Use Death Records to Expand Genealogical Research

By now in your research you have probably come across numerous death records. You have probably recorded the death date, parents names if listed, and birth date. Have you looked beyond the surface of the record? Can you use the death records you have to gain more information or break down a brick wall?

In this post I will go over some ways that death certificates can possibly yield more clues in your research.

Death Codes

You may never have heard of death codes before but they can bring to light important information on death records. Death codes can tell you how your ancestor died. These codes (written as a number) often go unnoticed by researchers and is usually written somewhere near the cause of death- scribbled next to or below it. The example below shows the number written below the cause of death. There is no specific line for this number.

Death code numbers come from the International Classification of Diseases or what is also known as the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. It is maintained, now, by the World Health Organization. Around 1898 the United States began using the system. Therefore, you will probably not see these codes on death records before that time.

You can refer to this list here. The list includes various revisions. Click on the revision made before the date of the death record you are researching. In the case of the certificate above, I clicked on the 1938 revision. Scroll down to 93 and it says “myocardial disease”. This code confirms what is written and does not show any other factors relating to the death. The death codes can often shed new light on the cause of death or if the cause of death is hard to read you can look up the code if one is provided.

Use town of death and occupation to locate home

Older death certificates do not show specific addresses for the deceased. A town or township may be the only clue to residency. In cases like this, take a look at their town/township and occupation or even burial place. Occupations can help you pinpoint where they lived. Back when travel took longer, your ancestors probably would not have traveled very far from home to get to work. Also, if an occupation is listed on the record you can then research the industries in the place they lived to figure out more about where they worked.

When you can place a family in a particular spot you can then use plat maps or Sanborn fire maps to investigate a more precise location of your ancestor’s residency. Take the example below:

In this death certificate Andrew Meyer lives in the village of Otis in the township of New Durham (Indiana). He is a farmer so he may have owned land. I located a plat map for the county of LaPorte and went to New Durham township. I then searched the village of Otis and surrounding area to see if I could locate Andrew Meyer. The plat below shows what I found:

Andrew Meyer’s land is right next to a church and cemetery. There is also high chance he is buried in that cemetery. I looked further into the surrounding areas of this plat map and found a couple of more plats of land that he owned just south of Otis.

Sanborn Fire Maps

Sanborn Fire Maps from the Library of Congress (LoC) can also help you find the ownership of property in cities across the United States. On the LoC website you can narrow your search down to state and city. The maps can provide a wealth of information and death records can help you narrow down your search to a township or street.

Not all Sanborn Fire Maps include who owned the property. However, if you can narrow down the search to a street you can see what buildings were present at the time the map was produced. If you have a death certificate with a specific residence address you can also look on the maps and determine which residence belonged to your ancestor. The maps are also helpful for cemetery, church, and business locations.

Newspaper articles related to death

Not all deaths are disease or natural causes. You may come across a death certificate with a murder, suicide, or accident. Unpleasant as it is, you will most likely find one eventually. Suicides are not exposed in today’s newspapers, but back in the day they often made headlines.

I found the death certificate of my great great grandfather many years ago. I was shocked to see that he died by suicide–strangulation. In curious fashion I went to the local library to look at newspapers from the week he died. I was flipping through the microfiche when I came to a screeching halt. There- sprawled across the front page- was the headline and article about his suicide. I could not believe it made front page news. In that article I was able to learn exactly what happened (hanging, he had been in poor health) and also find his obituary.

Even a cause of death can lead to more clues and further research. Look beyond just the words on the document. Figure out what clues you can gather from that seemingly simple piece of paper.