Arizona Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images associated with its historic record collections online available for all FamilySearch.org patrons. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The images for the Arizona Deaths collection are available through the Family History Library, your local FamilySearch Center, and to members of FamilySearch's supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Record Description
The collection consists of images and an index of Arizona death certificates for the years 1870 to 1951. The certificates are arranged in chronological order within each county. Each death certificate was created on a pre-printed form.

For an alphabetical list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Statewide registration of vital statistics began in 1909 and the state achieved 90 percent compliance 1926. Some earlier records for 1887 to 1909 consist of deaths recorded by the individual counties where the death occurred. The counties that participated sent copies to the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the records are available at both places. The Office of Vital Records is responsible for maintaining and issuing certified copies of vital records, including death certificates for deaths that occurred in Arizona. The Office of Vital Records officially began recording birth and death events in July, 1909. However, it maintains a sampling of death records, from 1877, from other sources.

Death certificates were created to record deaths in Arizona in compliance with state law. 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.

Record Content
The records usually include the following:


 * Death certificate number
 * Name of deceased
 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Birth date of deceased
 * Birthplace of deceased
 * Parents' names and their birthplace
 * Physician's statement
 * Cemetery and burial place

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The place where the death occurred
 * The name of the person at the time of death
 * The approximate death date

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in 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.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, consider selecting the "Illegible Surname" category and see if you can locate them. You may need to search the collection by image. To search by image: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "First two letters of surname" category ⇒ Select the "Surname, Given Name with Death Year" category which takes you to the images

Look at each image. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
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. For example:


 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find or verify their birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents (if the deceased is a child) to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the informant may be a relative.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have died or been buried in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * 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.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for a different index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

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

Related Websites

 * Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates
 * Online Arizona Death Records and Indexes
 * Death Records Search. A guide for finding death records on the internet.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Arizona Genealogy
 * Arizona Birth, Marriage and Death Records
 * Arizona Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * United States, How to Use Death 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):

Image Citation