New Mexico, Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

Style Guide
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Collection Time Period
This collection of death certificates for New Mexico covers the years 1889-1945.

Record Description
Death entries were recorded in preprinted register books. Earlier records were handwritten, but later the entries were mostly typewritten.

Record Content
The key genealogical facts found in most death records are:


 * Name of the deceased
 * Death date and place
 * Cause of death
 * Age in years, months, and days
 * Gender
 * Color or race
 * Marital status
 * Parents’ names
 * Birthplace
 * Occupation
 * Name of the informant (earlier entries list the relationship to the deceased)

How to Use the Records
The records usually contain clues for further research, including the birth date and birthplace of the individual, the spouse’s name, parents’ names, residence, occupation, marital status, and name of an informant. Death records contain information about a person's death, including the date of death, place of death, sometimes the names of the mother and father, and even the physician who attended the death. Death certificates issued by state and local governments will often include the place of residence, and the mother's maiden name.

Record History
Statewide vital records registration officially began in 1920, although there are some records as early as 1889. Death records prior to 1919 were collected by a variety of institutions which were not health-related, including counties and churches. For the most part these records are not available from New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics. The state achieved 90-percent compliance by the end of the 1920s.

Why This Record was Created
The state required counties to begin recording deaths to track public health issues.

Record Reliability
The information recorded about the death is usually reliable; however there is always a chance for errors. The accuracy of the information depended on the memory of the informant, who was often a family member.

Related Web Sites
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Related Wiki Articles
New Mexico Vital Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections

Please add sample citations to this article following the format guidelines in the wiki article listed above. Examples of citations:


 * United States. Bureau of the Census. 12th census, 1900, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: September 29, 2006), Arizona Territory, Maricopa, Township 1, East Gila, Salt River Base and Meridian; sheet 9B, line 71
 * Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933, digital images, from FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: April 22, 2010), Baptism of Adolfo Fernandez Jimenez, 1 Feb. 1910, San Pedro Apóstol, Cuahimalpa, Distrito Federal, Mexico, film number 0227023
 * Bureau of Vital Records &amp; Health, Department of Health, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Death record. From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org), April 23, 2010. Pearlie D. Smith, 15 Mar 1924, Lovington, Lea, New Mexico, film number 2032890, record number 6.

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Style Guide
For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: FamilySearch Wiki: Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages

Sources of Information for This Collection:
"New Mexico Statewide Death Records," database FamilySearch; from New Mexico Dept. of Health. "New Mexico death certificates, 1927-1945," FHL microfilm, 46 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

The format for citing FamilySearch Historical Collections, including how to cite individual archives is found in the following link: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections