One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, marriage, and death (BMD) information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists (as well as the largest of them all - FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to birth, marriage, and death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific BMD information, and often scanned images of the actual birth, marriage, and death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth, marriage, and death information that are not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers, draft registration files, naturalization records, etc. have BMD info. To find out which types of other records may include BMD information, please see:
- 27 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
- 22 Ways to Find Ancestors Marriage Information
- 21 Ways to Find Ancestors Death Information
The lists below are specific birth, marriage, and death indexes and record collections that are available for free online:
General U.S.
- United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Marriages, 1733-1990
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, Freedmen's Bureau Marriages, 1861-1872
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Connecticut
- Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906
- Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2001
- Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934
- Connecticut Death Records Index, 1897-1968
- Connecticut Marriage Index, 1959-2001
- Connecticut Marriages, 1630-1997
- Connecticut Marriages, 1640-1939
- Connecticut Marriage Records Index, 1897-1968
- Births, marriages, baptisms and deaths in Coventry 1711-1844
- Early Hartford Vital Records
- Miscellaneous County Vital Records
- Polish American Marriage Database for Connecticut
- Fairfield County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- Hartford County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- Litchfield County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- Middlesex County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- New Haven County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- New London County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- Tolland County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- Windham County Barbour Collection of Vital Records 1630-1850
- Windham County Vital Records Index
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Maine
- Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900
- Maine Genealogy Archives - Birth & Baptism Records
- Maine Genealogy Archives - Marriage Records
- Maine Genealogy Archives - Death Records
- Maine Death Index, 1960-1996
- Maine Deaths and Burials, 1841-1910
- Maine Death Records, 1956-2009
- Maine Marriages, 1771-1907
- Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1966, 1977-1996
- Maine Marriage Records, 1892-1966, 1977-2009
- Maine, Vital Records, 1670-1907
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Vital Records Search (1841 - 1910)
- Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
- Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts Death Index, 1970-2003
- Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910
- Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900
- Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910
- Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts Vital Records by County
- Polish American Marriage Database for New Hampshire
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
New Hampshire
- New Hampshire Birth Certificates, 1901-1915
- New Hampshire Birth Records, Early to 1900
- New Hampshire Births and Christenings, 1714-1904
- New Hampshire Death Certificates, 1938-1959
- New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947
- New Hampshire Deaths and Burials, 1784-1949
- New Hampshire Marriage Certificates, 1948-1959
- New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637-1947
- New Hampshire Marriages, 1720-1920
- New Hampshire, Vital and Town Records Index, 1656-1938
- Polish American Marriage Database for New Hampshire
- Boscawen, NH Vital Records
- Hampton Marriage Records Database
- Keene, NH -- Deaths, 1742-1881 & 1887-1942
- Windham Vital Records
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
- Rhode Island Deaths and Burials, 1802-1950
- Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916
- Rhode Island Town Marriages Index, 1639-1916
- Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945
- Rhode Island, Vital records, 1846-1898, 1901-1953
- James N. Arnold Collection of Rhode Island Vital Records Online: 1636-1850
- Polish American Marriage Database for New Hampshire
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Vermont
- Vermont Births and Christenings, 1765-1908
- Vermont Deaths and Burials, 1871-1965
-
Vermont Marriages, 1791-1974
-
Vermont Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005
-
Vermont Town Records, 1850-2005
- Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954
- Vermont Vital Records, 1760-2008
- Vermont Vital Records Online
- Polish American Marriage Database for New Hampshire
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
Happy Hunting!
RSS Feed
