Benin, Civil Registration of Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in this Collection?
Collection of death records from Benin, 1891-2014. The original records are located in the National Archives of Benin in Porto-Novo. These records are in French. For help with reading the records, see the French Wordlist

Sample Image
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Death records may contain the following information:
 * Province and district
 * The signer
 * Name
 * Gender
 * Date and place of birth
 * Name of mother and father
 * Spouse’s name
 * Profession
 * Home
 * Name and address of the declarant
 * Date and place of death
 * Date of declaration

How Do I Search the Collection?
To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * Use the death or burial date to find other records that may provide more information on your ancestor. These include obituaries, grave markers, sexton’s records, or a civil or religious death records.
 * If your ancestor is found continue searching those records for other family members who may be in the same record collection.
 * Pay attention to any notes about your ancestor such as occupation or marriage status. This information can be used to locate other records.
 * If a death or burial record cannot be found for your ancestor in the locality where it is believed they died, try searching the records of nearby localities.
 * Look for probate records for the region and time period in which your ancestor supposedly died. These records may give clues about when he or she passed away.

Related Websites

 * Benin Departments
 * Benin Genealogy
 * Africa Websites
 * Africa Historic Maps

Related Wiki Articles

 * Benin Genealogy
 * Cotonou Benin Family History Center
 * Africa
 * Benin, Census, 2002 and 2013 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection citation: Record citation (or citation for the index entry):