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 in late 1904. Use the following time frame for deciding which resources to consider 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 from 1904 and later
 * 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 complete for several years. Generally, they did not record deaths at the city or county level. However, the earliest death records were kept were kept by a few city health departments. For example, the city of Omaha has death records from 1873 and the city of Lincoln has death files from 1889. If you have deaths occuring in either of these cities contact the respective City Hall and request a search. Addresses are:

1819 Farnam Street, Ste H10, Omaha, NE 68183 and 3140 N St, Lincoln, NE 68510

A few Nebraska counties also began recording births and deaths before statewide registration. Contact the county clerk to have a search done and to obtain copies of the records. Be aware that they will charge you whether they find the person you are looking for or not. Therefore, before requesting a search and paying the fee, 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-1905 death records.

There are some online death records and indexes at Online Nebraska Death Records and Indexes

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

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths from 1904 and later
All death records for the state of Nebraska are not available on the Internet. Therefore follow both steps below to find what is available whether on the internet or in record respositories.

STEP ONE: Search for Death Information Online
For deaths during this time period, try the following databases. Try each link.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate
To order a death certificate from the state office, click on the following link to obtain information including: current cost, address and other requirements for requesting a copy of a death certificate from the State of Nebraska.

There may be some restrictions. ''You have to meet the proper purpose before applying for a copy of a death certificate (a request by spouse, parent, next of kin or legal representative of deceased). ''

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

STEP THREE: Check the Film and Book holdings of the Family History Library

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah is the largest genealogical library in the world. They have millions of records on Microfilm, Microfiche or in Printed form. Before you attempt a trip there, their catalog of holdings can be searched online at FamilySearch.org.

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