Omaha Vital Records - 1873 to 1910

Omaha Birth and Death Records from the Late 1800s and Early 1900s

Jan 28, 2008 John K. Davis

Unknown to many doing genealogical research in Omaha, the Douglas County, Nebraska, Department of Health started recording births and deaths before the state did.

In 1873, Douglas County started recording births and deaths in Omaha and twenty years later added those from the then separate city of South Omaha. Although it did not include the entire county or those whose birth or death was not attended by a physician, it is still a valuable research tool. The collection has been microfilmed and is available through three depositories: The Dale Clark Library in Omaha; the Douglas County Historical Society; and, the Nebraska State Historical Society in Lincoln.

Years Available

  • Omaha Births. Thesecover the period from 1874 to 1910. This also includes some delayed birth records that were also microfilmed and included with the county records.
  • Omaha Deaths. These cover the period 1873 to 1907 with a gap between most of 1875 through most of 1878.
  • South Omaha Births. Records are available from 1895 to 1910.
  • South Omaha Deaths. These records also start in 1895 but end in 1905.

Information in All the Birth Records

  • Name, Sex, Color. In most cases, the name given was only the baby's surname although some were named immediately and these are included in the record.
  • Date of Birth and Place of Birth. The place of birth in most cases was the same as the parents' residence.
  • Parents' Names and Residence. These are first names only. The mother's maiden name is not given except in rare cases where it involved a birth out of wedlock.
  • Other Notes. After 1892, the records began recording the father's occupation, parents' place of birth, the name of the attending physician, and the date the entry was recorded.

Information in All the Death Records

  • Name of Deceased, Sex, Color, Address, Marital Status, and Occupation. Some entries for women include maiden names.
  • Date of Death and Age. The age is often given in years, months, and days.
  • Cause of Death. If the cause was an illness, the duration of the illness is also included.
  • Place of Birth and Previous Residence. The early records are vague concerning POB (U.S., etc.), the later ones are more specific.
  • Date and Place of Interment.
  • Other Notes. A few of the early records, apparently delayed entries, include parents' names, but these are few in number. Later records include the attending physician. The records after 1886 are more complete.

Drawbacks to the Records

  • Arrangement. The original volumes are arranged by surname letter (e.g. Adams under "A") and then chronologically. It's not a bad system, but unfortunately the original ledgers were not always microfilmed in sequence. This can make for a frustrating search, even though the start of each reel gives general guidelines on how it is arranged.
  • Index. There is none, so knowing an approximate birth or death date is definitely helpful.
  • Readability. Most of the microfilm reels are reasonably easy to read, but there are occasional faded pages.

Overall, the Douglas County indexes are a valuable tool and can help lead to other information such as Omaha obituaries. For those unable to view the records personally, you might be able to obtain help through the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society or the researchers list at the Nebraska State Historical Society.

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The copyright of the article Omaha Vital Records - 1873 to 1910 in Genealogy is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish Omaha Vital Records - 1873 to 1910 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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