Online California Death Indexes, Records & Obituaries

Online California Death Indexes & Records

California Death Index 1940-1997 (requires payment) part of an Ancestry subscription, which also includes:
- California Birth Index 1905-1995
- California Marriage Index 1960-1985
- California Divorce Index 1966-1984
- California Voter Registrations 1900-1968 (for various counties & years; most are for 1900-1944)

California Death Index 1940-1997 (free version) at Rootsweb
Pre-1905 California Death Index Project for many counties

Alameda County: Genealogy Data Records for Eastern Alameda County from the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society - includes cemetery records
Alameda County: for recent Fremont-Newark Argus and Oakland Tribune Obituaries - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
Fresno County - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
Kern County (Bakersfield) - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
Los Angeles County...
- The Los Angeles section has moved to its own webpage...
  - Los Angeles City & County Death Indexes, Records & Obituaries includes Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, Torrance, and other cities
Mariposa County Databases includes some early obituaries
Mendocino County Genealogy Indexes includes birth, marriage, death & cemetery indexes
Merced County, California Deaths, 1852-1999 (requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription)
Orange County (includes Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana, and other cities)...
- Orange County Register Newspaper Obituaries Archive, 1/1/1987-Current (copies of individual obituaries can be obtained online for a fee)
- Orange County Obituaries Index 2000-2004 (some months missing)
Placer County: Index to Deaths 1852-1885 from the Placer Herald Newspaper, Auburn, California
Riverside County - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
Riverside & San Diego Counties: North County Times Obituaries covers North San Diego County & Southwest Riverside County (does not include city of San Diego)
Sacramento County...
- Sacramento Bee Obituaries 3/31/1984-Current - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive listed below
- Fair Oaks Cemetery Burials (Fair Oaks, CA)
San Bernardino - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
San Diego - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
San Diego County Probate Court Search 1974-recent
San Francisco County...
- San Francisco Chronicle Obituaries 1995-present & Death Notices Nov 2000-present
- San Francisco Chronicle Obituaries Archive - Since 1985 (copies of individual obituaries can be obtained online for a fee)
- San Francisco County Probate Court Search (recent)
- The San Francisco Call Database indexes births, marriages & deaths in this newspaper from 1869-1899
- San Francisco: A List of Persons Who Died as a Result of the Great Earthquake & Fire, April 18, 1906
Santa Clara County...
- San Jose Mercury News Obituaries Archive, 6/1/1985-Current (copies of individual obituaries can be obtained online for a fee)
- Mountain View Obituary Index 1967-present; some before 1967
- Palo Alto Historical Association Obituary Index begins with the 1890s
- Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society Website includes a burial index for the Mission City Memorial Park Cemetery (Santa Clara, CA) and 2 funeral home indexes
Santa Cruz County: Mountain Echo Newspaper Index 1896-1916 (includes births & deaths)
Shasta County Registered Deaths 1890-1997 with Cemetery Listings not yet complete
Solano County Death Index 1850-present click on "databases" when you get there
Stanislaus County (Modesto) - see the California Newspapers Obituaries Archive below
Trinity County Vital Records Search
Tulare County Cemetery, Obituary & Probate Indexes
Ventura County...
- Ventura County Genealogical Society Website includes:
  - Ventura County Obituaries Index (various newspapers and years)
  - Ventura County Probate Index 1873-1993
  - Ventura County Death Records Index 1872-1908
- Ventura County Star Newspaper Obituaries Archive, 3/5/1997-Current (copies of individual obituaries can be obtained online for a fee)
Yolo County: Davis Cemetery District Burials Index
Yuba County Vital Records includes cemeteries & burial listings

California Newspapers Obituaries Archive - Recent (copies of individual obituaries can be obtained online for a fee) includes...
- Alameda Journal - 2/8/2002-Current, and Alameda Times-Star - 9/15/2001-Current
- Bakersfield Californian - 2/21/2003-Current
- Contra Costa Times - 6/1/1995-Current
- Fremont-Newark Argus - 9/15/2001-Current
- Fresno Bee - 2/5/1987-Current
- Los Angeles Times - Since 1985
- Long Beach Press-Telegram - 8/11/1990-Current
- Modesto Bee - 1/3/1989-Current
- Monterey County Herald - 1/6/2002-Current
- Oakland Tribune - 9/15/2004-Current
- Orange County Register - 1987-Current
- Palm Springs Desert Sun - 1999-Current
- Riverside Press-Enterprise - 9/28/1992-Current
- Sacramento Bee - 3/31/1984-Current
- San Bernardino Sun - 9/18/2001-Current (5/21/2002-7/11/2002 unavailable)
- San Diego Union-Tribune - 2000-Current
- San Francisco Chronicle - Since 1985
- San Jose Mercury News - 6/1/1985-Current
- Santa Rosa Press Democrat - 1995-Current
- Ventura County Star - 3/5/1997-Current
- And nearly 150 more California newspapers

Also Helpful...

California Vital Records Indexes - Birth, Marriage and Death Records
Ancestry's California Genealogy Records Collection (requires payment) includes census records, WWI draft cards, WWII army enlistments, vital records, city directories, and historical newspapers

Ordering California Death Certificates & Vital Records

Order California Birth or Death Certificates Online from Vitalchek from July 1, 1905 to 60 days ago (birth) and 150 days ago (death) (fee required; some restrictions apply) marriage records available for some counties
Order California Birth or Death Certificates by Mail from the California Center for Health Statistics (fees and restrictions apply)

Online California Death Records & Indexes

A Genealogy Records Guide