Top Ten Free Public Record Searches

The Top Ten Sites For Free Public, Vital, or Historical Record Searches

By Wendy Boswell, About.com Guide

See More About:

• obituary searches
• find someone online
• google people search
• zabasearch
• state public records

Public records are one of the most popular search activities on the Web, and millions of people look for vital, historical, and other publicly registered documents every day online. Find a birth certificate, locate census records, track down land use documents, and much more with this list of the best websites for finding public information on the Web.

1. Google

Yes, Google definitely belongs on this list of free public records search sites. Not only is it free, it's also one of the world's largest databases of information. For more info on how to use Google as your own public documents locator, read these articles titled Google Search, Google Cheat Sheet, Google Reverse Lookup, and How to Create a Google News Alert (a great way to track mentions of your topic across the Web).

Ads

Marriage Records4,000,000,000+ Names. Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce. 3-Day Free TrialFamilyLink.com/Marriage+Records
Find Birth Records Online1) Search Birth Records for Free 2) Find the Records Instantly!Birth.Archives.com
Marriage Records Look-UpFree Marriage, Divorce & Court Records Search! Takes 2 Secs.publicrecordspy.com/marriagerecords

2. VitalRec.com

VitalRec explains how to obtain vital records (such as birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses and divorce decrees) from each state, territory and county of the United States, as well as an impressive international section. The site is organized by state; locate your state, then browse the available vital records links. No registration is required to use this site. One particularly useful feature of VitalRec.com: all fees that might be included in your public records searches are clearly listed and frequently updated.

3. Obituary Searches

Obituaries, both present-day and historical, can be found online with a little bit of sleuthing. Most obituaries are placed online, eventually, via the newspaper that originally published them. It can take some considerable patience and preparation in order to find many obits, but they can be found on the Web. This tutorial, How to Find an Obituary, takes you step by step on how to research obituary records both on the Web and off.

4. Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records

DeathIndexes.com is a (mostly) free genealogy search site; excellent for those researching genealogies in particular. The website is a comprehensive directory of death indexes on the Web listed by state and county, with easily navigable links to everything you might be looking for. Death records are included here, as well as death certificate indexes, death notices and registers, obituaries, probate indexes, and cemetery and burial records.

5. Google People Search

Google is one of the most useful places to start looking for all sorts of records, simply because its index is so incredibly large and can pull in details and resources you might not have thought to include otherwise. This article, How to Use Google to Find People, delves into the specifics of using Google to find people and people-related information on the Web.

6. Zabasearch

Zabasearch is somewhat controversial because it brings back so much information. However, all of this information is publicly accessible; Zabasearch just puts it all in one convenient place. Zabasearch is considered a good "jumping off point"; it gives you a lot of publicly accessible information that you can use to track down even more public data using other Web search tools (such as the ones included in this top ten list).

7. FirstGov, the US Government's Official Internet Search Engine

FirstGov.gov is is a search portal that gives users instant access to all sorts of information from the United States government, state governments, and local governments. Every agency that handles public information in the United States can be found somewhere in this huge database. The site can be somewhat overwhelming at first simply because of the volume of information available; use the FirstGov tutorial to get an overview of what this incredibly useful site has to offer.

8. Find a Grave

One of the more common public data searches pertains to finding grave information: cemetery records, interment information, even images of the gravesite. The website Find a Grave is extremely helpful in this regard. Celebrity interments can also be found here, with accompanying information and photos.