New Mexico, Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of a name index of death certificates and records of death for the years 1889 to 1945.

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.

The state required counties to begin recording deaths to track public health issues. 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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Death
 * 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 Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The date of death
 * The place of death

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the Department of Health Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Santa Fe.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other vital records such as birth and marriage
 * Search for cemetery records
 * Search for an obituary in a local newspaper
 * Use the information found in the record to find land records
 * Use the information found in the record to find probate records
 * Use the information found in the record to find immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * Church records in New Mexico may be helpful in locating your family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching a nearby locality
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of New Mexico.
 * New Mexico Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Related Family History Library

 * New Mexico Department of Health. Certificate and record of death, 1889-1942
 * New Mexico Department of Health. Death certificates, 1927-1945
 * New Mexico Department of Health. Index to New Mexico death certificates, ca. 1889-1940

Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

 * New Mexico Deaths and Burials, 1788-1798; 1838-1955
 * New Mexico, County Death Records, 1907-1952

Related Digital Books

 * New Mexico Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration.  Guide to public vital statistics records in New Mexico. Albuquerque, New Mexico : New Mexico Historical Records Survey, 1942

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.