The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
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Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists (as well as the largest of them all – FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific death information and sometimes scanned images of the actual death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include death information that is not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers and obituaries have death info, but most times obituary indexes include the date of the obituary but not the date of death. To find out which types of other records may include death information, please see:
The lists below are specific death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
Iowa Death Records
- Adair County Death Record Indexes (Jan.-June 1917, 1920-1939)
- Adair County Assessor’s Return of Deaths, 1897-1908
- Adair County Birth Records, 1880-1920; Index to Births and Deaths, 1880-1921
- Adair County, Certificates of Death, 1887-1897
- Adair County, Death Indexes
- Adair County, Death Records, 1880-1919; Index to Births and Deaths, 1880-1921
- Adams County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-1922, 1936-1939)
- Adams County, Death Indexes
- Allamakee County Death Record Indexes (1936-1939)
- Allamakee County, Death Indexes
- Allamakee County, Death Records from Newspapers
- Appanoose County Death Record Indexes (1928-1939)
- Appanoose County, Death Indexes
- Audubon County Death Index
- Audubon County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-June 1922, 1928-1939)
- Audubon County, Death Indexes
- Benton County Death Record Indexes (July-Dec 1921, July 1935-1939)
- Benton County Death Records, 1880-1938
- Benton County, Death Indexes
- Benton County, Card File Death Index, 1880-1935
- Black Hawk County Death Record Indexes (July 1935-1939)
- Black Hawk County Vital Records Indexes
- Black Hawk County, Death Indexes
- Black Hawk County, Death Indexes
- Black Hawk County, Death Records, 1880-1900
- Boone County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Boone County Death Record Indexes (1922-1939)
- Boone County, Death Indexes
- Bremer County Death Record Indexes (Jan.-June 1918, July 1921-June 1922, 1936-1939)
- Bremer County Vital Records Indexes
- Bremer County, Death Indexes
- Buchanan County Death Record Indexes (1935-1939)
- Buchanan County, Death Indexes
- Buena Vista County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-1922, 1938-1939)
- Buena Vista County, Death Indexes
- Butler County Death Record Indexes (1936-1939)
- Butler County, Death Indexes
- Calhoun County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Calhoun County Death Record Indexes (1919-June 1920, July-Dec. 1921, 1933-1939)
- Calhoun County, Death Indexes
- Calhoun County, Death Indexes
- Calhoun County, Registers of Death, 1880-1932
- Calhoun County, Transcripts of Death, 1906-1921
- Carroll County Death Record Indexes (1917-1921 and July 1935-1939)
- Carroll County, Death Indexes
- Cass County Death Record Indexes (1917-June 1921)
- Cass County, Death Indexes
- Cedar County Death Record Indexes (1924-1939)
- Cedar County, Death Indexes
- Cerro Gordo County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-1939)
- Cerro Gordo County, Death Indexes
- Cerro Gordo County, Death Indexes
- Cerro Gordo County, Index to Death Records, 1909-1921
- Cherokee County Death Record Indexes (1937-1939)
- Cherokee County Deaths
- Cherokee County, Death Indexes
- Chickasaw County Death Record Indexes (1919-1939)
- Chickasaw County, Death Indexes
- Clarke County Death Record Indexes (1917-1920, 1933-1939)
- Clarke County, Death Indexes
- Clay County, Death Indexes
- Clayton County Death Indexes
- Clayton County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-1939)
- Clayton County, Death Indexes
- Clinton County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Clinton County Death Record Indexes (1934-1939)
- Clinton County, Death Indexes
- Clinton County, Death Indexes
- Crawford County Deaths
- Crawford County, Death Indexes
- Dallas County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Dallas County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-1939)
- Dallas County, Death Indexes
- Davis County Births, Marriages and Deaths
- Davis County Death Record Indexes (1938-1939)
- Davis County, Death Indexes
- Decatur County Death Record Indexes (July 1936-1939)
- Decatur County Vital Records
- Decatur County, Death Indexes
- Delaware County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Delaware County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1921, 1931-1939)
- Delaware County, Death Indexes
- Des Moines County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-1939)
- Des Moines County Death Records, 1880-1921
- Des Moines County, Burlington Index
- Des Moines County, Death Indexes
- Dubuque County Birth, Baptism, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Dubuque County Death Record Indexes (1917-1939)
- Dubuque County, Death Indexes
- Emmet County Death Record Indexes (July 1935-1939)
- Emmet County, Death Indexes
- Fayette County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-1922, 1935-1939)
- Fayette County Death Records, 1880-1935; Index 1880-1900
- Fayette County, Death Indexes
- Fayette County, Marriage Records, 1851-1928; Index to Marriages, Births and Deaths, 1880 -1900
- Fayette County, Register of Births, 1880-1927; Index to Marriages, Births and Deaths, 1880-1900
- Floyd County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1925-1939)
- Floyd County, Death Indexes
- Floyd County, Death Records, 1880-1891
- Franklin County Death Records, 1880-1941
- Fremont County Death Record Indexes (1917-1921, July 1935-1939)
- Fremont County, Death Indexes
- Fremont County, Death Indexes
- Greene County Death Record Indexes (1920-June 1921, 1936-1939)
- Greene County, Death Indexes
- Grundy County Death Record Indexes (1917-1918, 1922-1939)
- Grundy County, Death Indexes
- Grundy County, Record of Deaths, 1880-1921
- Grundy County, Register of Deaths, 1880-1897
- Hamilton County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Hamilton County Death Record Indexes (July 1927-1939)
- Hamilton County, Death Indexes
- Hamilton County, Newspaper Clippings, 1849-1937
- Hancock County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Hancock County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-June 1919, July 1920-1921, 1934-1939)
- Hancock County Vitals
- Hancock County, Death Indexes
- Hardin County Death Record Indexes (July 1920-1939)
- Hardin County, Death Indexes
- Harrison County Death Record Indexes (1917-1920, July-Dec.1921, 1933-1939)
- Harrison County, Death Indexes
- Henry County Death Record Indexes (1919, July 1920-1921, July 1935-1939)
- Henry County, Death Indexes
- Historical Society – Vital Records Indexes
- Howard County Death Record Indexes (1918-1928, 1933-1939)
- Howard County, Death Indexes
- Humboldt County Death Record Indexes (July 1921-1939)
- Humboldt County, Death Indexes
- Ida County Death Record Indexes (1919-June 1921, July 1938-1939)
- Ida County, Death Indexes
- Iowa City News Index
- Iowa County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Iowa County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1924, 1928, 1936-1939)
- Iowa County, Death Indexes
- Iowa Death Records, 1904-1951
- Iowa Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990
- Iowa Federal and State Census Mortality Schedules 1850-1880
- Iowa Genealogical Society, Death Index
- Iowa Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880
- Iowa, Church and Civil Deaths, 1845-1987
- Iowa, County Death Records, 1880-1992
- Iowa, Death Ledgers, 1880-1904
- Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951
- Iowa, Death Records, 1921-1940
- Iowa, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, Deaths, 1917-1919
- Jackson County Death Record Indexes (1931-1939)
- Jackson County Vital Records
- Jackson County, Death Indexes
- Jasper County Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Jasper County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-June 1921, 1925-1939)
- Jasper County, Death Indexes
- Johnson County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, July 1932-1939)
- Johnson County Deaths
- Johnson County, Death Indexes
- Jones County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-1939)
- Jones County Vital Records
- Jones County, Death Indexes
- Keokuk County Miscellaneous Death Records
- Keokuk County, Newspaper Extracts, Birth, Death, Marriage, etc.
- Keokuk, Death Records, 1867-1885
- Kossuth County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1922, 1929-1939)
- Kossuth County, Death Indexes
- Lee County Death Record Indexes (1917-1939)
- Lee County Vital Records
- Lee County, Death Indexes
- Linn County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Linn County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1922, 1925-1939)
- Linn County, Death Indexes
- Louisa County Death Record Indexes (1930-1939)
- Louisa County, Death Indexes
- Lucas County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-1922, 1935-1939)
- Lucas County, Death Indexes
- Lyon County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1922, July 1935-1939)
- Lyon County, Death Indexes
- Madison County Death Index
- Madison County Death Record Indexes (1917-1919, 1921-June 1925, 1938-1939)
- Madison County, Death Indexes
- Mahaska County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1930-1939)
- Mahaska County, Death Indexes
- Marion County Death Record Indexes (1917-1939)
- Marion County, Death Indexes
- Marshall County Death Record Indexes (July-Dec. 1918, 1933-1939)
- Marshall County, Death Indexes
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Mitchell County Death Record Indexes (1919-1939)
- Mitchell County, Death Indexes
- Monona County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1921, 1930-1939)
- Monona County, Death Indexes
- Monroe County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1925, July 1935-1939)
- Monroe County, Card Index of Births, Deaths & Marriages from Newspaper Clippings, 1898-2015
- Monroe County, Death Indexes
- Monroe County, Index of Births, Deaths & Marriages from Newspaper Clippings, 1898-2015
- Montgomery County Death Record Indexes (1917-1921, July 1935-1939)
- Montgomery County, Death Indexes
- Mount Pleasant Newspaper Clippings, 1836-1966
- Muscatine – Musser Public Library Birth, Marriage, and Death Index
- Muscatine County Death Record Indexes (1936-1939)
- Muscatine County Deaths
- Muscatine County, Death Indexes
- Musser Public Library, Birth, Marriage, & Death Index
- O’Brien County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1921, 1936-1939)
- O’Brien County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- O’Brien County, Death Indexes
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Page County Death Record Indexes (1917-1921, 1936-1939)
- Page County, Death Indexes
- Palo Alto County Death Record Indexes (1920-1938)
- Palo Alto County, Death Indexes
- Palo Alto County, Death Records
- Plymouth County, Death Indexes
- Pocahontas County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1935-1939)
- Pocahontas County, Birth, Cemetery and Death Records, 1880-1984
- Pocahontas County, Death Indexes
- Polk County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Polk County Death Record Indexes (1917-1939)
- Polk County, Death Indexes
- Polk County, Register of Deaths, 1880-1907
- Pottawattamie County Births, Marriages, and Deaths Indexes
- Pottawattamie County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1939)
- Pottawattamie County, Death Indexes
- Poweshiek County Death Record Indexes (July 1918-June 1922, 1931-1939)
- Poweshiek County, Death Indexes
- Ringgold County Death Record Indexes (1918-1939)
- Ringgold County, Death Indexes
- Sac County Death Record Indexes (1920-1939)
- Sac County, Death Indexes
- Scott County Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes
- Scott County Death Record Indexes (1918-June 1921, 1932-1939)
- Scott County Local Index
- Scott County, Death Indexes
- Shelby County Death Record Indexes (1917-1922, 1935-1939)
- Shelby County, Coroner’s Records, 1929-1944
- Shelby County, Death Indexes
- Sioux County Death Indexes
- Story County Births, Marriages and Deaths
- Story County Death Certificates
- Story County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921 and 1934-1938)
- Story County Deaths
- Story County, Death Indexes
- Story County, Death Records, 1869-1870, 1880-1919
- Tama County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1921, 1934-1939)
- Tama County, Death Indexes
- Taylor County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-1922, July 1935-1939)
- Taylor County, Death Indexes
- Union County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921)
- Union County Death Records
- Union County, Death Indexes
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
- Vinton, Index of Marriage, Death, Probate and Divorce Notices Gleaned from Vinton Eagle Jan. 10, 1855 Through Mar. 3, 1880
- Vital Records of Counties in Iowa
- Wapello County Death Record Indexes (1920-June 1921, 1923-1938)
- Wapello County, Death Indexes
- Warren County Death Indexes
- Warren County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1935-1939)
- Warren County, Death Indexes
- Washington County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1931-1939)
- Washington County, Births, Marriages, and Deaths Extracted from Washington County Newspapers, 1800s-2000
- Washington County, Death Indexes
- Washington Township, Minutes, Death Records, 1880-1922
- Wayne County Death Record Indexes (1918-1920, 1935-1939)
- Wayne County, Death Indexes
- Wayne County, Death Records, 1880-1935
- Wayne County, Physicians Certificates of Death, 1893-1913
- Webster County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1925-1939)
- Webster County, Death Indexes
- West Liberty Deaths, 1910-1934
- Winnebago County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, July 1935-1939)
- Winnebago County, Death Indexes
- Winneshiek County Death Record Indexes (July 1919-June 1921, 1934-1939)
- Winneshiek County, Death Indexes
- Woodbury County Death Record Indexes (1919-1923, 1927-1939)
- Woodbury County, Death Indexes
- Worth County Death Record Indexes (1919-1939)
- Worth County, Death Indexes
- Wright County Death Record Indexes (1917-June 1921, 1934-1939)
- Wright County, Death Indexes
- Wright County, Death Indexes
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!