Utah Death Certificates - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of images of state death certificates for the years 1904 to 1956, acquired from the Utah State Archives. The records are arranged by year, county, box and folder number.

Record Content
The records may contain any of the following:


 * Date and place of death, including city, county and state
 * Name of deceased
 * Name of hospital or institution where died
 * Residence of deceased
 * How many years living in present community
 * If a veteran, name of war is given
 * Gender, race, marital status and social security number of deceased
 * Name and age of spouse
 * Date and place of birth of deceased
 * Age in years, months and days
 * Occupation of deceased
 * Name and birth place of father
 * Maiden name and birth place of mother
 * Informant's name and address
 * Informant's relationship to deceased
 * Burial information

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

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 by image. ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "County" ⇒Select the "City/Town" ⇒Select the "Death Year" which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

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.

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

 * 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

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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

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