Death Records Now

There are so many websites now for genealogists of all levels of expertise and experience. But for the beginner, it can be rather confusing to wade through paid advertising cluttering up the landing page of a website, or to try to figure out how to search for the exact information needed. With the explosion of information and documents online over the past 10 years, it can be much easier to search for information than in the past, with “snail-mail” taking weeks! Remember that your local Library may well carry a version of commercial fee-based program(s) for you to use FREE! Also, your local Genealogical Society may also offer free access to certain programs or websites, as well as books and other helpful information. Much is available if you ask.

Here are some of my favourite free websites for beginners. I suggest you go to the site, immediately click “Help” and read through that section, plus look for other sources of information on how to use the site. Each site can be accessed by typing ‘www’ before the name, and a ‘.com’ after the name. Or, just type the name of the site in a search engine on your computer (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, etc.), and let it find the site! Then bookmark the site so you can find it easily next time.

#1 Cyndi’s List – My personal favourite site. This list is highly categorized, and is also cross-referenced, so you will find the same sites showing up under various categories, if relevant. Not only will you find information and web links for genealogy of your county, country, documents, books, ships, etc., you will also find wonderful hints for beginners – on the first landing page, under “Beginners”. The Search box at the top right corner can be specified for searching only on Cyndi’s List (recommended), or if you are coming up blank on a very specific topic, specify the web instead. Cyndi is a real person who has put this site of web links together with brief explanations, and she updates it on a regular basis! You will also find helpful forms, message boards, and tips on researching in over 180 countries! Start here.

#2 Family Search – The genealogy library of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS, or Mormon Church). This is by far the largest collection of genealogy resources and material available online, and the resources are held in huge underground safe vaults near Salt Lake City, where the main Library is housed, free for all to access. Very helpful hints for beginners, the FamilySearch site will guide you through your searches. There are Family History Libraries all around the world, and likely there is one near to you; they have access to the entire library, and can request specific microfilms of particular countries and records to be sent to the local F.H.Library for a minimal fee (roughly $6 per film). Every day, over 100 cameras are taking photos of documents and records all over the world for FamilySearch, so if your ancestors came from Germany, France, England, Scotland, or went to Australia or elsewhere – there is likely to be excellent records available online, or at the F.H.Libraries.

#3 Find A Grave – Just as it says, this free site allows you to find gravestones or burial information on ancestors; mainly for North America and the U.K., but it is expanding with submissions from volunteers. I have been thrilled to search for ancestors in the north-east part of the US and find whole families buried there, with photos of stones and information added as well. You can search for specific surnames, with or without maiden names, or you can do a separate search for the name of specific cemeteries around the area where your ancestors lived. A very helpful genealogy resource. Volunteers in the region are happy to take photos of your ancestors’ graves for you, if they are not available on the listing, and as they are local to the area, they may be able to offer further interesting information. Example: my greatgreatgreat Aunt & Uncle were buried in a smallish cemetery (about 40) behind a well-kept building – which the volunteer explained had been their original home. Several photographs from him showed me their individual stones, an overview of the cemetery showing placement of their stones, and including the home. What a satisfying and interesting set of photos!

#4 Automated Genealogy – Note that there is no ‘www’ before the name, when you are trying to get on the site. If you have ancestors in early Canada, you will be thrilled to find this site, with censuses from 1851/1852, 1901, 1906, 1911 records available for searching. Volunteers have transcribed these records, and a few errors in reading handwriting etc. have crept in of course. However, you can also look at the specific image on a split screen with the typed list as well, for each page. This is so helpful to look at possible ancestors with variant spelling of their surnames, and first names as well! Look over the landing page to see how many other Canadian records are also available for you to search. One fascinating and helpful part of the site: if you find your ancestor in an early census, their name may be linked to later censuses, making your searches so much easier, as you find them across time in Canada.

#5 Free BMD (birth, marriage, death) – This is a site for the U.K., covering England and Wales, with a great search function for names and places, for their birth records, marriage, or death records from 1837 to. The actual records would have been registered at the local government office or GRO (General Register Office), and by clicking through the Information button, then scroll down the next page to Certificates – what they are and how to order one. Once you are sure you have your ancestor’s record, you use the page and volume information to go offline to the local GRO to order a registration record. The cost for each one is less than $18 which is quite reasonable. And the registration record contains a great deal of helpful information for genealogists to use in further research. FreeBMD is part of a larger group which includes FreeCEN (free census), and FreeREG (free parish registers), and more information is added to daily!

#6 Google Book Service – There is no ‘www’ before the name, instead type ‘books.google.com’ into your search engine and you will find this fascinating site will keep you searching for “just one more” book, page, name, county, village, etc. I immediately came across a book called “A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England by James Savage, published 1861. Oh my, that kept me busy for over an hour, looking up several of my ancestors’ names. Make sure you are looking in the center section, as the right hand column is for paid advertisers, and they will take you away from the book section. If you find helpful information, go back to the very first page or so, and copy out the Source information (name of book, author, date published, by whom; plus the page numbers of any information you copied). I usually copy info to the Notepad sheet on my computer desktop, then decide to copy to individuals in my family tree – or into a sheet of information on a family line. Don’t lose your Source and Citation material details!

Enjoy these six helpful free sites – each has much to offer. And, the more you use them, the easier it becomes to find exactly what you are looking for on your ancestors’ lives. Happy searching!

There are so many websites now for genealogists of all levels of expertise and experience. But for the beginner, it can be rather confusing to wade through paid advertising cluttering up the landing page of a website, or to try to figure out how to search for the exact information needed. With the explosion of information and documents online over the past 10 years, it can be much easier to search for information than in the past, with “snail-mail” taking weeks! Remember that your local Library may well carry a version of commercial fee-based program(s) for you to use FREE! Also, your local Genealogical Society may also offer free access to certain programs or websites, as well as books and other helpful information. Much is available if you ask.

A Top Contributor, Wendy C in genealogy suggested I put this name out to see if anyone could help me find an obituary, cause of death , place of burial, or place of death as I have tried many avenues and can find nothing…Anthony J Vinnick,date of death Nov.9th 1992 date of birth Aug 28 1936 last residence Effort Pennsylvania/DOB may also be Sep 29 1935 but we are very sure this has been a recorded error
OH MY GOSH…i’m going to cry! I have tried so hard to find something with what little I know about websites etc. Your info has got to be right. Yes he has lived there also but all I have ever had is what Intelius has given me. I am from Canada I’ll see what I can do next. Any further info will be appreciated from any one. Thank you so so so so so MUCH!!!
Now what? Why can’t I type anything into the form for centrecountygenealogy…I’m lost again.

I’m in Texas, BUT have found him listed in an obituary index at this URL: www.eastonpl.org/ObitPDF/1992.pdf

The PDF displays this information:
Vinnick Anthony 11/11/1992 C-11 (meaning that his obituary was on page C-11 of the 11/11/1992 newspaper)

That website is for the Easton Area Public Library (515 Church Street, Easton, PA 18042 – 3587 phone 610-258-2917)

Perhaps you are in that area, or a phone call to the library could get further help. (The library’s website requires a local library card to search their online databases).

Best of luck, I hope that helps!

added later:
No need to cry, I’m just glad I could help! :o)
There is a newspaper in Easton called Easton Express-Times, but their obituary archives are only back to 2004 online. (see http://www.eastonpl.org/obituary_index.htm, they provide instructions on how to obtain actual copies of obituaries in the index).

Check out this site, it lets you submit a request to Pennsylvania Obituary Lookup Volunteers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~obitl/volpa.html?cj=1&o_xid=0001177077&o_lid=0001177077

I think you’re almost there! Don’t EVER give up! :o)

I been trying to find out more about my father, but cant seem to find anything. I tried all kinds of places on computer, always wants to charge. Thats fine, but I am on workers comp, and not been payed yet. so it limits me on the buying part. If thier is anyone that could help me, I will be so greatfull. I been trying to find about him since I was 10, and now I am 36. His name was Stirley C Davis, in Harris County ,Channelview Tx. He died in 1975 to 1978. His spouse name was Maria C Gonzalez Davis. He died of an heart attack, but one thing that puzzle me is. He had his named changed prior to marrying my mother. All I can get that his birth place was in California but, what was his real name, and who was he? Two children he had at his death were Jose Luis Gonzalez Davis, and Anna Bertha Gonzalez Davis. One clue the day he died, the police question my mothet about his death, due to a head injury he had. So if anyone could find out, I be so greatfull.

My only suggestion to resolve this matter for "free" is to go down to your local library. They should have all of the newspapers on microfilche or microfilm and from there you could begin searching for your fathers death notice or any info that was published. Once you figure the exact date and time then you can attempt to contact your local city hall or county clerks office and request the death certificate. It is all part of public record. If there were any criminal charges you can also check with the court system in your area and they will guide you in the right direction.

I found what I needed from Canada and was able to trace my ancester to michigan but can’t get the above information at ancestry.com. this information is need to go future any help is welcom

One of the best resources for Michigan (or any state) is the State Library. They have records on microfilm that you can borrow by going to your local library and requesting an inter library loan, where they will send the microfilm to your local library.

Here is the official Michigan website and has the answers to your question on how, what and where records can be found.
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18635—,00.html

Another source is your nearest LDS Church Family Research Center. They also have access to microfilm and can lookup the film you need, order it from Salt Lake City, and allow you to browse the film. It used to cost $2.50 for them to rent it for 2 weeks. You can search their site at www.familysearch.org.

From the Michigan site:
The Library of Michigan has entered into an agreement with The Generations Network (Ancestry.com) to digitize these Michigan death records. Funding from the Talbert and Leota Abrams Foundation is making this digitization project possible. The death records will be loaded into a database that will be indexed and easily searchable. All scanned images will be provided for FREE on the Library of Michigan’s Web site. Users from across the country will be able to access the database and download death records from the comfort of their home computer.