Most deaths were not recorded in the county death registers, but rather were reported directly to the State of Iowa through the submission of death certificates. Of special interest to researchers is an state-wide index to the certificates issued from about mid-1904 through 1916. This index is available on microfiche at the State Historical Society of Iowa.
A transcription was performed by scanning the microfiche for county "85" (the county number for Story County), then typing those records. Each record contains the decedent name, date of death, sex, county number, and death certificate number. Obviously some records may have been overlooked and, as with all transcriptions, errors may have been introduced into the data. In this transcription the dates have been converted to the format "dd mmm yyyy", and the abbreviations such as "M" for "Male", "F" for "Female" and "U" for unknown or "Not Reported" are replaced with the full word. Note that this data is marked with the source "MC."
Another transcription project has been commenced by the State Historical Society of Iowa. To date they have indexed Story County death certificates for July 1919 through June 1922, and for the years 1934-38. These are available at their State Historical Society of Iowa site. Those transcriptions have been included in this database. Additional information is available such as date of birth and mother's maiden name. Those records are shown with the source "SHSI."
Yet another transcription project is transcribing key information from the death certificate images for the 1921–1929 available at FamilySearch.org. The transcription includes the image number for the certificate which can be used to find additional, non-transcribed information. To view an image go to this FamilySearch.org page where you will see the first transcribed image. Just change the images number to whatever certificate you wish to see.
The transcribed data includes the following:
A copy of the death certificate where images are not available online can be ordered from the State Historical Society of Iowa. See their site for information about how to order. Providing the certificate number should help, but there is no warranty that the number as recorded in the data here is correct. Remember, if it isn't here that doesn't mean the death didn't occur and if it is located here it remains your responsibility to verify the information. If you are fortunate enough to have be able to visit the State Historical Society in Des Moines in person, you may acquire a death certificate copy more quickly and at less cost from the archivist. You will have to provide the name of the decedent, year of death, county, and certificate number. No mail request are taken. For those you must contact the Bureau of Vital Records..
The death certificates themselves contain the following information: County, Township, City or Town, Full Name of decedent, Sex, Color, Age, Marital Status, Birthplace, Name of Father, Birthplace of Father, Maiden Name of Mother, Birthplace of Mother, Occupation, Informant Name and Address, Date of Death, Dates Attended by Physician, Time of Death, Physician Name, Date Signed, Special Information for Hospitals Institutions & Transients or Recent Residents, Place of Burial or Removal, Date of Burial, Undertaker Name & Address.
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