Types of Records of Death
Examples of Documents of Death
Death Certificate Burial Permit Coronor Report
Cemetery Register Sexton Report Estate Record
Mortality Schedule Pension File Church Record
Newspaper Obituary Bible Record News Article
Tombstone Inscription Social Security Insurance Papers
Funeral Home Record Diary Letters
Court Records Court Deposition Land Records
Cities and States with Early Death Information
Cities with Pre-1880 Registers of Burial (some)
New Orleans (1790)
Savannah (1803)
Charleston (1821)
Boston (1848)
Philadelphia (1860)
Pittsburgh (1870)
Baltimore (1875)
States with Pre-1880 Registers of Burial
VT (1770)
GA (1823/1919)
NH (1840)
MA (1841)
HI (1850)
VA/RI (1853)
DE (1860)
FL (1865)
MI (1867)
DC (1871)
WI (1876)
NJ (1878)
NY (1880)
IA (1880)
Scenario of filing Death Information
Scenario of Death Certificate Creation and Filing
Funeral Home may or may not be contacted before a death
Hospital or relative notifies funeral home of death
While at hospital funeral director obtains miscellaneous information from hospital records including name, place and date of death, name of doctor
Family meets with funeral director for funeral arrangements. Information obtained concerning proper name, date and place of birth, military service, etc
Funeral Director sends certificate to pronouncing doctor/official for cause of death
Funeral Director files certificate with proper filing official
Probate Records
Testate-Die with a Will
Intestate-Die without a Will
Estates filed and handled in county of residence
Pay just debts and collect debts due
Divide estate as directed in a Will or divide estate equitably among heirs.
Estate files are public records
Probate Courts and Records
http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=Probate
Equity Cases
http://www.ancestry.com/wiki/index.php?title=Equity_Cases
Links to Wills, etc on Cyndislist
http://www.cyndislist.com/wills/us/
Cyndislist British Probates
http://www.cyndislist.com/wills/uk/
Free Death Records Online
http://www.ancestorsatrest.com/
Death Record Flow Chart (after 1945) for Death Records
http://genrootsblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/searching-for-death-records-brief.html
Social Security Death Index