How to Find Nebraska Death Records

How to Find United States Deaths Nebraska Deaths

In 1867, The Territory of Nebraska was admitted to the union as the 37th state. The State began to keep death records iln late 1904. The following time periods and resources shoud be considered when trying to locate a death record in Nebraska.

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First Step: When did the death occur?

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 * Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's death record:


 * Deaths before 1904
 * Deaths after 1904
 * Deaths from 1873 thru 1915
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 * Deaths after 1970 to the present
 * I don't know when the death is


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Deaths before 1904
Nebraska did not begin statewide registration of death records until late 1904, although compliance was not total for several years. Generally, they did not record deaths at the county level. However, it may be worth the effort to contact the county clerk of the county where the person died to see if they have any death records prior to 1904, as the official website of the Nebraska State Vital Records Office has made the following statement: "If the death occurred before 1904, try contacting the county office for information. Be aware that they will charge you whether they find the person you are looking for or not." Therefore, it may be worth the effort to contact the county clerk of the county where the person died and ask ahead of time if they have any pre-1904 death records.

Also, consider searching the following substitute records to locate your ancestor’s death date and place.

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths after 1904
To obtain a record of a death that occurred after 1904, use the following website to get current costs, address and other requirements for requesting a copy of the certificate: http://www.vitalrec.com/ne.html

For online databases, try the following:


 * Family Search:


 * - Social Secrity Death Index:
 * - US Death and Burials 1867-1961:
 * - Billion Graves Index:
 * - Go to Nebraska: Births, Marriages and Deaths to see any newly added databases:

exist during the time period, try the following databases

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths from 1917 thru 1970
The state of Nebraska began recording deaths in January 1917.

STEP ONE: Find Death Information
For deaths that exist during this time period, try the following databases. Try each link.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
If the image was not included in the index entry above, you can order a copy of the death record for a fee from the following locations:

If you do not know the exact date or place of death: For a fee, the Nebraska Department of Health office will do a 3 year search (click on the death certificates tab).

Restrictions for persons who died within the last 50 years: To obtain a copy of the death certificate for those who died within the last 50 years, you must be:


 * The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate
 * The spouse of the person on the certificate
 * The child or grandchild of the person on the certificate
 * The sibling of the person on the certificate
 * Funeral director
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the death record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 50 years have passed from the date of the death.

'''If you do not want to order the death record, there are other records with death information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths after 1970
With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the death record for a fee from the following locations:

If you do not know the exact date or place of death: For a fee, the Nebraska Department of Health office will do a 3 year search (click on the death certificates tab).

Restrictions for persons born who died within the last 50 years: To obtain a copy of the death certificate for those who died within the last 50 years, you must be:


 * The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate
 * The spouse of the person on the certificate
 * The child or grandchild of the person on the certificate
 * The sibling of the person on the certificate
 * Funeral director
 * Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
 * NOTE: A copy of the death record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 50 years have passed from the date of the death.

'''If you do not want to order the death record, there are other records with death information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another death year

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