listed below were recently updated or added to:
Online Kansas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries ...

Kansas Death Indexes - Newest Additions
 - Douglas County: City of Lawrence Cemetery Records Search (includes Maple Grove Cemetery, Memorial Park Cemetery, Oak Hill Cemetery, and Memorial Park Mausoleum)
 - Franklin County: Wellsville Cemetery Records (includes Wellsville Cemetery, Rock Creek Cemetery and Walnut Creek Cemetery)
 - McPherson County: McPherson City Cemetery Burials
 - Sedgwick County: Wichita Eagle & Beacon Obituary Index 1955-2011 (update: more years added)
 - Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Obituaries Index 1906-present (update: more years added)

New York Death Records and Cemetery Indexes - New Additions

Links to the items listed below were recently added to:
Online New York Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

New York Death Indexes - Latest Additions
 - New York State Deaths 1957-1962 (free downloadable data file; not searchable online; does not include New York City)
 - New York Gravestone Photos (ongoing project)
 - Monroe County: Rochester Genealogical Society Church Records (includes: "Index to Episcopal Church Records of Rochester 1820-1851," and scanned images for some other church records)
 - Queens: Cedar Grove Cemetery Burials (Flushing, NY)
 - Queens: Prospect Cemetery Burials (at York College Campus, Jamaica, Long Island, New York)
 - For the above two items (Queens) see: Online New York City Death Records and Indexes

Ohio Death Records and Obituaries Indexes - New Additions

Links to the items listed below were recently updated or added to:
Online Ohio Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries ...

Ohio Death Indexes - Newest Additions
 - Belmont County Death Index 1867-1908
 - Columbiana County: Salem News Obituaries Index 1955-2012, and Grandview Cemetery Association Burial Database (update: more years added to the obituaries index)
 - Geauga County Births and Deaths 1867-1908
 - Henry County Genealogical Society Databases
 - Stark County: Alliance Review Obituaries Index; coverage is spotty 1871-1948; full coverage from 1949-present (update: more years added)
 - Summit County: Barberton Public Library Obituaries Indexes
 - Trumbull County: Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Obituaries Index, 1900-1949, 1970, part of 1980, 1981 & 1987-2009 (update: more years added)

Recently Added Indiana Death Records and Obituaries Indexes

Links to the items listed below were recently added to:
Online Indiana Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries ...

Indiana Death Indexes - Newest Additions
 - Fayette County Public Library Obituary Finder
 - Franklin County WPA Death Records Index 1882-1920
 - Hancock County WPA Death Index 1882-1920
 - Knox County: Early Vincennes 1732-1835 (includes some digitized probate records 1790-1820s)
 - Kosciusko County: Countywide Cemetery Preservation Digital Photo Project (ongoing project; currently has photos and text from 66 cemeteries)
 - Kosciusko County USGenWeb Genealogy Indexes (includes WPA Death Records Transcription 1882-1920, Wills, Obituaries and other items)
 - Kosciusko County: North Webster Community Public Library Cemetery and Obituary Indexes

Online Military Records and Indexes Website - Latest Additions

The Online Military Records and Indexes website has been updated with links to the following...

Revolutionary War
 - Indiana Society Sons of the American Revolution Patriot Graves Registry

War of 1812
 - National Society United States Daughters of 1812 Ancestor Database
 - Pennsylvania: War of 1812 Index of Soldiers

Mexican War
 - Indiana Mexican War Veterans (from the Indiana Digital Archives)
 - New York: Pension Claims of First N.Y. Regiment Volunteers Who Fought in the Mexican War

Civil War
 - Indiana Civil War Muster Rolls Index (213,000 entries; from the Indiana State Digital Archives)
 - Kentucky Confederate Pensions 1912-1946
 - Mississippi Confederate Pension Applications, 1889-1932 (about 36,000 applications arranged alphabetically by name)
 - New Jersey Civil War Gravestones Database
 - North Carolina Civil War Confederate Soldiers and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1953 at FamilySearch
 - Pennsylvania: Registers of Pennsylvania Civil War Volunteers, 1861-1865 (PDF images; not indexed)
 - South Dakota: Special Census of Civil War Veterans Living in Dakota Territory (South Dakota) in 1885

World War I
 - Mississippi World War I Statement of Service Cards and Indices
 - World War I Draft Registrations for Northern Virginia (Draft registrations from the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Fairfax County)

World War II
 - World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) at FamilySearch (includes digitized images) update: more states added
 - Georgia World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1942 for individuals born between 1897 and 1929 (at FamilySearch)
 - Indiana - St. Joseph County: South Bend Tribune Service Notes Database for World War II, Korea and Vietnam
 - Oklahoma Military Deaths - WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam

Korean War
 - Arkansas Korean War Project

Vietnam War
 - Michigan Military Personnel Who Died in the Vietnam War

This is a list of the most recent additions. There are many more military records links at: Online Military Indexes and Records

Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes - Latest Additions and Updates

The Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes List (USA) has recently been updated. Here are the latest additions and updates:

Arizona
 - Arizona Death Records Index 1844-1961 and Birth Index 1855-1936 (update: year 1961 added to death index and 1936 added to birth index)

Arkansas
 - Washington County Marriage Record Search 1845-1941 (includes scanned images)

California
 - California Birth Index 1905-1995 at FamilySearch
See: Online California Vital Records Indexes

Colorado
 - Colorado Statewide Marriage Index 1900-1939 at FamilySearch (browsable images)
See: Colorado Genealogy Records and Indexes on the Internet

Indiana
 - Indiana Marriage Records Index 1811-1959 from FamilySearch for assorted counties (update: more counties added)
See: Online Indiana Vital Records Indexes for Birth, Marriage & Death Records

Kentucky
 - Campbell County Marriage License Index

Louisiana
 - Caddo Parish & Shreveport Marriage Index, March 3, 1920-present (update: more years added)

Michigan
 - Michigan Births, 1867-1902 - Index and Images from FamilySearch
 - St. Joseph County Marriage Index 1889-1925

New Mexico
 - Bernalillo County Marriage Index 1888-Recent; includes Albuquerque

New York
 - New York City Birth Records Index 1880-1909 (update: more years added)
See: New York Vital Records Indexes & Genealogy Records on the Internet

Ohio
 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994 at FamilySearch (does not include all counties; coverage varies by county)
 - Hamilton County: Cincinnati Birth and Death Records 1865-1912 (includes digital images)
 - Miami County Marriage Index 1807-1865
See: Online Ohio Vital Records Indexes

Pennsylvania
 - Pennsylvania Statewide Marriage Records 1885-1889
 - Bucks County Marriage Records Index 1885-present
 - Montgomery County Marriage License and Probate Case Search 1990s-present
See: Online Pennsylvania Vital Records Indexes - Birth, Marriage & Death Records

South Carolina
 - Richland County (includes Columbia) Marriage License Search, July 1911-present

Tennessee
 - Shelby County (Memphis) Marriages 1820-1970 and 1920-1989; partial; (update: more years added)

Texas
 - Williamson County Clerk - Search Birth, Marriage and Death Records
See: Online Texas Vital Records Indexes

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For links to the above items see: Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes

Online Indexes for Death Records, Cemeteries and Obituaries - Latest Additions

The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Directory (USA) has been updated with links to the following items...

California
 - California Death Index 1905-1939 at FamilySearch (browsable images arranged alphabetically by name)
 - Los Angeles County: Mt. Olive and Broadway Cemetery Burials (Whittier, CA); See: Online Los Angeles County Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries
 - Sacramento County Burial Grounds: Indigent Burials (large PDF file)
 - San Joaquin County Public Library Obituary Index, 1850-1991 (from FamilySearch) includes digitized images of the obituaries

Colorado
 - Arapahoe County: Mount Nebo Memorial Park - Cemetery Burials (in Aurora, Colorado)

Florida
 - Palm Beach County Official Records Search 1968-recent (includes marriage licenses and some estate death certificates)

Georgia
 - Richmond County: Augusta Graveside Project (burials in city maintained cemeteries; work in progress)

Illinois
 - DeKalb County Online Genealogy Search; for birth certificates (75 years or older), marriage licenses (50 years or older), death certificates (20 years or older) and naturalization certificates (100 years or older)
 - McDonough County Probate Case Files Index 1833-1925
 - Sangamon County Probate Case Files Index 1821-1906 (update: more years added)

Iowa
 - State Historical Society of Iowa Death Indexes c.1917-c.1933 (PDF files for some Iowa counties; coverage varies by county)
 - Louisa County Cemeteries

Kentucky
 - Jessamine County: Maple Grove Cemetery Burials (in Nicholasville, KY)
 - Meade County Cemetery Inscriptions

Massachusetts
 - Bristol County: Fall River Herald News Obituary Index 1951-2010 (some years missing; Excel files)
 - Suffolk County: Boston Globe and Herald Obituary Database 1953-2010 (indexes full length obituaries only, no death notices) update: more years added

Michigan
 - Menominee County: Riverside Cemetery Burials (in Menominee, Michigan)
 - Oakland County: Farmington Library Obituaries Index 1890-1999 (also indexes some marriages and cemetery burials)
 - Wayne County Death Records Indexes 1934-1953 (excluding the City of Detroit); See: Online Detroit and Wayne County Death Records and Indexes

Minnesota
 - Norman County Death Index 1871-1981 (also has other genealogy indexes)
 - Sherburne County Genealogy Indexes (includes indexes for obituaries, deaths 1870-1923, cemetery burials and more)

Missouri
 - Missouri Death Certificates Index and Images 1910-1961 (update: year 1961 added)
 - Jackson County: City of Lee's Summit Cemetery Map (includes burial search; requires Flash)
 - St. Louis: Bellefontaine Cemetery Association Map (includes burial search; requires Flash)
 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Obituary Index (covers 1880-1930, 1942-1945, 1960-1969, and 1992-2011) update: year 2011 added
 - for the above 2, see: Online St. Louis, Missouri Death Records, Indexes & Obituaries

New Hampshire
 - Sullivan County: A Survey of Springfield, New Hampshire's Small Cemeteries and Single Graves

New Mexico
 - New Mexico: County Death Records 1907-1952, for Sandoval, Socorro, and Valencia Counties (browsable images; coverage varies by county) from FamilySearch

New Jersey
 - New Jersey Death Records Index, June 1878-June 1888 (update: more months added)

Ohio
 - Montgomery County: Calvary Cemetery Burials (Catholic Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio)

Pennsylvania
 - Pennsylvania Death Records Indexes 1906-1961 (PDF files; you must search each year separately; for some years surnames are listed by Soundex code)
 - Blair County Death Records Indexes (from the Blair County Genealogical Society)
 - Delaware County Archives (includes indexes for births, marriages, deaths, wills, veteran's graves and other items)
 - Westmoreland County: Baltzer Meyer Historical Society Index of Obituaries (for Greensburg, Pennsylvania)

Texas
- Dallas Area Cemeteries (from the Dallas Genealogical Society)

Utah
- Utah Death Certificates 1904-1961 (update: years 1959-1961 added; 1961 is not yet indexed)

Virginia
 - Winchester Evening Star Obituary Index 1896-1912 (from the Handley Regional Library) also has a link for Mount Hebron Cemetery Burials
 - Winchester Evening Star Obituaries, 1899-1909 (digitized images from FamilySearch)

Wisconsin
 - Eau Claire Historical Search; including Obituary and Cemetery Indexes

Wyoming
 - Sweetwater County: Burial Index for Riverview Cemetery in Green River, Wyoming

See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

Comparing Home Prices in the 1930 and 1940 Censuses

After doing a lot of 1940 census research on my ancestors and other relatives last week, I started comparing information given in the 1940 census with the previous census of 1930. I was immediately struck by the sharp decline in home values from 1930 to 1940. But we know this was the time of the Great Depression.

My great grandfather, August Beine, owned a home at 2860 Arlington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. The 1930 census shows the home valued at $10,000. The same home was valued at $2500 in the 1940 census.

My mother's great aunt, Sadie Nyhof, and her husband Anton were living at 5974 Romaine Place in St. Louis in 1930. Their home was valued at $10,000. Anton died in 1935. Sadie was still living in the house in 1940, which was valued at $2500. In both censuses, another family rented part of the house. The rent was $47/month in 1930 and $27.50/month in 1940.

These examples show how the value of two homes declined significantly during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a period my parents and grandparents lived through. The 1930 and 1940 censuses can provide intriguing snapshots of this time in our history. Along with home values (or monthly rent), the 1940 census also shows salaries, education (years of school completed, including college) and other interesting information. What have you found?

For information on the 1940 US Census and where to find the records online, see: Compact Guide to the 1940 Census

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Sources:

Beine family
1940 US Census, Missouri, St. Louis City, ED 96-519D, Sheet 6A (line 32); enumerated April 18, 1940.
1930 US Census, Missouri, St. Louis City, ED 96-103, Sheet 18B (line 79); enumerated April 6, 1930.

Nyhof family (and renter)
1940 US Census, Missouri, St. Louis City, ED 96-764, Sheet 10B (lines 57 and 59); enumerated April 11-12, 1940.
1930 US Census, Missouri, St. Louis City, ED 96-255, Sheet 7A (lines 20 and 23); enumerated April 7, 1930.

1940 census records listed above were accessed from 1940census.archives.gov. 1930 census records listed above were viewed at the Rocky Mountain (Denver) National Archives branch on microfilm and online at Ancestry.com.