A death record is often the single most useful document in a family tree — it usually names the person's parents, birthplace, spouse, and cause of death, all on one page. Here is how to find them for free.
How to find them
- Start with our free ancestor database — 21 million deceased Midwesterners, searchable by surname across all 12 states.
- Check the state's official death index. Most Midwestern states put a death index online for free (Missouri's runs 1910–1972; Illinois and Ohio have statewide indexes; Michigan's Seeking Michigan covers 1897–1952).
- For pre-registration deaths, go to the county — probate courts, county clerks, and county health offices held the earliest records before the state took over.
- Fill gaps with cemetery records, obituaries, and church burial registers, which often survive when a certificate does not.
Names, dates, and places from the public record across all 12 Midwestern states.
Search the database →The catch to know about
Statewide death registration is recent — mostly 1900–1911 in the Midwest. Before that, there may be no death certificate at all, and you lean on cemeteries, obituaries, probate, and church records instead.
We trace your whole family line and write it into a book and an interactive site — flat rate, records-based, no DNA test.
See how it works →Frequently asked questions
Are death records free?
The index (name, date, place) is almost always free online. A full certificate image is sometimes free and sometimes a small fee from the state or county — but the index alone often tells you what you need.
How far back do death records go?
Statewide death registration in most Midwestern states began between 1900 and 1911. Earlier deaths, if recorded at all, are usually at the county level or in church and cemetery records.