Online California Death Indexes, Records & Obituaries

Online California Death Indexes & Records

California Vital Records Indexes at Ancestry (these require payment)

California Death Index, 1905-1939 at FamilySearch includes digitized images of the death indexes; free with registration
California Death Index, 1940-1997 at FamilySearch free with registration
California Death Index, 1905-1997 (at Archives.com/requires payment)
Pre-1905 California Death Index Project for many counties; free
California, County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980 at Ancestry/requires payment; coverage varies by county and type of record; includes some pre-1905 death registers for some counties; not complete but has 3 million entries, mostly marriages

California Death Records Indexes, Obituaries & Cemeteries by County

Alameda County...
- Alameda County: Berkeley Daily Gazette Obituary Index for assorted years 1894-1982
- Alameda County: Tri-Valley Newspapers Index of Obituaries, 1874-2004 (Livermore area) large PDF file
- Oakland, Alameda County, Newspaper Record Collection, 1985-2011 from FamilySearch; includes obituaries, birth and wedding announcements and anniversaries
- Oakland, Coroner Records Index, 1926-1994 from FamilySearch
- Alameda County: Genealogy Data Records for Eastern Alameda County includes cemetery records and obituaries indexes; from the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society
- Alameda County Obituary Forms (index), 1968-1977 from the San Leandro Morning News and the Alameda Star Times newspapers
- Oakland, Mountain View Cemetery Records, 1857-1973 from FamilySearch
- Alameda County Cemeteries
Amador County Cemeteries burial indexes, some with tombstone photos
Anaheim - see Orange County below
Bakersfield - see Kern County below
Butte County Obituary and Cemetery Indexes from the Paradise Genealogical Society
Butte County Vital Records Index, 1854-1897 from local newspapers
Contra Costa County Obituary and Probate Indexes from the Contra Costa County Historical Society
Fresno County...
- Fresno Catholic Cemeteries - Burial Records Search from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno
- Fresno County Cemeteries #1 and #2 (Potters Fields) Burials, 1888-2018; and Veterans Liberty Cemetery Burials from the Fresno County Public Library
- Fresno County: Parlier Cemetery Burial Search
- Fresno County: Selma Cemetery District Burial Search
Humboldt County Wills Index for Feb. 26, 1855-Aug. 7, 1931; from the Humboldt County Historical Society
Kern County...
- Kern County Cemeteries
- Bakersfield Californian Obituaries Indexes, 2001-2002
Lassen County...
- Lassen County Obituary Index for various newspapers and years
- Lassen County, State Board of Health, Burial Permits, 1931-1988 at FamilySearch
Lodi - see San Joaquin County 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
Marin County Genealogical Society Indexes includes Coroner's Inquest Records Index, 1941-1967; Wills Index, 1856-1908; and Probate Records Index, 1850-1940
Mariposa County Databases includes some early obituaries
Mendocino County...
- Mendocino County Genealogy Indexes includes indexes for deaths, cemetery burials, and other items
- Mendocino County, Ukiah, Russian River Cemetery District, Index to Burials, 1850-1990 at FamilySearch
Merced County, California Deaths, 1852-1999 (requires payment - part of an Ancestry subscription)
Modesto - see Stanislaus County below
Monterey County...
- Monterey County Herald Obituary Index, 1995 to November 22, 2019 from the Pacific Grove Public Library
- Monterey County: Cementerio El Encinal Burial Search in Monterey
Napa County...
- Napa County: Pioneer Cemetery Burials in Calistoga, California
- Napa County: Saint Helena Cemetery Burials in St. Helena, California
- Treadway & Wigger Mortuary Records, 1902-2014 in Napa, California
Nevada County...
- Nevada County: Historic Cemeteries
- Nevada County Clerk-Recorder Search Recorded Documents includes some affidavit of death and affidavit of estate documents; begins with 1987
- Nevada County Mortuary Records Indexes from the Nevada County Genealogical Society
Oakland - see the Alameda County section above
Orange County (includes Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana, and other cities)...
- Orange County Catholic Cemeteries - Burial Search
- Orange County Cemetery District - Burials includes Anaheim Cemetery, El Toro Memorial Park, and Santa Ana Cemetery
- Orange County Digitized Cemetery Records Index, 1802-1978 for Magnolia Memorial Park, St. John's Lutheran (sections I and II), El Toro, Holy Cross, San Juan Capistrano Mission, Yorba, Anaheim and Santa Ana Cemeteries. Coverage varies by cemetery. From the Orange County California Genealogical Society.
- Saddleback Valley News Vital Record Indexes, 1969-1989 indexes births, marriages and deaths listed in the newspaper; from the South Orange County California Genealogical Society
- For Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress, see the Los Angeles County link above
Placer County...
- Placer County: Index to Deaths, 1852-1885 from the Placer Herald Newspaper, Auburn, California
- Placer County Cemetery District Number One Burial Search for Lincoln Cemetery, Sheridan Cemetery, Manzanita Cemetery, and Santa Clara Memorial Park
Riverside County...
- Riverside County: Hemet - San Jacinto Genealogical Society Obituaries Index
- Riverside County: Lake Elsinore Cemetery Burials
- For Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, see the Los Angeles County link above
Sacramento County...
- Sacramento Cemetery Records, 1900-1959 from FamilySearch; for various cemeteries in Sacramento
- Sacramento County Historic Burials/Deaths, 1850-1933 has about 60,000 entries
- Sacramento City Cemetery...
  - Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Burials, 1849-2000 (PDF file)
  - Sacramento City Cemetery Burial Card Index, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch
  - Sacramento Old City Cemetery Map with Burial Search
- Fair Oaks Cemetery Burials
  - Fair Oaks Cemetery Burials from the Fair Oaks Historical Society
- Sylvan Cemetery Burials Search Citrus Heights, CA
- Sacramento County Burial Grounds: Indigent Burials on Fruitridge Ave. next to St. Mary's Cemetery; very large PDF file
San Benito County Registrar, Burial Permits, 1911-1948 from FamilySearch
San Bernardino County...
- San Bernardino County: Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery Burials in Colton CA
- San Bernardino County: Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery Burials (Ontario, CA) includes obituaries, and birth and marriage announcements
- San Bernardino County: Ontario City Library Newspaper Index
- San Bernardino County: Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Burials (City of Redlands) may be offline
- San Bernardino County: Yucaipa Valley Genealogical Society Obituary Surname Index
San Diego County...
- San Diego Union (1868-1915) and the San Diego Herald (1851-1860) Obituaries and Death Notices Index PDF file
- San Diego County Probate Court Search, 1974-recent
- Mount Hope Cemetery Burial Registries and Indexes in San Diego, California
- Calvary Cemetery Tombstone Photos Catholic Cemetery in San Diego, California
- San Diego County: El Cajon Cemetery Records PDF from the San Diego Genealogical Society
San Francisco County...
- California: County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980 (at Ancestry/requires payment) includes death records for San Francisco, 1853-1905 (with gaps): early years (to 1874) are from deaths reported in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin; later years are death registers or mortuary registers; not complete: 1875-1881 is missing and there may be other gaps; also has BMD records for some other CA counties (coverage varies)
- San Francisco Death Records, 1865-1904 digitized microfilm of mortuary or death registers/indexes (1865-June 1904 with gaps), and death certificates (July-December 1904 only) from FamilySearch; images only/not searchable by name; some years are missing
- San Francisco County Genealogy Records, 1824-1997 from FamilySearch includes coroner's records, probate indexes, marriage licenses, and other items; coverage varies by type of record
- San Francisco Area Funeral Home and Mortuary Records at Ancestry...
  - San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
  - Northern California, Mortuary and Cemetery Records, 1801-1932 (at Ancestry/requires registration)
  - California Mortuary Records of Chinese Decedents, 1870-1933 (at Ancestry/requires payment) from National Archives Microfilm Publication A4040
- The San Francisco Morning Call and the Call and Post, 1878-1913 searchable newspapers; includes some birth, marriage and death notices (free to search)
- The San Francisco Call Database indexes births, marriages and deaths in this newspaper from 1869-1899 (fee required for full details)
- San Francisco: A List of Persons Who Died as a Result of the Great Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906
- Records From Tombstones in Laurel Hill Cemetery, 1853-1927
- Odd Fellows Cemetery San Francisco Registry, 1865-1906 A PDF that lists burials from the Odd Fellows memorial cemetery in San Francisco that were reinterred at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Colma, San Mateo County, California.
San Joaquin County...
- San Joaquin County Public Library Obituary Index, 1850-1991 (from FamilySearch) includes digitized images of the obituaries
- *Some* digitized death certificates are available online for San Joaquin County, 1905-c.1960s here: California: County Death Records (from FamilySearch) may not be complete
- San Joaquin County: Park View Cemetery Search in Manteca, California
San Mateo County...
- San Mateo County Death and Obituaries Indexes from the San Mateo County Genealogical Society
- San Mateo County: Cypress Lawn Cemetery Burials (Colma, CA)
- San Mateo County: Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery Burials (Colma, California) for Holy Cross Cemetery, 1887-2001, and Calvary Cemetery, 1851-1916
- San Mateo County, Colma, Italian Cemetery Records, 1899-2011 at FamilySearch
- San Mateo County: Union Cemetery Burials (in Redwood City, California)
- San Mateo County Superior Court Records Index indexes probate records and other court records
Santa Ana - see Orange County above
Santa Barbara County...
- Santa Barbara County Cemeteries also has indexes for wills, funeral home records and other items; from the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society
Santa Clara County...
- Mountain View Obituary Index, 1967-2004
- Palo Alto Historical Association Obituary Index begins with the 1890s
- Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society Website includes burial indexes for the Mission City Memorial Park Cemetery (Santa Clara, CA) and the Saratoga IOOF Cemetery; plus two funeral home indexes and more
- Santa Clara County Archives includes indexes for some probate cases, wills and coroner inquests
- Santa Clara County, San Jose, Oak Hill Cemetery Headstone Inscriptions, 1838-1985 from FamilySearch
- Santa Clara County: Los Gatos Memorial Park Cemetery Card Index to Burials, 1889-1989 from FamilySearch
- Santa Clara County: Mission City Memorial Park Burials Index in Santa Clara, California; Excel file
Santa Cruz County...
- Santa Cruz County: Genealogical Society of Santa Cruz County Newspaper Index for the Santa Cruz Surf, Pacific Sentinel, Santa Cruz Sentinel, and Mountain Echo; indexes some obituaries
- Santa Cruz County Registrar's Burial Permits, 1860s-1930s for people buried in cemeteries in northern Santa Cruz County; Excel file
Shasta County Registered Deaths, 1890-1997 may not be complete
Siskiyou County...
- Siskiyou County Obituary Index, 1979-2011 from the Genealogical Society of Siskiyou County, California
- Siskiyou County Death Index, c.1905-early 21st Century
Solano County...
- Solano Cemetery District Burials Search for Rockville Cemetery and Suisun Fairfield Cemetery (both in Fairfield, California)
- Solano County Genealogical Society, Burial Records at FamilySearch
Sonoma County, Sebastopol, Evergreen Lawn Cemetery Burial Records, 1800-2010 at FamilySearch
Sonoma County: Sebastopol Memorial Lawn (Evergreen Lawn) Cemetery Log Book, August 29, 1915-December 30, 1935 scanned book at the Internet Archive
Stanislaus County (Modesto)...
- Stanislaus County, California Burial Permits, 1918-1947 PDF document
Stockton - see San Joaquin County above
Tulare County...
- Tulare County Cemetery and Obituary Indexes
- Tulare County: Visalia Cemetery Grave Locator Visalia, CA
- Tulare County, Visalia Cemetery Records, 1875-1990 from FamilySearch
Tuolumne County: City of Sonora Cemetery Burials includes Old City Cemetery and Hebrew Cemetery
Ventura County...
- Ventura County Genealogical Society Website includes:
  - Ventura County Obituaries Indexes (various newspapers and years)
  - Probate Index 1873-1993
  - Death Records Index 1872-1908
  - Coroner's Inquest Records 1873-1941
- Ventura County: St. Mary's Cemetery Records in San Buenaventura (Ventura) PDF files
- Ventura County: Bardsdale Cemetery Burials in Fillmore, California
  - Also see: Ventura County: Bardsdale Cemetery Burials
- Ivy Lawn Memorial Park Records cemetery in Ventura, California
Yolo County: Davis Cemetery District Burials Index

General California Death and Burial Databases

California Cemetery Transcriptions, 1850-1960 at FamilySearch; Includes some cemeteries in Amador, Fresno, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Merced, Napa, Riverside, Sacramento, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Yolo, and Yuba counties. Coverage varies by cemetery.
California, Death and Burial Records from Select Counties, 1873-1987 at Ancestry/requires payment; for Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Yolo Counties; and the Portuguese Union of California; coverage varies by county and organization
California Deaths and Burials, 1776-2000 general collection with over 500,000 entries from FamilySearch

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
Online California Naturalization Records and Indexes
Early California Population Project contains baptism, marriage, and burial records in the California mission registers from 1769-1850, documenting nearly 110,000 early residents

Ordering California Death Certificates & Vital Records

Order California Birth or Death Certificates by Mail from the California Center for Health Statistics (fees and restrictions apply)
For information on some scanned California death records for Los Angeles County and San Joaquin County (and also some birth records for some counties), see the California section at:
- Online Digitized Death Certificates and Records

Online California Death Records & Indexes

A Genealogy Guide for Finding Obituaries, Cemetery Burials and Death Records