Kentucky Research: Finding Death Information

United States Kentucky  Finding Death Information

1700s-1851
No official death records were kept by Kentucky state or county governments during this period. To find death information on persons who died during these years, try the various alternative record types listed in the Kentucky Record Selection Table under "Death information."

1852-1910
County governments sporadically recorded deaths in Kentucky during this period. Some of these records have been digitized by Ancestry.com in "Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1953" ($).

If you do not have access to Ancestry.com, these records are also available on microfilm through FamilySearch. They are cataloged as Vital records in the pertinent county in the Family History Library Catalog Place Search, for example, Kentucky, Butler - Vital records.

If you do not find the person you are looking for, try the various alternative record types listed in the Kentucky Record Selection Table under "Death information."

1911-present
The Kentucky state government began recording death certificates in 1911. Indexes for the years 1911-1990s are available at the University of Kentucky website - free and also on Ancestry.com ($).

Actual images of Kentucky death certificates from 1911 to 1953 have been digitized by Ancestry.com in the "Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1953" collection ($).

For more recent years (1954-present), check the Social Security Death Index (see below), or order a copy of the death certificate from the Kentucky Department for Public Health for a fee of $6.00.

Another valuable source for persons who died in Kentucky between the 1960s and the present is the, which is available on FamilySearch.org - free.

If you do not find the person you are looking for, try the various alternative record types listed in the Kentucky Record Selection Table under "Death information."