Utah Death Certificates - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of a name index and images of Utah statewide death certificates. Each death was recorded on a one page pre-printed form.

Record Content
Important genealogical facts in death entries:




 * Dates of death and burial
 * Frequently, birth date of the deceased
 * City, county, and state of death
 * Name and location of the cemetery where buried
 * Frequently, the country or state and sometimes the town and county of birth for the deceased
 * Frequently, the country or state and sometimes the town and county of birth for the parents
 * Name of the deceased, married name of spouse, names of parents, often with maiden surname of the mother
 * Name of the informant, who is often a child or other family member
 * Age of the deceased usually in years, months, and days
 * Sex of the deceased
 * Residence or address of the deceased, often including length of residence at that place or in the United States, if foreign-born
 * Whether the deceased was single, married, widowed, or divorced at the time of death
 * Occupation of the deceased

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following the name of the deceased and other identifying information such as the date or place of death.

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your 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.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Make a photocopy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * If the birthdate is not given you can use the death date or age to calculate an approximate birth year.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find or verify their birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the names, places, and ages to find the family in other records such as census, church, and land records.
 * Use the parent’s 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 employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * The name of the officiator is 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, 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.
 * Information pertaining to death is reliable; including cause of death, name of the attending physician or 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


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

General Information About Death Records
Local Board of Health registrars sent certificates monthly to the state registrar of the Department of Vital Statistics, which is a division of the state Board of Health. All counties began reporting deaths to the state in 1905 when the Department of Health created the division of Vital Statistics. A death certificate was required for burial in Utah, so compliance was high. These were recorded to better serve public health needs. They were also used in connection with the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

Related Websites

 * Utah Genealogy at Access Genealogy.com
 * Utah History and Genealogy
 * The Utah State Archives and Records Service - A division within the Dept. of Administrative Services, manages records created by state and local governmental entities in Utah, and provides access to historical government records.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Utah
 * Utah Vital Records

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

"Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1956." Utah State Department of Health, Salt Lake City.

Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

Example of a Source Citation for a Record Found in This Collection
"Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1956." index and images, FamilySearch: (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 8 April 2011). Entry for Helen M. Richards, died 2 December 1909; citing Death Certificates, FHL microfilm 2,229,322; Utah State Department of Health, Salt Lake City, Utah.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.