How to Check Someone's Date of Death
In most areas of the United States, vital records such as birth and death records were not kept until the early 1900s. Later records are available online in some states or through written request in others. Often a fee must accompany a written request, and in some states proof of relationship to the individual must be supplied. Whatever the case, the growing popularity of geneaology and the internet have made it easier to check someone's date of death.
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Instructions
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Write down the complete name of the person for whom you are trying to find the date of death. Include any nicknames and variations of spellings, as well as where they may have died, and the approximate date of death. Include the maiden name if the person is a married, or widowed female.
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Type in the name at the online Social Security Death Index. Remember that this index did not come into effect until 1935, so the person you are searching for may not be included
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Search for obituaries in newspaper archives online or at public libraries, and through historical societies. You must have an idea of where the deceased lived at the time of death, and an approximate date, or at least the year, or the search may be time consuming. Most newspaper archives are now digitized and indexed, though some smaller libraries and historical societies will still have bound copies of newspapers.
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Check with the local library, or genealogy group to see if someone has abstracted the obituaries already. This means someone has taken the time to copy public records such as obituaries, birth announcements and marriages from the newspaper, and prepared some kind of document or book with the information that should have an index.
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Go to the county courthouse. Look for a copy of a will that should provide the death date you are searching for.
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Request a copy of the death certificate if you are searching for someone's date of death, and you are related to him or her. These records are available from the vital records office in the state where the death occurred. You will need to provide as much information as possible, and there may be a fee depending on the state. You may also have to document your relationship, and provide a copy of your driver's license--again, depending on the state. Most death records are available for those who have died after the late 1920s.
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