North Carolina Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States North Carolina 

What is in the Collection?
These collections are indexes to deaths recorded in North Carolina for the years 1906 to 1930 and 1931to 1994.

North Carolina death certificates are recorded on a printed form which was filled in by hand or typed.

The State of North Carolina began recording deaths in March 1913. The trend of keeping state-wide death records throughout the United States expanded in the early 20th century after Congress passed a resolution in 1901 asking each state to gather information about births and deaths on a statewide basis. Because Congress did not fund it, it took several more years before it happened in every state. Death certificates were usually filled out by a mortician or medical professional. They filled in the information concerning the death and then obtained personal information on the deceased from an informant, usually a relative. Then, they sent the information to the county, who sent a copy to the state. Death certificates were usually filled out by a mortician or medical professional. They filled in the information concerning the death and then obtained personal information on the deceased from an informant, usually a relative. That information was submitted to the county, who sent a copy to the state. The Vital Records Section of the Department of Public Health is responsible for maintaining and issuing certified copies of vital records, including death certificates for deaths that occurred in North Carolina. The Vital Records Section officially began recording birth and death events in 1913. See Wiki article North Carolina, Vital Records, Death Records to see availability of this collection. The State of North Carolina began statewide registration in 1913 and achieved compliance by 1920.

Death certificates were created to record deaths in North Carolina in compliance with state law and to better serve public health needs. They were also used in connection with the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

Information pertaining to death is reliable; including death, name of the attending physician or attending medical professional, name and address of the funeral home used, and the exact date and place of burial. Other information is dependent upon the reliability of the informant.

Sample Image
The information found in most death certificates includes:


 * Date and place of death, including city and county
 * Name of deceased and their residence
 * Gender, age, race and marital status of deceased
 * Occupation and employer of deceased
 * Date and place of birth of deceased
 * Father's name and birthplace
 * Mother's maiden name and birthplace
 * Cause of death
 * Name of attendant at death
 * Burial information
 * Name of informant and relationship to deceased

How Do I Search the Collection?
When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:
 * The place where the death occurred.
 * The name of the person at the time of death.
 * The approximate death date.

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the “Film" category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?
Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestor in the death records. When you have located your ancestor’s death record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The information in these records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, plea se email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing 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):

Image Citation for North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930: