Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920 Vital Records

Prior to January 1900 when statewide registration of deaths began, deaths were recorded at the local level by each county’s health office. The Works Progress Administration later extracted and collected these records into one set. This set has been compiled electronically in this data set and, as a result, these valuable records are now more accessible and easier to search than ever before.

Generally, you’ll find the following information about an individual included in this data set:

• Gender
• Color
• Age at death
• Death date
• Death location
• Book and page number on which you’ll find record of this death.

The information that you’ll learn about an ancestor from this data set can help you further your family history research. For example, with the location and date of an individual’s death, you may wish to obtain a copy of an original death record from the county health department or Division of Vital Records. Original death records can provide you with information such as cause of death and the names of surviving family members.

Also, you may wish to locate a copy of an individual’s obituary. Often, an obituary will provide details about a person’s life, their family, the events leading up to their death, survivors, and place of burial. These are often details that would be difficult to learn from standard vital records. To find an obituary, you should check local and state libraries where the death took place. Usually public libraries maintain collection of local newspapers, from the earliest times to the present. Often, state libraries will do the same for the entire state.