![]() You can search the SSDI for free through several online sources. If you're researching American ancestors, the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) contains details of more than 77 million deaths reported to the SSA since about 1962. ![]() ![]() Try one of these major databases and indexes of online death records, or do a Google search for death records plus the name of the county or state in which your ancestors lived. While monetary restrictions and privacy concerns mean that the majority of death records are not yet available online, many online death indexes are available through both official and volunteer sources. Death records are also less restricted than most records by privacy laws. Since death records are usually the most recent record created for a deceased individual, they are often the easiest place to begin your search. Be sure to search out obituaries for siblings and cousins as well as your direct ancestors. If you aren't sure of the name of the local paper for that community, a search for newspaper and the city, town or county name in your favorite search engine will often get you there. There are several large obituary search engines online which can make the search a bit easier, but if you know the town where your relatives lived you will often have better luck searching the obituary archive (when available online) of the local paper. Obituary notices may also help lead you to living relatives who can provide further information on your family tree. Obituaries can be a gold mine for information on family units, including siblings, parents, spouses, and even cousins, as well as the date of birth and death and place of burial. Since family tree searches generally work their way back in time from the present, searching out information on recently deceased relatives is a good place to start your family tree quest.
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