How Do You Find Out Where Someone Is Buried in the US?

Detailed Explanation

This page covers the records and search tools in the United States. For the general method that works in any country, see how do you find out where someone is buried.

Cemeteries in the US are run by cities, towns, and counties, churches, nonprofit cemetery associations, private companies, and the federal and state governments for veterans. Rules on cemetery records are set by each state and often differ. There's no national burial database, but the US has one advantage many countries don't: the death certificate normally names the cemetery.

Start with the death certificate

The U.S. Standard Certificate of Death, the federal model that states use as the basis for their own forms, includes the method of disposition (burial, cremation, entombment, and so on), the place of disposition by name, and the name and address of the funeral home. So once you have the certificate, you usually have the cemetery, or at least the funeral home that can tell you.

Death certificates are held by the state, not the federal government. The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records lists each state's vital records office, with addresses and current fees. Some older records have been transferred to state archives.

Who can get a copy depends on the state and the age of the record. Two examples:

• Texas. Death records are restricted to immediate family and others with a legal interest for 25 years, then become public (Texas DSHS).
• Pennsylvania. Death certificates become public 50 years after the year of death and transfer to the Pennsylvania State Archives, which holds original certificates from 1906 onward. Certificates from 1906 to 1972 can also be searched online through Ancestry, free to Pennsylvania residents through a State Archives partnership.

Many other states follow similar patterns with different time limits, so check the rules in the state where the death happened. Older certificates from before modern standard forms may not include the burial place.

Contact the funeral home and the cemetery

If the certificate names a funeral home that's still operating, or one that was taken over by another business, its records often include the cemetery, the plot, and the family contact. Once you know the cemetery, the cemetery office can usually give the exact section and plot. Municipal and county cemeteries may be managed by a town clerk, a parks department, or a cemetery commission rather than a dedicated office.

Search obituaries

US obituaries very often name the cemetery and the funeral home. Local public libraries commonly keep obituary indexes or local newspapers on microfilm, and many historical newspapers have been digitized. A library's local history or genealogy desk can often search for you.

Veterans and military burials

Military burials have some of the best records in the country:

• VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator. The Nationwide Gravesite Locator searches burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA national cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of the Interior cemeteries, and private cemeteries where the grave has a government-furnished marker.
• Arlington National Cemetery. ANC Explorer, available on the web and as an app, finds graves at Arlington and gives walking directions.
• Overseas. The American Battle Monuments Commission runs permanent US military cemeteries in other countries and has a search of the service members buried or memorialized there.
• Older veterans. The National Archives holds historical headstone application records, which often name the cemetery and its location. Its research guide explains what's available.

Volunteer grave sites

Find a Grave and BillionGraves hold millions of volunteer-contributed headstone photos and transcriptions from across the country. They're often the fastest way to spot a grave in a small or rural cemetery, but treat each entry as a lead. Confirm anything important with the cemetery or the death certificate.

Once you've found where someone rests, an online memorial can give relatives in other states somewhere to share photos and stories about them.

Things to Consider

• Search in the state where the person died. The death certificate is filed there, even if the burial took place in another state. The place of disposition field records where the body went.
• Cremation is common. If the certificate shows cremation, the crematory and funeral home are the next contacts, since the ashes may have been buried, placed in a columbarium, scattered, or kept by family.
• Family and small burial grounds exist, especially in rural areas. Some were never recorded by any government body. County historical societies and state archives are often the only sources for these.
• Fees and access rules change. Vital records fees and eligibility are set by each state and revised from time to time, so check the current rules before ordering.

Common Mistakes

• Not getting the death certificate first. It's usually the most direct route to the cemetery, so it's worth ordering even if a search elsewhere looks promising.
• Ordering from the wrong state. Vital records are held by the state where the death happened, not where the person lived or where the family is now.
• Treating volunteer sites as final. Find a Grave and similar sites are useful but unofficial, and a missing entry doesn't mean there's no grave.
• Assuming every veteran is in a national cemetery. Many veterans are buried in private cemeteries, and only those with a government-furnished marker appear in the VA locator.