United States Deceased Physician File (AMA) - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1864 to 1968.

This collection contains a name index and images of the deceased physician card file from the American Medical Association (AMA), which are physician biographic records of decedent records from 1864 to 1968. This file contains names for deceased physicians in the USA with a few names from Canada.

Record Content
The information varies with each card. The facts usually found include:


 * Name
 * Death date
 * Where practiced

The cards may also list


 * Where they attended school
 * Where living at the time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Professional affiliations

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the name and other identifying information such as approximate death date or where practiced.

Search the Collection
To search the collection ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page then ⇒Select the "Surname Range" 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. 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.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the death date and where they practiced to find them in the U.S. federal census records.
 * Use the location to find real estate, land records or commercial records.
 * Use the death date to find probate or estate records.

If you are unable to find your ancestor look for variant spellings of the surnames. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please 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.

Related Websites

 * Directory of Deceased American Physicians
 * AMA Physician Masterfile

Related Wiki Articles
United States 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: