Georgia Death Records and Death Index

It may surprise you to learn how often genealogists face this particular set of circumstances. They are aware of when their ancestor was born, when they may have married, when their children were born but they just can’t find out when they died.

There are a fair few instances where the only information missing is the death date which can be very frustrating. This is why knowing what death records may be available to you can be vital in your research.

It is important to note that one of the biggest issues in finding a death record can be looking in the wrong place. You may be surprised how often people miss records because they are looking in the wrong county and sometimes even the wrong state.

In this post we will be looking at Georgia state death records and indexes to try and help you find those elusive ancestors. So if you are confident that your ancestor likely died in the state of Georgia then read on and hopefully we can help you out.

About Georgia

The state of Georgia is the youngest of the 13 original states having been founded in 1732 by English colonists. Originally much larger it lost some of its lands with the creation of Alabama and Mississippi. Despite this it still remains the largest state east of the Mississippi River.

Georgia was the fourth state to obtain statehood being ratified on January 2^nd 1788. Also known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South Georgia’s motto is “Wisdom, Justice and Moderation.”

Social Security Death Index 1935 – 2014

All American citizens, naturalized immigrants and resident aliens require a Social Security number for proof of identification and authorization to work. This number follows us throughout our life and when we die this nine digit code is very important.

The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a database of death records that was compiled from the United States Social Security Administration Death Master File. This was until 2014 when the rules changed and public access to the Death Master File had to take place through a certification program.

Those researching the deaths of ancestors in Georgia will likely find that most people who have died between 1936 and 2014 can be found on the Social Security Death Index. This does however only hold true if the person had a Social Security number when they died.

It is estimated that since 1973 the SSDI recorded 93% to 96% of the deaths of individuals aged 65 or over. The index was updated frequently and by June of 2011 there were 89,835,920 records available.

The index can be found on websites such as FamilySearch and Ancestry.com and offers details such as:

• Given name and surname (middle initial since the 1990s)
• Date of birth
• Month and year of death (Full date of death for accounts active after 2000)
• Social Security number
• State or territory Social Security number was issued
• Last place of residence when alive including ZIP code

Click here to search Ancestrydeathindex

U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

This is more or less an extension of the information you can find from the Social Security Death Index. It has been extracted from the SSDI records but features more details. It does not include all of the names found in the SSDI however but there are at least 49 million names included.

In this record you may find additional information such as:

• Date and place of birth
• Parents' names who, if deceased, would be over 75 when you are viewing the records (may be redacted if under 75)
• Citizenship status
• Gender
• Sometimes race or ethnic group

Click here to search AncestryDeathindex

Georgia Death Index 1919 – 1998

This is an ancestry index with over 2.7 million deaths recorded for the state of Georgia. Located on Ancestry it is found behind a paywall and will require at least a basic US membership to the site or for those outside of the United States a World Traveler membership or equivalent.

This is an index without images but it has transcriptions of the information held within the collection. This may include:

• Name
• Gender
• Race
• Age
• Birth date
• Death date
• Death place

Click here to search the Georgia Death Index 1919 - 1998

Georgia Death Certificates 1919 – 1927 & 1928 – 1943

These are actually two collections that are available through Familysearch.org, a free website from the Church of Latter Day Saints in Utah. These two databases both cover state death records for Georgia one spans the years 1919 – 1927 while the other is later and covers 1928 – 1943.

They have hundreds of thousands of death records each which include images of the death certificates containing all the relevant information. It should be noted that the 1919 – 1927 index also has some earlier records from between 1914 – 1918 but these are sporadic.

From these two indexes you can find out the basic biographical data as well the names and birthplaces of parents. Causes of death will also be included.

Search here for Georgia Death Certificates 1919 – 1927 or Georgia Death Certificates 1928 – 1943

Georgia Archives Death Certificates 1919 – 1927

You can also find the same Georgia death certificates as found in the Familysearch 1919 – 1927 index at the Georgia archives website.

Search here for the Georgia Archives Website

Georgia Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992

This collection can be found on Ancestry.com so will require a membership to utilize fully. It has 250 years worth of wills and probates from various counties in Georgia. Contained within the many pages in this collection you may find family information and details of the property owned by your ancestors.

Search here for Georgia Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992

County Specific Georgia Death Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries

Aside from the statewide records found on big sites like Ancestry.com and Familysearcg.org you can find a lot of county specific databases and indexes online as well.

Conclusion

There are a great deal of county level indexes that can help you find obituaries, death records and indexes on a local level. On the state level there is easy access to images of death certificates as long as they are old enough.

Neil Edwards

Genealogist and family-tree research specialist

Neil was born in Shropshire, England surrounded by centuries of living history. His interest in the past has been a lifelong passion leading to undergraduate degrees in both Economic History & Geography and History & Politics.

This interest in history quickly translated to family history when he moved to the U.S. in 2010. It was here that he began working on his own family tree as well as that of his American wife. That research allowed him to gain a wealth of experience working with both U.S. and European genealogical documents and studying their best uses in researching family history.

Following 9 years of honing his genealogical research skills, Neil was proud to have earned a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in late 2019. Neil also took part in the research process for a Duke University study into the families of 19th Century UK Members of Parliament.

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