Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000 - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Texas

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of indexes to deaths from the Texas Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit in Austin for the years 1903 to 2000. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

Collection Content
The index lists the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Title
 * Date of death
 * Death place
 * Sex
 * Marital status
 * Certificate number

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of the deceased
 * Other identifying information such as death date or place

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals 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 look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy 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:


 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the death date, place of death or certificate number to locate your ancestor in the death records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * This is only an index. The death records are in a separate collection. Once you have found your ancestor in the index you should use the information to search for them in the death records.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have died in the same place or nearby.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

What If I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for a different index. There are multiple death indexes available on FamilySearch. In addition, local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):