What are the Primary and Secondary Information Found on a Death Certificate

Death certificates contain primary and secondary information. Remember primary information is recorded at or near the event, by a person who has direct knowledge of the event; whereas secondary information is recorded long after the event, by a person who was not present at the event. Also, the usual residence information should lead you to the city census records, directories, census records, newspapers for obituaries, and the cemetery depending upon its location.

Over time, death certificates have come to include military service, and social security numbers, which are records available for research, also, an unusual cause of death (homicide) may lead you to the court records surrounding the event. Probate records are another type of death records. When someone dies and the family wants to divide their property, they must go through probate. If the person left behind a will, they could file it. Many people die without wills, which is when the family needs to follow the rules of the state. The property usually goes to the individual’s spouse and their kids if they don’t have a spouse. Probate records show you who received the property and list any family members involved in the process. You’ll also see how long the probate took and who administered the estate.

Primary Information on the Deceased

Full Name of deceased
Place of death
Last Address
Burial, cremation, or removal
Date of burial
Place: Burial or cremation
Signature of funeral director
P.O. address
Date received local registrar
Registrar’s signature
Medical Certification

1. Date of death
2. Dates attended to the deceased
3. Last day saw her alive
4. Time of death
5. Immediate cause of death

This is because the death is the main subject of the document, and information regarding the deceased’s passing is testified to by a doctor or other individual who was there, and who can make an accurate, eyewitness statement.

Secondary Information on the Deceased

Sex
Color or race
Spouse’s name (if married/window)
Birthdate or age in years, months, and day
Age Years
Birthplace
Occupation
Father’s Name
Mother’s Name
Informant’s signature
Information’s address or P.O. Box
If Veteran
Social Security

This may or may not be trustworthy, depending upon who the informant was. In most cases, the information was not present at the time of the deceased’s birth and thus the information could be considered hearsay. The accuracy of this information is directly dependent upon the informant, and their relationship to the deceased.

Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records

A Genealogy Guide

This website is a directory of links to websites with online death indexes, listed by state and county. Included are death records, death certificate indexes, death notices and registers, obituaries, wills and probate records, and cemetery burials. You can also find information here about searching the Social Security Death Index online.

Finding the Hidden Codes on Early Death Certificates

International Classification of Diseases

The cause of death is particularly hard to decipher. Look for a number on the death certificate that’s usually circled, in a box or written in the area of Medical Certification. This often-overlooked number comes from the International Classification of Disease (ICD), or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems as it is now known in full – and is currently maintained and updated by the World Health Organization.

Because updates were/are made to the database about every 10 years you will need to access the correct revision. Information can change dramatically from revision to revision, so making sure you have the correct one is very important.

Example: If the death certificate is dated 1943, we will need to see which revision was created before this certificate was recorded. Revision 5 was created in 1938. These codes are often written in pencil on the death certificate.

The recording year of vital records such as births, marriages, and deaths that’s managed at the state level.

Official recording of vital records by US state

State	Birth Records	Marriage Records	Death Records
Alabama	1908	1936	1908
Alaska	1913	1913	1913
Arizona	1909	1909	1909
Arkansas	1914	1917	1914
California	1905	1905	1905
Colorado	1907	1907	1907
Connecticut	1897	1897	1897
Delaware	1861	1847	1881
District of Columbia	1874	1811	1874
Florida	1899	1927	1899
Georgia	1919	1952	1919
Hawaii	1842	1842	1859
Idaho	1911	1947	1911
Illinois	1916	1962	1916
Indiana	1907	1958	1899
Iowa	1880	1880	1880
Kansas	1911	1913	1911
Kentucky	1911	1958	1911
Louisiana	1914	none	1914
Maine	1892	1892	1892
Maryland	1898	1950	1898
Massachusetts	1841	1841	1841
Michigan	1867	1867	1867
Minnesota	1900	1958	1908
Mississippi	1912	1926	1912
Missouri	1910	1881	1910
Montana	1907	1943	1907
Nebraska	1905	1909	1905
Nevada	1911	1968	1911
New Hampshire	1901	1901	1901
New Jersey	1848	1848	1848
New Mexico	1920	1920	1920
New York State	1880	1880	1880
North Carolina	1913	1962	1913
North Dakota	1907	1925	1907
Ohio	1908	1949	1908
Oklahoma	1908	1908	1908
Oregon	1903	1906	1903
Pennsylvania	1906	1885	1906
Rhode Island	1853	1853	1853
South Carolina	1915	1950	1915
South Dakota	1905	1905	1905
Tennessee	1908	1945	1908
Texas	1903	1966	1903
Utah	1905	1887	1905
Vermont	1955	1955	1955
Virginia	1912	1912	1912
Washington State	1907	1968	1907
West Virginia	1917	1964	1917
Wisconsin	1907	1907	1907
Wyoming	1909	1941	1909