SMCGS Databases: Online: Early Death Record Index

The team that indexes records at the San Mateo County Record Repository has finished another new index.  The Early Death Record Index incorporates Register 1 and Death Certificate Books A-D.  The two should pick up all recorded births in the county through 1920.

Death Register 1 includes the earliest recorded deaths for the county, starting in 1873.  The register includes deaths through 1907 although many of those from 1905-1907 are just an index to deaths recorded in the Death Certificate Books.  Many records were included in both the register and in books A-C but enough were not that both were used.  Where appropriate records were combined.

The certificate books cover the following years.

• Book A 1880-1901
• Book B 1902-1905
• Book C 1906-1918
• Book D 1919-1920

The register portion is a full transcription of each line.  For the Death Certificate books, the full name, death date, age, sex and death date were extracted as well as the Maiden name in some cases.  If you see a name in the Maiden name column for a male, it is most likely his mother's maiden name.  One indexer included those names and we left them as a clue rather than remove them.

There are six more registers on the shelves that most likely duplicate records found in the Certificate Books.  The certificate books continue on with book 7 dated 1921.  There are also assorted indexes to the death records including a 100 year index.

Use this index in conjunction with the James Crowe Death Book, the Coroner's Records and the San Mateo Times Gazette index to find all those early deaths.

There is a column titled other.  This gives a page for book IA which was not found but was included in some register entries.  The book might exist somewhere so the information was included here.

If you would like to join us in indexing other record collections at the at the SMC record depository contact Publications@SMCGS.org.