FINDAGRAVE, BILLION GRAVES, AND OTHER DEATH DATABASES

©Copyright 2013 by Donald R. Snow

Sections of the Class Notes This page was last updated 2013-01-13
Return to the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home Page or Don's Class Listings Page .
    WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

  1. These Family History Update classes are usually on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 1-2:30 PM in St. George.  See the schedule in the MS7 Ward Bulletin (St. George Morningside 7th Ward) and on the website http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html where the notes are stored.  Each class is independent, so attend when you want to.  Instructor is Donald R. Snow ( snowd@math.byu.edu ) of Provo and St. George, Utah.  Tip: holding down the Control Key while clicking on a link in these notes opens the link in a new window so you don't lose your place where you were.
  2. Classes coming up
    1. Wed 2013-01-16 1-2:30 PM -- Findagrave, Billion Graves, and Other Death Records -- at FH Update Class, St. George
    2. Sat 2013-01-19 10 am-noon -- FamilySearch Family Tree: The Future of New FamilySearch -- Q&A
    3. Fri 2013-02-22 7:20 PM -- Evernote, PhraseExpress, and ResophNotes: Freeware Note Programs to Help With Your Family History -- at Family History Expo - St. George, Utah
    4. Sat 2013-02-23 11:20 am -- What To Do with a Letter Collection Using Erastus Snow's Family Letters as an Illustration -- Link to Personal Letters of the Erastus Snow Family -- Presentation at Family History Expo - St. George, Utah
    5. Thurs 2013-03-21 1:45 PM -- Organizing and Presenting Your Photos: Picasa and Other Freeware -- at RootsTech 2013, Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
  3. This class will discuss websites that are helpful for death information and documentation, how to search them, and what to do with the information.

  4. DEATH AND CEMETERY INFORMATION

  5. Find A Grave -- http://www.findagrave.com -- Lists cemeteries, burials, photos of headstones, some obituaries, notes, links to relatives whether buried in same cemetery or not, and more-- is not indexed on FamilySearch
  6. Billion Graves -- http://billiongraves.com/ -- Cemeteries, burials, photos of headstones, family links, obituaries, bio's -- is indexed on FamilySearch
  7. Historical Records on http://www.familysearch.org -- Many indexed records, censuses, death records, old IGI, and lots more -- Records are in the following forms: (1) index only, (2) images only (indicated by "Browse Images"), or (3) both index and images (camera icon in front) -- Example: Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1956
  8. Utah Burials Index from Utah State Historical Society -- http://history.utah.gov/burials/execute/search
  9. Social Security Death Index --http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/ssdi/ -- this version of is updated more often than the version on FamilySearch
  10. FamilySearch Blog article about U.S. online birth, marriage, and death records -- https://familysearch.org/blog/en/online-united-states-birth-marriage-death-records/
  11. Links to death indexes for U.S. -- http://www.deathindexes.com/
  12. For more information, particularly for Utah, see Don's notes of LDS and Utah Records

    OBITUARIES

  13. Try Googling the person's name in quotes -- Example:  DMS -- Note the National Obituary Search button at the top
  14. Obituaries Help -- http://obituarieshelp.org/ -- and Cyndislist for obituaries -- http://cyndislist.com/obituaries/ -- list of links to newspapers and websites
  15. Some newspapers available through your local public library, e.g. Utah's Public Pioneer -- http://library.washco.utah.gov/ -- may require your library card barcode
  16. Several large newspaper collections available free at FHC's -- see  https://help.familysearch.org/publishing/699/106761_f.SAL_Public.html
  17. Utah Digital Newspaper collection 1879-1956 -- http://digitalnewspapers.org
  18. Obits Archive (GenealogyBank) -- http://www.obitsarchive.com/ -- claims to be the largest obit collection; can be searched to find obit, newspaper, and date, but you have to pay to see the obit
  19. For more helps and links see Don's notes on Newspapers

  20. CONCLUSIONS

  21. Many records are created when someone dies besides the above, e.g. mortuary records, probate records, military records, and pension records
  22. Suggestion: helpful goal is to find death information about each of your ancestors and relatives starting from your own parents, aunts, and uncles

Return to the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home Page or Don's Class Listings Page .