| Death records can provide vital clues to create a | | | | proceed. Also try contacting genealogical societies |
| family tree. Using these documents and others | | | | both locally and online. Some societies publish their |
| such as birth or marriage records, you can trace | | | | own databases of death records and other vital |
| much of the path of an ancestor through history. | | | | records. These sources are generally based on |
| Genealogy should include accurate information on | | | | the members' research and may not be 100% |
| birth and death dates, unions, children, as well as | | | | accurate, so use caution and document your |
| the locations of each event. Death records can | | | | sources carefully. |
| give the answers to many questions. | | | | The death records of women can be difficult to |
| Modern death records for the United States can | | | | track down because during certain periods of time |
| be located through the Social Security Death | | | | and in different locations, women were considered |
| Index. This Index is fully searchable online at no | | | | property. They belonged to husbands and fathers, |
| charge. From the Social Security Death Index you | | | | and some had no documented evidence of |
| can find the birth date, Social Security Number | | | | significant events in her life. |
| and state of issue, death date and last residence | | | | The same problem may arise with a male |
| of your past family member. | | | | ancestor, but checking prison records, probate, |
| To search the Social Security Death Index, simply | | | | military or school records might turn up the |
| input as much information as you have. It is | | | | appropriate information on date of death. |
| possible to search only by last name, thereby | | | | Family trees often require some guesswork and |
| finding those of everyone who shares a particular | | | | estimates to fill in blanks regarding areas where |
| surname. This can be useful in starting research | | | | missing death records would provided confirmed |
| on a possible ancestor about whom you know | | | | data. Jews, Gypsies, slaves, and other people who |
| very little or finding a whole new branch of your | | | | were persecuted may not have a distinct paper |
| history. | | | | trail of their lives. |
| If you are seeking death records from another | | | | Should you find yourself unable to track down |
| country or pre-1960s United States ones, you will | | | | exact information, move on and fill in as much of |
| have to go through alternative sources. If you | | | | a family tree as possible. You may find the |
| know the town and approximate year in which | | | | missing ones later on or discover enough |
| your ancestor died, try contacting that town's | | | | information to fill in the gaps with reasonable |
| offices. | | | | accuracy. |
| You may be able to get information on how to | | | | |