Death certificates, obituaries, cemetery records, and gravestones can be rich sources of genealogical information about a deceased ancestor. A visit to a grave, for example, may reveal the deceased’s birth and death dates, town of birth, Hebrew name, parents’ names, and other information. Death, cemetery, and probate records may also yield the names of the deceased’s surviving relatives, which may assist you in tracking down their living descendants. An individual’s death certificate will usually tell you where he/she is buried.
Social Security Death Index
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration’s Death Master File Extract. Most persons who have died since 1962, who had a Social Security Number, and whose death was reported to the Social Security Administration are listed in the SSDI (Note: A few death dates in the SSDI go as far back as 1935, but 98% are after 1962). The Index listing usually contains the name, dates of birth and death, and last known residence, which is helpful in locating a death certificate or obituary. The SSDI may be searched for free at FamilySearch or Family Tree Legends.
Once a deceased person is found in the database, the person’s application for a Social Security card (Form SS-5) can be ordered from the Social Security Administration. Form SS-5 may contain additional genealogical data, such as birthplace, father’s name, and mother’s maiden name – or that information may be blacked out. For more information, click here.
City Directories and Census Records
There are other strategies for determining a person’s approximate date of death. City directories list city residents and their addresses and occupations. If a person has appeared in a city directory regularly until a certain year, he/she may have passed away sometime during the first year or two that he/she no longer appears. Similarly, a person’s disappearance from census records after a certain point also suggests that he/she may have died sometime between the last census in which they appear and the next one. Please see our research guides on City Directories and Census Records for further details.