Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah then read on and hopefully we can help you out.

About Utah

When the first pioneers of the Mormon church arrived in Utah in 1847 the region was under Mexican rule despite New Mexico and California having recently become a U.S. territory. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo however in 1848 finally placed the entire Southwest under U.S. control.

Utah would remain a territory until January 4^th 1896 when it officially became the 45^th state of the union. Known for its Great Salt Lake and amazing skiing runs, the state has a high level of tourism. It is also arguably home to one of the biggest genealogy databases in the world in the form of FamilySearch.

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 this state 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 Social Security Death Index 1935 – 2014

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

Utah Death Certificates and Index, 1905-1967

This is a collection that the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service created in partnership with FamilySearch. The FamilySearch website is the creation of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints also known as the Mormons.

In this collection you will be able to search for state death certificates from 1905 – 1967 and find free downloadable images of the original documents. Not only are these images available at the archives division but also at FamilySearch itself both for free.

Click here to search archives Utah Death Certificates and Index, 1905-1967

Click here to search FamilySearch Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1965

Utah Death Indexes and Registers

This collection of records comes from Ancestry.com a membership based genealogy website that does require a fee to use. It is not solely one collection as this database has combined three sets of death records which include information such as.

Utah Death Index, 1905-1951:

• Date of death
• County of death
• Gender
• Age at time of death
• Birth date
• State file number

Utah Death Registers, 1898-1905:

• Name
• Occupation
• Age
• Term of residence in the city or county
• Marital status
• Sex
• Race
• Color
• Last place of residence
• Cause of death
• Date of death
• Name of party reporting the death

Salt Lake City Interment Records, 1848-1933:

• Ward
• Name of deceased
• To whom related
• Birth date
• Birthplace
• Death date
• Cause of death
• Medical attendant
• Burial place

Click here to search Utah Death Indexes and Registers

Utah, Obituaries from Utah Newspapers, 1850-2005

This is a statewide database of newspapers from multiple counties in Utah listing over half a million obituaries. The deaths recorded in these obituaries occurred between 1850 – 2005 but it should be noted that not everyone would have an obituary written for them when they died.

Click here to search Utah, Obituaries from Utah Newspapers, 1850-2005

Utah Cemeteries and Burials Database

This is a collection found on the Utah Division of State History website which covers cemetery listings from multiple counties and a whole host of burial locations. It is a growing project that was created because state law dictates that this division collect burial information to be placed in a public database.

Click here to search Utah Cemeteries and Burials Database

Death Indexes by County

It may seem hyperbolic but it is likely not too much of a stretch to say genealogy is almost part of the religious fabric of the state of Utah. As of 2022 it is estimated that just over half of all Utah residents are of the Mormon faith.

This prevalence of genealogy in connection to the church in Utah means that there are plenty of records available. Most of them can be found on the FamilySearch website but there are also some county specific collections available online as well.

Conclusion

A little under a third of Utah’s 29 counties has some form of online death database. Vital records and their availability are so important to the state that laws on the books require certain government bodies to collect information to make it available to the public.

The Family Search Center in Salt Lake city sees hundreds if not thousands of genealogists pass through its doors each year to view records that even their own website FamilySearch does not have amongst its database.

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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