Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
This collection includes Texas Death records from 1890 to 1976. Texas has recorded deaths from 1903 to the present, plus about 250 registrations from 1890-1939 and nearly 2,000 delayed registrations of death from 1890s-1990, as reported from obituaries and probate records.

The collection consists of images of Texas statewide death certificates--including delayed certificates, foreign deaths, and probate obituaries--from the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin. The delayed records are grouped with regular death certificates and, although frequently located in the final few volumes of a given year, can sometimes be found interspersed throughout a volume set.

For the years 1903-1909, two small pre-printed “report of death” forms are on one page. From 1911 on, each death was recorded on a one-page pre-printed “standard death certificate” form. The year 1910 has a mixture of reports of death and standard death certificates.

Death Certificates 1903-1909 are arranged by County and Year, then are listed alphabetically by the first letter of the surname only. After the certificates were arranged in this manner, they were numbered in a single sequence running through that arrangement (Certificates 1-61,752 in 141 volumes).

Certificates for 1910 are generally arranged by Surname and then Given Name(s). The certificates were then numbered.

Certificates beginning with 1911 were arranged by year, month, then county. The arrangement below that appears to vary: Bexar county certificates appear to be generally in reverse alphabetical order by surname; some other counties appear to be in proper alphabetical order, while others appear to be in random order.

Beginning with 1911 and continuing at least through 1976, the certificates were bound in volumes by year and numbered with a repeating sequence of numbers for each year. Standard forms for death certificates and report of death were filled out by a county clerk, mortician or medical professional, who talked to the informant. The certificates were filed with county clerks or local registrars, who forwarded the information to the Texas Department of Health, now known as the Texas Department of State Health Services.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 3

Coverage Table
For a table with the number of records by county in this collection see Texas Death Coverage Table.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The name of a parent
 * Date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try searching by surname only
 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Texas.
 * Texas Guided Research
 * Texas Record Finder
 * Texas Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Texas Research, 1880-Present

Family History Library Holdings

 * Texas. Bureau of Vital statistics. Probate obituaries (delayed death records) and indexes, 1800-1990
 * Texas. Bureau of Vital Statistics. An index to death records, 1903-1945
 * Texas. Bureau of Vital Statistics. index to death records, 1941-1973
 * Texas. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death records, 1890-1976
 * Texas. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death certificates, 1977-1986

Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

 * Texas Death Index, 1903-2000
 * Texas Death Index, 1964-1998
 * Texas Deaths and Burials, 1903-1973
 * Texas Deaths, 1977-1986
 * Texas, Gonzales County, Death records, 1863-1970
 * Texas, Hardin County Clerk, Death Records, 1908-1948

Related Digital Books

 * Index to City of Houston, Texas death certificates, 1874-1900. 2 volumes. Houston, Texas : Houston Public Library, 1994.
 * Texas Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Guide to public vital statistics records in Texas. State Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1941

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Texas, índice de defunciones, 1890-1976 (registros históricos de FamilySearch)