Online North Carolina Death Indexes, Records & Obituaries

Online North Carolina Death Certificates and Indexes

North Carolina Death Indexes and Vital Records at Ancestry (these require payment)
- North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-January 1976 (indexed) includes scanned images of the death certificates
- North Carolina Death Index, 1908-2004 covers all counties from 1968-2004; partial coverage from 1908-1967
- North Carolina Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 coverage varies by county; may not include all counties
- North Carolina Birth Indexes, 1913-2000 coverage varies by county; also indexes some births from 1800-1912
- North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2004 coverage varies by county
- The above 5 databases are included in a subscription to Ancestry's fee-based genealogy records collection

North Carolina Death Records and Indexes from FamilySearch (free with registration) includes...
- North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930 (index and digitized images of the death records)
- North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994 (index only)
- North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970 (images only -- not yet indexed; most records are from 1800-1930; coverage varies by county; may not include all counties)
- North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979 (does not include all counties; coverage varies by county)
- North Carolina, Department of Archives and History, Index to Vital Records, 1800-2000 (for births, delayed births, and deaths)

North Carolina Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemeteries by County

Alamance County Area Obituary Indexes and Abstracts has indexes for 1875-1914 and abstracts for 1915-1929
Buncombe County Register of Deeds Index Search includes deaths, 1913-recent
Cabarrus County: Independent Tribune Obituary Index, 2001-2014 also has indexes for delayed birth certificates, marriages and other items
Caldwell County Register of Deeds: Birth, Marriage and Death Index
Catawba County...
- Index of Obituaries in the Hickory Daily Record, 1915-1989; and Records from the Shuford Funeral Home, 1908-1957 (Hickory, North Carolina)
- Catawba County Newspaper Obituaries 1993-2012 for the Hickory Daily Record and Observer News Enterprise; click on the "Finding Aids" tab when you get there
- Catawba County Cemeteries
Charlotte - see the Mecklenburg County section below
Cherokee County Genealogy Records includes some cemetery burials
Columbus County...
- Columbus County Newspaper Indexes
- Columbus County Coroners' Inquest, 1914-1968, 1981 gives name and year only
Craven County...
- Craven County Death Index, 1914-recent also includes indexes for births and marriages (coverage varies)
- Craven County: New Bern Obituaries and Death Notices Index 1751-1928 and 1966-Recent some other years also included, but not complete
- Craven County WPA Cemetery Indexes does not give date of death or burial
- Craven County Cemeteries burials index for six cemeteries
Cumberland County Cemeteries
Davidson County: Lexington Dispatch Obituaries Indexes also has cemetery indexes; from the Davidson County Public Library
Davidson County Vital Records, 1867-2006 from FamilySearch; images only; includes birth certificates, marriage licenses and death records; coverage varies by type of record
Davie County Genealogy Document Portal includes scanned obituaries and some obituary indexes; from the Davie County Public Library
Durham County...
- Durham County Death, Birth, Marriage, and Divorce Announcement Indexes includes Durham County Obituaries Index, 1848-1927 (Excel File); from the Durham County Library
- Durham County, North Carolina Cemetery Burials
Forsyth County Cemetery Survey Records from the Work Projects Administration (WPA) Historical Records Survey of North Carolina
Gaston County...
- Gaston County: Genealogy and Local History Indexes includes: Early Church Histories and Cemeteries of Gaston and Lincoln Counties Index, and other items
- Gaston County Cemetery Survey Records from the Work Projects Administration (WPA) Historical Records Survey of North Carolina
Guilford County...
- Guilford County: Greensboro Public Library Genealogy Indexes includes Guilford County Marriage and Death Records, 1771-1899; Burials in Greensboro Municipal Cemeteries; and other items
  - Guilford County: City of Greensboro Cemeteries Burial Index for Forest Lawn, Green Hill, and Maplewood Cemeteries
  - Guilford County: Union Cemetery Burials African American Cemetery in Greensboro, North Carolina
Harnett County...
- Harnett County Obituary and Cemetery Burials Search
- Harnett County: Greenwood Cemetery Burials Search Dunn, North Carolina
Hyde County Death Certificate Index, 1913-1991
Iredell County Records Search includes births, marriages, deaths and some cemetery burials
Johnston County...
- Johnston County: Smithfield Herald Obituaries, 1801-present
- Johnston County: Town of Clayton Cemeteries Burial Records Search
Macon County...
- Macon County Death Index, 1913-1978
- Macon County Cemeteries
Mecklenburg County...
- Mecklenburg County Death Certificates Index, 1913-present also has birth and marriage indexes; from the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Genealogy Indexes - Cemetery Burials and Early Death Notices includes some burial records and early Mecklenburg County newspaper abstracts (marriage and death notices)
Moore County Death Records Index 1987-present also has indexes for births and marriages
New Hanover County...
- New Hanover County: Oakdale Cemetery Burials in Wilmington, North Carolina
- New Hanover County: Wilmington, Oakdale Cemetery Records, 1852-2005 at FamilySearch; includes digitized images of the burial registers
- New Hanover County Register of Deeds - Death Certificates Index also has indexes for Birth Certificates and Marriage Records
Northampton County Burials Database lists over 4300 burials in Northampton County
Onslow County...
- Onslow County Genealogy Indexes includes a cemeteries index (with over 6200 names), and many other items
- Onslow County Death Index, c.1912-recent also has indexes for births and marriages (coverage varies)
Person County WPA Cemetery Survey Records scanned searchable book; compiled in 1937 by the Historical Records Survey of North Carolina
Person County Cemeteries
Raleigh - see the Wake County section below
Randolph County: Asheboro Courier and Courier-Tribune Newspapers - Obituaries Index, 1903-2005 from the Randolph County Public Library
Union County Public Library Obituary Indexes for Monroe and Marshville Newspapers (various years)
Wake County and Raleigh...
- Wake County: North Carolina Family Records Online includes Marriage and Death Notices from the Raleigh Register, the North Carolina State Gazette and other newspapers 1799-1893; some family Bible records; and some photographs from the Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery and the Old Hebrew section of Historic Oakwood Cemetery; (from the State Library and State Archives of North Carolina)
- Wake County Death Records, 1900-1909 from FamilySearch
- Wake County: Historic Oakwood Cemetery Burials in Raleigh, NC
- Raleigh City Cemeteries Burial Databases for City Cemetery, Mt. Hope Cemetery and O'Rorke Cemetery
- Wake County: Raleigh News and Observer Newspaper Index 1926-1992 includes death notices
- Wake County Wills Index 1771-1802 also has Wake County Loose Estates Index, 1663-1979
Washington County Cemetery Burials and Death Indexes includes a death records index 1913-1980, links to online cemetery books and many other items
Wayne County Death Index 1995-2016
Wilmington: see New Hanover County above

North Carolina Cemetery Burials - General

North Carolina, Historical Records Survey, Cemetery Inscription Card Index (WPA) from FamilySearch; some counties not included
North Carolina WPA Cemetery Survey Records - Tombstone Transcription Project PDF documents of these records for most North Carolina counties; to search these records by name, see:
- North Carolina 1930s Works Project Administration (WPA) Cemetery Surveys some counties not included
Cemeteries of Some North Carolina Counties includes some cemeteries in Alamance County, Caswell County, Chatham County, Durham County, Forsyth County, Granville County, Person County, Sampson County, Surry County, Vance County, Wake County and other North Carolina counties

North Carolina Wills and Estate Indexes

North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979 at FamilySearch; free with registration
County Records in the North Carolina State Archives includes estate indexes for: Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Avery, Bute, Cabarrus, Camden, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Columbus, Dare, Durham, Gaston, Graham, Hertford, Jackson, Macon, Martin, McDowell, Mitchell, Moore, Pamlico, Pender, Perquimans, Polk, Sampson, Stanly, Stokes, Swain, Transylvania, Washington and Yancey counties; wills indexes for Ashe, Avery, Beaufort, Buncombe, Cherokee, Cumberland, Davidson, Forsyth, Gates, Greene, Haywood, Hyde, Jackson, Macon, Mecklenburg, Pamlico, Richmond, Rowan, Stokes, and Wilkes counties; and Columbus County Coroners' Inquest index, 1914-1968, 1981 (coverage varies by county)
North Carolina Digital Collections: Secretary of State Wills, 1663-1789 Loose original wills probated in the province.

Baptist Obituaries

North Carolina Baptist Historical Collection - Obituary Notices includes: "Obituary Notices from the Biblical Recorder, 1835-1877" and "Obituary Notices taken from the Minutes of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, 1830-1940;" PDF documents
North Carolina Baptist Historical Collection - Biblical Recorder Search, 1834-1970 The Biblical Recorder is the official journal of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention (includes some obituaries)

Ordering North Carolina Vital Records

Order North Carolina Vital Records by Mail (requires payment; restrictions apply)

Also Helpful...

North Carolina Vital Records Indexes - Birth, Marriage and Death Records - on the Internet
Ancestry's North Carolina Genealogy Records Collection (requires payment)
includes census records, cemetery burials, military records, vital records and more

Online North Carolina Death Records & Indexes

A Genealogy Guide for Finding Obituaries, Cemetery Burials & Death Certificates