Did you know that death records are an important source of information for family history? Different types of death records will provide different types of data depending on when a person died. The records link ancestors to all sorts of facts like parents’ names, native place and/or place of birth, and the names of spouse or spouses, not just a death date. Death records include civil registration, burial and/or cremation records, newspapers, inquests and deceased estate records.
Funeral hearse of T. J. Ryan at Toowong Cemetery, ca. 1921, unidentified, State Library of Queensland. Neg. no. 181582, https://hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/146503
Civil registration
Civil registration is the compulsory official process governments use to record every death that occurs to ensure every life is accounted for. When using civil registration records for family history, the first step is looking at the indexes created by registry offices. The information and date ranges available in the indexes may vary from state to state, and country to country according to privacy laws.
Most indexes are now available to search online. Use the index to purchase a death certificate or register image. Graham Jaunay’s website, Ancestral & Local History Research, provides a very good list for what information can be found on a certificate.
What happens if you can’t find your ancestor’s death in a registry index?
There may be several reasons you can’t find someone in a registry index:
- The person died outside the registry index dates.
- Their name/s are recorded incorrectly.
- They are listed under different names.
- The death occurred in an unexpected place.
- There’s no body, so no official certificate.
Burial and cremation records
Burial and cremation records consist of different types of records. They include cemetery and crematoria burial registers, cemetery monumental and headstone transcriptions, church parish burial registers and funeral directors’ records.
Cemetery records
Cemetery records allow researchers to trace ancestors to a particular area and time. They may provide links to other members of the family buried in the same cemetery. Published cemetery records, whether they are official burial registers or monumental and headstone transcriptions, can vary with the amount of information supplied.
The information available may lead to other records such as land records, inquests, and newspaper reports. Cemetery records may also include deaths that haven’t been recorded in registry records such as the still birth of a child. Some records are available online, but State Library also holds many in our physical collection as books, or on microform and CD-ROMs. For further information check out our research guide Cemetery records, available through the website.
Jensen family headstones at South Kolan Cemetery, unidentified, State Library of Queensland. Neg. no. 18404, https://hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/55784
Church parish burial registers
Parish burial records are the best records to use for deaths that occurred prior to the introduction of compulsory civil registration. Although they are like cemetery burial registers, they can include place and exact date of death and provide links to other family members. The registers can give clues to cause of death that may lead to searches of local newspapers. They may also be able to provide the place and exact date of birth. State Library holds some parish records or you can contact the specific Church archives. Some parish records can also be found through family history databases such as Ancestry Library Edition or Findmypast, both available at State Library, or FamilySearch. See our research guide for Australian parish records for more information.
Funeral director records
The information in funeral director records can vary depending on the year and the funeral director. They can include the name of the deceased, place and/or date of death, age, as well as the name and address of the person paying for the funeral. This information may include their relationship to the deceased which can be helpful if searching for a married daughter’s surname. Also included are the details of the funeral such as coffin, wreaths and cost. If you can’t find a funeral notice, contact the funeral director to see whether a funeral notice was authorised and what newspaper it was published in.
State Library holds several indexes to funeral directors, mostly in Queensland. These can be found through the One Search catalogue. Held in State Library’s heritage collection is Cannon & Cripps account books 1897-1975. There is an index available up to 1966.
Selection of online newspapers accessible by State Library of Queensland members
Newspapers
Newspapers are an invaluable resource for family history. They can provide a researcher with clues about their ancestors. Sometimes the information reported about an individual may not have been recorded in any other source.
Death and funeral notices may contain such information as the cemetery where the deceased was buried or cremated, the last address of the deceased and the names of living relatives. This can be particularly helpful in establishing the married names of female members of the family. Obituaries can include where someone was born, how they arrived in Australia if born overseas and details about their life. Other events such as accidents, unexpected deaths, inquests, trials and legal notices can provide further information about a person’s death and their life up to that time.
State Library has a large collection of newspapers on microfilm and as physical copies, most of which are from Queensland. Search the One Search catalogue for specific titles or our newspaper guides at the level 3 desk for newspaper titles on microfilm. Digitised newspapers can be accessed online through free databases like Trove digitised newspapers and State Library membership provides free access to some subscription databases like British Library Newspapers. See State Library’s webpage on the newspaper collection as well as the research guide, Newspapers and family history, for more information.
Inquests
According to the Queensland State Archives guide inquests are magisterial inquiries held before a Coroner to establish the cause of death, who the deceased was, when, where and how they died, and whether any person is to be charged. Inquest files can include the date and place of the inquest, the name and occupation of the deceased, the date and supposed cause of death, depositions of witnesses describing the circumstances of the death, and the names of any suspected persons. They are available through each state’s Archives or Public Records Office. Early inquests were often published in the newspaper so you can also check the local paper. References to inquests can also be found in police gazettes. State Library has created an index from Queensland police gazettes 1875-1885 that can be searched through our One Search catalogue.
Deceased estate records
Deceased estate records are documents that relate to the property and / or assets of someone who has died. They include wills, intestacies and probate, as well as transmission of real estate.
Wills and intestacies
Probate occurs when wills and intestacies go through the court process; however only approximately 5 to 10% of wills go to probate. Wills and intestacies can contain information that is difficult to find. This might include the surnames of daughters who were married after registry dates.
They may also include:
- a copy of the death certificate
- details of the deceased’s assets
- names and addresses of children and grandchildren.
You can access historical wills through each state’s Archives or Records Office, and after a certain date they may be accessible through the Supreme Court.
Transmission of real estate by death
Transmission of real estate by death is the legal process of transferring property due to a person’s death and subsequent probate process. The notices were published in the Queensland Government Gazette.
The notices can include:
- the name of the deceased
- date of death
- occupation
- name of claimant
- description of the land.
The index, Queensland transmissions of real estate by death 1878-1940 by Merle Grinly, enables researchers to locate this information more quickly.
Example of will of John Fletcher, of Eaglehawk, 24 July 1924.
Hints and tips when looking for death records
When searching death records be aware that key sources may provide different types and amounts of information depending on where and when the information was recorded. Be flexible in how and what information you search with. Keep in mind that errors creep into all death records as they are often dependent on who is providing the information. This in turn is reliant on their knowledge of the person who has died. This can lead to conflicting information, so it’s important not to rely on just one record for all your information. There is no one place to research so be alert to the range of death records available and keep an eye out for details that may link you to other resources.
Want to know more about death records? Check out State Library’s research guides, family history web pages such as Useful websites for family historians, and the One Search catalogue. Need some help? Why not submit an enquiry through the Ask a Librarian research service.
Come visit State Library’s latest exhibition Dearly Departed : death in life, exploring how social, cultural, spiritual, historical and political forces have shaped Queenslanders’ attitudes to death and dying – past, present and future.
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