How To Find Out Who Died in My House

If you are living in a pre-owned home or a resale property, you’ve most likely wondered about who had lived in your house before you. And even though you might not admit it because it’s a bit morbid, you’ve likely also thought about who might have died in the house you now call home. 

Irrespective of how you feel about it, finding out who died in your house may be useful to you in several ways. It may help you uncover some interesting history about your house, aid with real estate disclosure when you want to sell the property, satisfy your curiosity, or settle any paranormal concerns you may have. 

Check Local Death Records and Certificates

You may start your search by looking for relevant death records and certificates. Death certificates typically contain information such as the name of the deceased, their sex, age, occupation, and possibly their home address. It may also contain the time, date, cause, and manner of death.

Generally, death records and certificates can be obtained from local vital record offices, state archives, or other offices that keep death records. Some death certificates and other death records are available online in digitized format. It is important to first determine the state where the death occurred. Note that only specific family members, such as a spouse, sibling, or child, may be able to acquire a death certificate after someone dies. 

However, once death certificates are made public, anyone can request them. In some states, death certificates become public records 25 or more years after death. You may check your local vital records office to find out precisely how long it takes for a record to become public. Alternatively, you can search such records of death on the RecordersFinder Vital Records page.

Many death databases and indexes are available online, typically organized by surname and year of death. To determine whether the individual died in the home, you must view the actual death certificate.

City or County Vital Records Offices

Some deaths are publicly recorded and available by request to city or county vital record offices or through an online search. First, find out the city or county where the death occurred. You may then send a request to the relevant office according to the request requirements. Most record offices require a check or money order, and requests may typically be made via mail, in person, or by telephone. Some vital records offices also offer an online platform to search for death records.

Health Department Databases

Some jurisdictions allow people to search for a death certificate using basic information or addresses. These may be found in databases maintained by local health departments such as the New York Department of Health or the Texas Department of State Health Services. 

Search Obituaries and Newspaper Archives

Another effective way to find information about deaths that may have happened in your house is to search obituaries in newspaper archives. Newspapers are an excellent source for obituaries, news articles, local gossip, and other material that may mention persons or events related to your house. Obituary archives typically include a photo of the deceased, the date of their birth and death, details about their accomplishments and personality, and their address.

Online Newspaper Databases

You may also use online newspaper archives or local library portals, which offer old obituaries, clipped articles, photos, ads, and more from a collection of newspapers. These services, such as newspaper.com, have a huge collection of obituary announcements from thousands of newspapers in the US and beyond. 

Search for the names of owners and other occupants you have already discovered in your investigation. You may be able to narrow down your search for deaths in your home using your street name or plot number. However, be mindful of certain details, such as changes to the street name or house number.

Local Public Library Archives

Local public library archives may also be a great place to find information about your house, such as who may have died in the house. Such library archives keep old records and may contain diaries, letters, photographs, newspapers in microfilm, books, and articles that could give more information about a death in your house. These archives typically have documents that are hard or impossible to get otherwise. You may search for local libraries near you and look at the archive sections to find these records.

Review Property Records and Historical Ownership

You may also request and review your home’s property records. Property records are valuable resources that help prospective investors and homeowners find the information they need about a property, such as its valuation, assessments, transactions, tax records, and ownership histories.

While going through these records, you are not likely to see a straightforward record of a death, but you can look out for certain things that may help you. For example, many counties maintain current property assessment information both online and on-site. You can check for the property parcel number by using the owner's name to search or by choosing the parcel on a map. This will provide information about the land and any existing structures and may even give you information related to taxes and construction.

Recorded copies of several sorts of land titles can be used to identify prior owners. If you are the homeowner, your deed will most likely indicate the previous owners as well as the transaction in which they first acquired title to the property. If you do not own the home, you can obtain a copy of the deed by checking the grantee index at the local recorder's office for the name of the current property owner. 

Deed transfers or long periods without a sale may hint at a death on-site. In such cases, you may further research your home history by looking through local and online databases that have any records relating to the property.

However, you cannot simply stop at property records, as those are likely to only contain the owner's information. If you want to learn about all of the other people who may have lived and died there, including children, parents, relatives, and lodgers, you should consult census data records and city directories.

The United States government conducted a census every decade from 1790, most of which were public and available online, especially those conducted before 1940. State census records are also accessible for select states and periods, often taken around halfway between each federal decennial census.

City directories, which are available in most urban areas and many villages, can be used to fill in the gaps between available census counts. Search them by address to find anyone who may have lived or boarded at the property.

Use Online Public Record and Genealogy Tools

You may also try to use online platforms that combine public records with genealogical data. This can help you find relatives of both present and past owners of the house, as well as possible accounts of where and how they passed away. These platforms may also offer obituary information, which you can use to research further possible deaths that occurred on your property. 

Genealogy or Public Archive Portals

Platforms like FamilySearch and Internet Archive, or state-run archives like the National Archives, can be invaluable tools in finding out about deaths that occurred in your home. These platforms typically contain digitized versions of historical documents, records, and other materials. These portals often boast billions of pages that contain publicly available information and genealogical records. To find these platforms, search for “genealogy website [your city]”.

Contact Local Historical Societies or Genealogy Groups

There are many local community groups dedicated to the preservation of the history of their town, city, state, or region. They typically pool their resources to research and share their history through various media like books, artifacts, audiovisuals, or reenactments. These societies typically have rich records dating back decades, if not centuries, that are not available online. 

Similarly, there are genealogy groups concerned with helping people find and trace their family histories. These groups may also be able to trace the ownership history of your property, especially if it was passed down by inheritance, and may find out about deaths that occurred in the process.

You may find these groups by searching “local historical societies in [your location]” or “local genealogy groups in [your location]” on search engines or social media platforms.

Ask Neighbors and Community Members

Neighbors and community members who have been in the area for a long time may also serve as a great source of history about your property, including deaths that occurred there. These people may have first-hand accounts or have heard of such occurrences from older family members or acquaintances. You may initiate a polite conversation with such individuals to glean any information they may have about your house.

However, it is important not to be completely reliant on a single person’s account. Verify every piece of information you receive from your neighbors and community members. This is because human memory can be faulty, and humans may choose to tell a false or exaggerated story for obvious or ulterior reasons. At best, their accounts should serve as a basis for further research.

Search Police or Coroner Records for Death Investigations

Police and coroner records for death investigations are another resource you can use while finding out if anyone has died in your house. You may seek out these records, particularly in cases of sudden or suspicious deaths where law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner’s office are likely to have opened an investigation and done an autopsy examination.

The specific rules guiding access to death investigation records or coroner records depend on the laws of the city or state where the death occurred. Generally, you can send a record request to the relevant police department or medical examiner’s office in person, via mail, or by email. There may be fees attached to the request.

Death investigation reports may be kept for a very long time or indefinitely, They, however, are typically only accessible by immediate family, such as a registered domestic partner, a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, or sister of the deceased, or any person who was guardian of the deceased at the time of death.

Similarly, autopsy and postmortem reports are not available to the general public and may only be requested by a legal next of kin for the deceased, person or agency with written authorization from their next of kin (typically an attorney or insurance agency) or anyone with a court order or subpoena for the report.

Can You Search for House Deaths Online for Free?

It is very difficult to find information online about a death that has occurred in a house for free; however, it is not entirely impossible. You may consult free resources that offer information on property-related deaths, such as crowdsourced “stigmatized property” databases like HouseCreep. These sites host a database of addresses where deaths, murders, suicides, and paranormal incidents have occurred. While they are generally free, coverage is not comprehensive.

You can also search genealogy and cemetery websites like Interment.net, FamilySearch, and AncestorsAtRest. These offer millions of grave inscriptions and registered death indexes. For historical newspapers and obituaries, visit Chronicling America (Library of Congress), which provides free US newspaper articles all the way from 1756. Legal events (liens, transfers, and, in the case of probate, deaths) may be listed on websites such as CountyOffice.org or local assessor portals. Physical record archives at county courthouses, libraries, or historical organizations may offer a more detailed history.

Finding out who died in your house in the past is not always simple. It would take patience to get anywhere with your search. Be ready to combine methods while searching—contact multiple records-keeping departments, ask neighbors and experts alike, and consult different records, both on-site and online, until you find what you are looking for. While not all information about your home is easily accessible, persistence and the right tools can help uncover your home's past.