vital records

Very few government agencies make their vital records available online or even provide searchable databases for locating the records.

The federal Social Security Administration has a database of death records.

These records only include deaths that were reported to discontinue Social Security benefits being provided to the deceased, or deaths reported by a surviving relative applying for benefits. So not all deaths are in the database.

There are private geneology sites that have online databases that index some of the vital records that are in government databases.

You usually can do a free search by a person's name to find what records are available. These sites then require registration to get more detailed information and charge a fee for viewing or ordering the records.

But even the free search often helps you discover if the social security administration or a state agency has a vital record on a person.

Among the private geneology sites that let you search their databases are:

• FamilySearch - a service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• RootsWeb/ancestry.com