How can you find out cause of death?

Question:

How can you find out cause of death?

How can I find the cause of death for a family member....dies in 1985??

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: There are several avenues for finding out a cause of death, the most obvious being ordering the death certificate. As stated in the previous answers a death certificate usually runs between 10 and 20 dollars, although some localities have a non certified copy of the death certificate available for a little less money.

You can also contact the mortuary who handled the funeral. If you don't live in the same locality as the funeral home, simply write them a letter with the information you are looking for and state your relationship to the deceased. and ALWAYS include a self addressed stamped envelope. Many of them are happy to provide the information and many times it is free or a modest reimbursement for copies.

You could also order the obituary... sometimes the cause of death is stated in the obituary. Also many times at the end of the obituary it states where memorial contributions can be made. If it is something like the American Cancer Society or the Diabetes Society, it may be a clue as to their cause of death.

Cemeteries maintain records too and some have causes of death recorded. You could try to write to the sexton and again include a self addressed stamped envelope.

I have found causes of death listed in all of these different resources at one time or another. I hope this helps. Please feel free to e-mail me through my profile if you have any questions.