Nevada, County Birth and Death Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1871 to 1992.

The collection consists of images of county birth and death registers and certificates acquired from county couthouses throughout Nevada. This collection does not include Elko County.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collectioon landing page.

Record Content
Facts found in early Birth Records contain only the following information:


 * Name of child
 * Date and place of birth

Other facts added to later Birth Records included:


 * Child's gender and race
 * Place of Birth
 * Single, twin or triple birth
 * Birth order of child
 * Father's full name
 * Father's age, race, birth place and occupation
 * Mother 's maiden name
 * Mother's age, race, birth place and occupation
 * Parent's place of residence
 * Number of children living

Facts found in early Death Records contain the following information:


 * Name of Deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Age, gender and nativity of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Name of undertaker
 * Names of witnesses

Other facts added to later Death Records include:


 * Marital status of deceased
 * Birth place of deceased
 * Names of parents and their birth place
 * Occupation and place of residence
 * Burial information

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it will be helpful to know the following:


 * The approximate date the event occurred
 * The place the event occurred
 * The name of the individual or individuals, such as the infant or the deceased

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, you may need to search the collection image by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "County" ⇒Select the "Record type, Date range and Volume" which takes you to the images. Search the collection by image comparing 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.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.


 * 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 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 marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's 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 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

 * The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * 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 as the bride or groom; 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 who may have been born or died 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 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 1900.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

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

Related Websites
Free Nevada Genealogy Search Engines

Related Wiki Articles
Nevada Vital Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation

Image Citation