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Death records, obituaries and family history
Search obituaries, burials and the Social Security Death Index for free. Obituaries often name relatives, hometowns and maiden names.
Picked and checked by a licensed private investigator. Updated October 2026.
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5 tools, free ones first
Each one opens the tool's own site. Free tools cost nothing; freemium tools show some results free and charge for the rest. Licensed PI items need a licensed investigator.
Free 3
What to expect
What you can find for free
- Burials, often with family links and a photo of the headstone
- Obituaries naming spouses, children and siblings
- The Social Security Death Index, with a free FamilySearch account
- Old newspaper notices and city directories, on paid archives
Where free tools stop
The public Social Security Death Index isn't updated for most recent deaths. Death certificates come from each state's vital records office, and many states limit them to family and people with a legal interest.
Tips
- Search the person's name and city together. Local funeral home sites often keep obituaries that national sites miss.
- Burial records on Find a Grave are added by volunteers, so check dates against a second source.