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What’s in a Public Death Record

December 22nd, 2009 4 comments

What kind of information can you find in a public death record? What makes these records one of the most commonly searched for types of vital records in America? If you’ve never actually searched for a death record before, you might be surprised to learn about some of the stuff that is found within it. These records can be very informative in both information on the deceased and also information on their family and survivors.

Here are some of the basics you can find in a public death record:

· Name of the deceased

· Date of the death

· Date of birth

· Obituary/death notice

· Cemetery location/ burial details

· Records of spouses

· Records of children and other family members

· Cause of death

· Death certificate

· Funeral records

· Genealogy database

· And more

The exact results of the death record will depend on different factors. For example, different states may have different laws regarding exactly what gets recorded at death. So a death record from one state may contain additional information than that of another state.

Another factor that can contribute to what’s in the death record is where you obtain the records. There are many different databases online offering death records but they are not all created equally. One may provide more information than the other and one may be more confidential and accurate than the other. Some may provide basic info for free and additional information for a fee. However all death records will have some or all of the basic information above.

Once you learn what’s in a public death record, you can see the different ways in which you might be able to use such records. Some people use them for tracking their family history or creating a family tree. This can be a great way to catch up on your family heritage and trace where you came from. You can look up your parents, grandparents and as further back as records allow and see all of your family history. You can then trace these people according to who married who, how many children they had and more.

Public death records are also sometimes used to do background checks or criminal type investigations on people. They can also be used to help write a biography of someone who is deceased. Because of the information held within a death record, especially if there is an obituary, you could learn more about someone’s life even if you had never met them while living.

This is just a touch on the most common uses of public death records. Since the information is public, anyone can get it and use it however they want, as long as they are not used to break the law in any way. A firm understanding of what’s in a public death record will help you use them to your advantage should you ever need to.

Rose Quadee
http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/whats-in-a-public-death-record-718235.html