Find a Grave Indiana

🪦 Indiana Genealogy & Burial Records

Find a Grave Indiana by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search

From Crown Hill Cemetery — America’s third-largest non-government cemetery — to the Hoosier State’s 92 counties of pioneer burial grounds, Civil War cemeteries, and family graveyards. Your complete, verified guide to finding any Indiana grave by name.

92Indiana Counties
1900State Death Reg. Began
FreeFindGraveUSA Search
$8Death Cert Search Fee
555 acCrown Hill Cemetery

Indiana’s 92 counties hold burial records stretching from the earliest territorial settlements of the 1790s through the present day. The Hoosier State began mandatory statewide death registration in 1900 — and records from 1900 to 1917 often require the city or county of death to locate. Before 1900, death records were filed only with local county health departments where the death actually occurred, meaning pre-1900 Indiana genealogy research depends heavily on county-level archives, church registers, and INGenWeb’s volunteer databases.

Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis is the third-largest non-government cemetery in America — 555 acres, 25 miles of roads, 1,500 burials per year. But Indiana also has thousands of small township cemeteries, Quaker burial grounds across the central counties, Civil War regimental plots, and rural family graveyards that are often invisible to national databases. This guide walks you through every verified tool, in the right order, to find any Indiana grave regardless of where or when.

📜 Verify with Official Indiana Death Certificates

Find a Grave records are volunteer-contributed and vary in accuracy. Always verify any significant find with the official Indiana death certificate from the Indiana State Department of Health (IDOH) Division of Vital Records. The certificate adds data no headstone can provide: cause of death, parents’ full names and birthplaces, attending physician, informant’s name, and often the exact cemetery and section.

⚠️

Indiana Death Records — Key Rules: State records begin in 1900 (not earlier). Deaths from 1900–1917 require the city or county of death to locate. Fee: $8 non-refundable search fee (includes one certified copy if found; $4 per additional copy). Walk-in service is NOT available at IDOH — use local county health departments for in-person requests. Photo ID is required.

Option A — Online via VitalChek (Fastest)
  1. Go to the IDOH vital records order page at in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ — the official Indiana state order portal.
  2. Click “Order Online” — you will be directed to VitalChek, the only IDOH-authorized online vendor.
  3. Select Indiana → Death Certificate. Enter full name at death, death year, and county of death. Include city for 1900–1917 records — these require location to identify.
  4. Pay the $8 non-refundable search fee plus VitalChek’s convenience fee. If the record is not found after searching two years before and after the stated year, the fee is still charged. Allow 10–15 business days after receipt for processing, plus 2 weeks mailing time.
Option B — By Phone via VitalChek (24/7)
  1. Call VitalChek at 866-601-0891 — toll-free, available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
  2. Have ready: the deceased’s full name, approximate death year, county of death, and your credit/debit card.
  3. Same $8 search fee applies. Processing time same as online orders: 10–15 business days from receipt at IDOH.
Option C — By Mail to IDOH (Allow 3–5 Weeks Total)
  1. Download State Form 49606 (Application for Death Record) from in.gov/health/vital-records/home/. Complete all fields.
  2. Include a copy of your valid government/state/military photo ID (front and back). Without this, your request will be returned unprocessed.
  3. Make a check or money order payable to “Indiana Department of Health” for $8 per search ($4 per additional copy of same record). Do not send cash.
  4. Mail to: Indiana Department of Health, Vital Records, 2 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46204. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow 2 weeks for receipt plus 10–15 business days processing.
Option D — In Person at Local County Health Department (Same Day)
  1. Visit the county health department in the county where the death occurred — local health departments issue death certificates for events in their county and are often faster than the state office. Find your county at in.gov/health/vital-records/home/.
  2. Bring valid photo ID. Same $8 fee applies. Many county health departments issue same day.
  3. For deaths before 1900: county health departments may have pre-state records not available at IDOH — always check with the local county health department first for any pre-1900 death.

📰 Indiana Obituary Search — 9 Practical Steps

Indiana obituaries often contain the funeral home, church, exact cemetery section and lot, and surviving family names that no burial database captures. Indiana also has one of the best digitized historic newspaper archives in the Midwest — the Hoosier State Chronicles — which is free and searchable online.

🌿 Indiana Obituary Search Method
  1. Go to Google and type: [Full Name] obituary Indiana [death year] — add the city or county for more precise results.
  2. Search Legacy.com — Indiana obituaries — aggregates obituaries from the Indianapolis Star, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, South Bend Tribune, and dozens of smaller Indiana papers.
  3. Search Hoosier State Chronicles — Indiana’s free digitized historic newspaper archive — at newspapers.library.in.gov. This covers hundreds of Indiana newspapers from the 1800s through the 20th century, fully free and searchable.
  4. Check the Indiana State Library newspaper index at in.gov/library/genealogy.htm — the library holds the world’s largest collection of Indiana newspapers, including titles not digitized anywhere else.
  5. Search Newspapers.com for Indiana newspaper archives (subscription, free trial available).
  6. Open every matching obituary fully — read to the end for the complete list of survivors and burial details.
  7. Copy the funeral home name, church, and all surviving family members listed — these are your best leads for the exact cemetery section and plot number.
  8. Call the funeral home listed in the obituary — Indiana funeral homes keep burial books for decades and can provide the exact cemetery, section, and plot for old records.
  9. Cross-check all family names on Find a Grave using the “Nearby Graves” feature — family members often lead to the correct cemetery even when the primary search fails.

⚙️ The Complete 14-Step Workflow to Find Any Indiana Grave

Follow every step in order. Each builds on the last. Do not skip ahead when a previous step hasn’t been fully exhausted.

  1. Start at FindGraveUSA.org — Indiana (last name first, county filter applied)
  2. Filter all results to Indiana only — do not browse out-of-state records
  3. Open and fully read the top 15–20 possible matches in separate tabs
  4. Record the cemetery name, county, and exact death date for each match
  5. Check INGenWeb for your specific Indiana county — many Hoosier cemeteries are only indexed here
  6. Order the official Indiana death certificate at in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ ($8 non-refundable search fee)
  7. Compare every detail between the Find a Grave record and the official certificate
  8. Locate the cemetery’s official phone number — from their website, Google Maps listing, or the Find a Grave cemetery page
  9. Call the cemetery office with the full name and exact death date
  10. Ask specifically for the plot number, section, lot, row, and walking directions
  11. Ask about nearby family graves — relatives in the same section are often not listed online
  12. Search for an obituary via Hoosier State Chronicles and Legacy.com — Indiana
  13. Call any funeral home listed — they keep burial books for many decades
  14. Document everything: screenshots, plot numbers, phone call notes, and save in your genealogy software

📊 All Indiana Burial Record Databases — Verified Direct Links

Every major database for searching Indiana cemetery records, interment records, and burial indexes — with verified direct URLs, cost, and best use case.

Database
Direct Verified URL
Cost
Best For
FindGraveUSA — Indiana
Free
First stop; county-filtered name search
Find a Grave — Indiana
Free
Headstone photos; wildcard search; name variants
BillionGraves
Free
GPS-tagged photos; navigate to exact plot
FamilySearch — Indiana
Free
Death certs 1899–2011; church registers; pre-1900
INGenWeb — Indiana
Free
County-level volunteer databases; Quaker records
Indiana State Library — Genealogy
Free
40,000+ genealogy items; cemetery transcriptions
Hoosier State Chronicles
Free
Historic Indiana newspaper archive — obituary search
Interment.net — Indiana
Free
County sexton register transcriptions
VA Gravesite Locator
Free
Veterans in VA national cemeteries in Indiana
Indiana IDOH Vital Records
$8 search fee
Official death cert from 1900 · +$4 per copy
Legacy.com — Indiana Obituaries
Free
Aggregated obituaries from Indiana newspapers

🪦 Major Indiana Cemeteries — Verified Addresses, Maps & Search Links

Indiana’s most significant and most-searched burial grounds — with verified contact details, Google Maps embeds, and direct search links for each.

Crown Hill Cemetery
📍 Indianapolis, Marion County
  • Third-largest non-government cemetery in America — 555 acres, 25 miles of roads, 200,000+ burials
  • Notable burials: James Whitcomb Riley, Benjamin Harrison (23rd U.S. President), John Dillinger, Booth Tarkington
  • Contains Crown Hill National Cemetery (VA) — Civil War veterans; closed to new burials since 1959
  • Address: 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN 46208
  • Phone: (317) 925-8231 · Open daily 8AM–6PM · Free admission
Lindenwood Cemetery
📍 Fort Wayne, Allen County
  • Founded 1859; 175 acres — one of Indiana’s largest historic cemeteries
  • National Register of Historic Places since February 17, 1978
  • Many prominent Fort Wayne families, Civil War veterans, and German immigrant burials
  • Address: 2324 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46808
  • Phone: (260) 424-2600 · Open daily 8AM–dusk
Marion National Cemetery (VA)
📍 Marion, Grant County
  • VA national cemetery on grounds of the Northern Indiana VA Health Care System
  • Bounded by 38th Street and Lincoln Blvd — Medal of Honor recipients interred here
  • Accepting new burials (casketed and cremated remains, including columbarium wall)
  • Address: 1700 E. 38th St., Marion, IN 46953
  • Phone: (765) 674-0284 · Office Mon–Fri 7:30AM–4PM
Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery
📍 Madison, Jefferson County
  • State-run veterans cemetery (not federal VA) — serves Indiana veterans who may not qualify for VA national cemetery
  • Dedicated to veterans and their families as a lasting memorial for service and sacrifice
  • Address: 1415 North Gate Road, Madison, IN 47250
  • Phone: (812) 273-9220 · Email: ivmc@dva.in.gov
  • Contact Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs at in.gov/dva/
Riverside Cemetery — Indianapolis
📍 Indianapolis, Marion County
  • Historic Indianapolis cemetery with records dating to the 1800s
  • Many prominent Indiana families; diverse immigrant community burials
  • Address: 3400 Riverside Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46208
  • Phone: (317) 925-2400
  • Browse on Find a Grave under Marion County cemeteries
Spring Grove Cemetery — Evansville
📍 Evansville, Vanderburgh County
  • One of Southwest Indiana’s most significant historic burial grounds
  • Strong records for German immigrant families who settled along the Ohio River in Evansville
  • Address: 1600 N. Heidelbach Ave., Evansville, IN 47711
  • Phone: (812) 423-3184
  • Browse on Find a Grave under Vanderburgh County
📍 Crown Hill Cemetery — Indianapolis, Indiana
📍 700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN 46208 📞 (317) 925-8231 🕐 Daily 8AM–6PM · Free admission 🌐 crownhill.org
📍 Marion National Cemetery (VA) — Marion, Indiana
📍 1700 E. 38th St., Marion, IN 46953 📞 (765) 674-0284 🕐 Office Mon–Fri 7:30AM–4PM · Grounds dawn to dusk 🌐 cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/Marion.asp
📍 Lindenwood Cemetery — Fort Wayne, Indiana
📍 2324 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46808 📞 (260) 424-2600 🕐 Daily 8AM–dusk · National Register of Historic Places

🔗 Complete Indiana Cemetery Research Resource Directory

🪦 PrimaryFindGraveUSA — IndianaIndiana cemetery burial records search by name and countyfindgraveusa.org/find-a-grave-indiana/ 🌐 FreeFind a Grave — IndianaIndiana cemetery directory · wildcard search · volunteer photo networkfindagrave.com/…/Indiana?id=state_17 📍 GPSBillionGravesGPS-tagged headstone photos · navigate to exact plot in any cemeterybilliongraves.com 🆓 FreeFamilySearch — IndianaDeath certs 1899–2011 · county microfilm · church registersfamilysearch.org — Indiana Collections 🏛️ OfficialIndiana IDOH Vital RecordsOfficial death certificates · $8 search fee · Phone 866-601-0891 · Records from 1900in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ 📚 State LibraryIndiana State Library — Genealogy40,000+ genealogy items · cemetery transcriptions · 315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolisin.gov/library/genealogy.htm 🌐 GenWebINGenWeb — IndianaCounty-level volunteer cemetery databases · Quaker records · all 92 countiesingenweb.org 📰 FreeHoosier State ChroniclesFree digitized Indiana historic newspapers — obituary search 1800s–1990snewspapers.library.in.gov 📋 TranscriptionsInterment.net — IndianaCounty-organized transcriptions from original Indiana sexton registersinterment.net/us/in/index.htm 🎖️ VeteransVA Nationwide Gravesite LocatorAll VA national cemeteries · section, row, site number returnedgravelocator.cem.va.gov 📁 MilitaryNPRC Military RecordsMilitary service records — free for records over 62 years oldarchives.gov/veterans 📰 ObituariesLegacy.com — IndianaAggregated obituaries from Indiana newspapers statewidelegacy.com/us/obituaries/local/indiana

🎖️ Indiana Veteran & Military Grave Search

Indiana has two VA national cemeteries plus a state-run veterans cemetery, all three with different eligibility and burial policies. Always search all systems independently — coverage differs between them.

🎖️ VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator

Covers veterans in all VA national cemeteries — Marion National Cemetery and Crown Hill National Cemetery (closed). Returns section, row, and site number. Search by name only.

Search VA Gravesite Locator →

🏛️ Marion National Cemetery

1700 E. 38th St., Marion, IN 46953 · Phone: (765) 674-0284 · Accepting new burials (casketed and cremated). Medal of Honor recipients interred.

Marion National Cemetery →

🏛️ Crown Hill National Cemetery

700 W. 38th St., Indianapolis, IN 46208 (inside private Crown Hill Cemetery). Historic Civil War veterans’ cemetery. Closed to new interments since 1959. Crown Hill Columbarium Annex at 725 W. 42nd St accepts cremated remains.

Crown Hill National Cemetery →

🏛️ Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery (State)

State-run (not federal VA). 1415 North Gate Road, Madison, IN 47250 · Phone: (812) 273-9220. Serves veterans who may not qualify for federal VA burial.

Indiana DVA Official Site →

📋 FamilySearch Veterans Collection

Search “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” — covers Indiana VA cemeteries plus many non-VA military burial sites in church and township cemeteries not in the federal locator.

Search FamilySearch Indiana →

📁 Military Service Records (NPRC)

Pension files often name the exact burial location. Request from the National Personnel Records Center — free for records over 62 years old at archives.gov/veterans.

Request at archives.gov/veterans →
🎖️

Indiana-Specific Tip: The Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs at in.gov/dva/ maintains the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison (state-operated, not federal VA) and can assist with burial records for Indiana veterans in state-operated sites. The VA Gravesite Locator only covers federal VA national cemeteries — always check both systems.

🔎 Common Indiana Burial Record Questions — Answered

Find a Grave Indiana by Name Free

The fastest free search starts at FindGraveUSA.org/find-a-grave-indiana/, then findagrave.com — Indiana (id=state_17) and BillionGraves. For county-level volunteer databases not on national platforms, check INGenWeb. For pre-1900 records, check FamilySearch Indiana and the Indiana State Library.

Indiana Cemetery Records Online

Central and northern Indiana (Marion, Hamilton, Allen, St. Joseph counties) have strong online coverage. For southern Indiana townships and Quaker burial grounds across the central counties, use INGenWeb Indiana — many of these county databases have never been indexed on national platforms. Interment.net — Indiana provides sexton register transcriptions for many rural counties.

Indiana Death Records Search

Indiana began statewide death registration in 1900. State records from 1900–1917 require the city or county of death to locate. FamilySearch’s Indiana Death Certificates, 1899–2011 collection is the best free indexed source. Official certified copies are $8 (non-refundable search fee) from IDOH · Phone 866-601-0891. Pre-1900 records are held only by county health departments.

How to Find a Grave in Indiana

Start at FindGraveUSA.org with county filter applied. If no result, try Find a Grave with * wildcard. Still nothing? Check INGenWeb for your county — many Indiana township cemeteries are only indexed here. If the death is pre-1900, contact the county health department directly — they may hold records the state office doesn’t.

Indiana Genealogy Cemetery Records

Indiana’s Quaker heritage makes central Indiana genealogy unique — monthly meeting burial records (particularly Wayne, Randolph, Henry, and Hamilton counties) are among the most detailed pre-registration interment records in the state. These are searchable free on FamilySearch and at the Indiana State Library at in.gov/library/genealogy.htm, which holds 40,000+ genealogy items including cemetery transcriptions.

Indiana Veterans Burial Records

Indiana has Marion National Cemetery (accepting new burials) and Crown Hill National Cemetery (closed 1959, Annex for cremated remains only). Search both via gravelocator.cem.va.gov. The state-run Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison (812-273-9220) covers veterans not in the federal VA system.

Free Indiana Death Records Search

Free indexes include FamilySearch Indiana Death Certificates, 1899–2011, INGenWeb county pages, and the Social Security Death Index (free at FamilySearch). These return name, dates, and last-known location. The certified death certificate — adding parents’ names, cause of death, and informant — is $8 (non-refundable) from IDOH.

Indiana Historical Cemetery Records

The Hoosier State Chronicles at newspapers.library.in.gov is one of Indiana’s most underused genealogy resources — it’s a free, fully searchable digital archive of hundreds of Indiana newspapers from the 1800s through the 20th century. Obituary searches here often turn up burial details not found in any cemetery database. The Indiana State Library also holds pre-statehood (pre-1816) territorial records in its genealogy collection.

🌿 8 Insider Tips — Indiana-Specific Genealogy Tricks

01

Indiana State Records Start in 1900 — Not 1867

Indiana death records at the state level begin in 1900 — 33 years later than Michigan or Virginia. For deaths before 1900, you must contact the local county health department where the death occurred. Pre-1882 deaths left almost no government record at all — rely on church registers and INGenWeb county transcriptions.

02

INGenWeb Has What Find a Grave Doesn’t

Indiana’s county-level INGenWeb volunteers have transcribed Quaker meeting burial records, German Reformed churchyard registers, and hundreds of rural township cemeteries that are nowhere on Find a Grave. Always check ingenweb.org for your specific county before concluding no record exists.

03

Hoosier State Chronicles Is Free and Searchable

Most researchers don’t know that Indiana has one of the Midwest’s best free digitized newspaper archives — Hoosier State Chronicles at newspapers.library.in.gov. Search hundreds of Indiana newspapers from the 1800s onward for free. Obituaries here often include exact cemetery section, lot, and family details missing from all databases.

04

Crown Hill Requires a Phone Call for Plot Data

Crown Hill Cemetery has over 200,000 burials across 555 acres and 25 miles of roads. While Find a Grave has many Crown Hill records, the cemetery’s own office at (317) 925-8231 can give you the exact section, lot, and walking directions — essential for actually locating any grave in such a large cemetery.

05

Quaker Meeting Records Are the Best Pre-1900 Source

Indiana’s central counties (Wayne, Randolph, Henry, Hamilton, Hendricks) had large Quaker populations whose meeting records documented births, deaths, and burials with remarkable completeness from the 1820s onward — decades before any government registration existed. FamilySearch and the Indiana State Library hold most of these collections.

06

Southern Indiana Has Rich German Catholic Records

Dubois, Spencer, Perry, and Crawford counties in southern Indiana were settled by German Catholic immigrants in the 1830s–1860s. Their church burial registers are among the most detailed pre-registration records in the state — often naming the exact cemetery plot and family relationships. Search FamilySearch and contact the Diocese of Evansville archives for these records.

07

The IDOH Search Fee Is Non-Refundable Even If Not Found

Unlike most states, Indiana’s $8 death certificate search fee is completely non-refundable even if no record is found. Before ordering, exhaust free searches on FamilySearch’s Indiana Death Certificates, 1899–2011 collection to confirm the record exists — FamilySearch indexes the same IDOH database.

08

Mennonite and Amish Records in NE Indiana Are Often Off-Grid

LaGrange, Elkhart, and Kosciusko counties in northeast Indiana have the largest Old Order Amish community outside of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Amish burial records are typically kept by the local congregation, not the county — not online anywhere. Contact local Mennonite Historical Society branches in Goshen, Shipshewana, or the Menno-Hof museum in Shipshewana for research assistance.

🎒 How to Prepare for an Indiana Cemetery Visit

Proper preparation prevents wasted long drives — particularly at Crown Hill (25 miles of roads inside), rural southern Indiana townships, and northeast Indiana Amish country cemeteries that have no office staff or signage.

  • 📋Get the exact plot number, section, lot, and row confirmed by phone from the cemetery office before you leave — especially critical at Crown Hill, where finding an unmarked section without a plot number can take hours.
  • 📞Call the cemetery office at least one day before your visit to confirm visiting hours, any gate codes, road access (particularly relevant for rural southern Indiana cemeteries after heavy rain), and which entrance to use.
  • 🗺️Download offline maps before leaving home — rural southern and northeast Indiana areas have spotty cell service. Download Google Maps and BillionGraves data for the cemetery and surrounding area while on WiFi.
  • 🥾Wear sturdy footwear appropriate for the terrain. Southern Indiana hill country cemeteries can be steep and wet. Central Indiana township cemeteries are often on unpaved roads that become muddy in spring and fall.
  • 🧹Bring water, a soft natural-bristle brush for headstone cleaning, a notebook, and chalk for rubbings. Never use wire brushes or bleach on Indiana limestone or sandstone markers — these are common stone types that are very vulnerable to chemical damage.
  • 🌡️Best visiting months in Indiana: April–May and September–October — mild weather, manageable humidity, most cemeteries fully accessible. Avoid July and August in southern Indiana (extreme heat and humidity). December–February: many rural township cemeteries have access roads that are impassable after heavy snow.

🔧 Common Problems & Exact Solutions

⚠️ Problem
No record found on Find a Grave or FindGraveUSA
✅ Solution

Check INGenWeb for your specific Indiana county — many township and Quaker cemeteries are only indexed there. Then try Interment.net — Indiana. If still nothing, click “Add a New Memorial” on Find a Grave and call the cemetery office directly.

⚠️ Problem
Spelling doesn’t match — zero search results
✅ Solution

Use * and ? wildcards on Find a Grave — Indiana. Try FamilySearch’s Indiana Death Certificates, 1899–2011 index with partial name. The official spelling on the IDOH death certificate is the authoritative source — order it at in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ for $8.

⚠️ Problem
Death before 1900 — no IDOH record exists
✅ Solution

Contact the county health department where the death occurred — they may hold pre-1900 county-level records. Search FamilySearch Indiana church collections (Quaker, Methodist, Catholic). Check INGenWeb county pages for locally transcribed pre-registration records, and the Indiana State Library genealogy collection.

⚠️ Problem
Burial record found but no plot number available online
✅ Solution

Call the cemetery office with the full name and exact death date — sexton books record every burial even when Find a Grave doesn’t show plot details. For Crown Hill specifically, call (317) 925-8231. They maintain detailed plot maps going back to 1864.

⚠️ Problem
Amish or Mennonite ancestor — no online record
✅ Solution

Old Order Amish burial records are kept by local congregations — not online anywhere. Contact the Mennonite Historical Society in Goshen, the Menno-Hof museum in Shipshewana, or local churches in LaGrange, Elkhart, or Kosciusko counties directly. These communities maintain detailed handwritten burial registers.

⚠️ Problem
IDOH search fee charged but record not found
✅ Solution

Indiana’s $8 search fee is non-refundable even if no record is found. Before ordering, verify the record exists using FamilySearch’s free Indiana Death Certificates, 1899–2011 index (which covers the same IDOH database). If FamilySearch shows no result, the record may be pre-1900 or filed only at the county level.

Frequently Asked Questions — 15 Detailed Answers

How do I find a grave in Indiana if I only have the name?
Follow the 12 micro-steps above — start at findgraveusa.org/find-a-grave-indiana/ with county filter applied, then Find a Grave — Indiana using the * wildcard. If national platforms fail, check INGenWeb for your specific Indiana county. Always verify any match with an official death certificate from IDOH.
Is Find a Grave completely free to use in Indiana?
Yes. Searching, viewing memorials, and requesting headstone photos from local volunteers is 100% free — no account required for basic searches. Creating a free account lets you save searches, submit new memorials, and track photo request status.
When did Indiana begin statewide death registration?
Indiana began statewide death registration in 1900. Some certificates from 1882 onward exist at the county level, but they are not collected at the state level until 1900. Deaths from 1900 to 1917 require the city and/or county of death to locate the record. Before 1882, almost no government death records exist — rely on church registers and INGenWeb county transcriptions.
How much does an Indiana death certificate cost?
The fee is $8 non-refundable search fee (includes one certified copy if the record is found). Additional copies of the same record are $4 each when ordered at the same time. The $8 search fee is charged even if the record is not found — Indiana law requires the fee just to search the records. Order at in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ or call VitalChek at 866-601-0891.
Who can request an Indiana death certificate?
Indiana death records require photo ID but are not restricted by relationship — anyone may order a certified or non-certified copy. Walk-in service is NOT available at IDOH in Indianapolis. For in-person requests, visit the local county health department in the county where the death occurred. Check in.gov/health/vital-records/home/ for local health department contacts.
What if the person died before 1900 in Indiana?
Contact the county health department where the death occurred — they may hold pre-1900 county records not available at IDOH. Also search FamilySearch Indiana church collections (Quaker, Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic parish registers survive for many Indiana counties from the 1820s). Check INGenWeb county pages and the Indiana State Library genealogy collection (315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46202).
Can I visit any cemetery in Indiana?
Most public cemeteries are open to visitors during daylight hours. Private family cemeteries on private land require landowner permission. Many rural southern Indiana and northeast Indiana cemeteries have specific visiting hours. Always call ahead — particularly for rural cemeteries after heavy rain (access roads can be impassable), during summer corn/soybean growing season (roads through agricultural areas may be temporarily blocked), and in winter (December–February) when unpaved township roads become muddy or icy.
What is Crown Hill Cemetery and how do I search it?
Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis is the third-largest non-government cemetery in America — 555 acres, 25 miles of roads, over 200,000 burials, with 1,500 new burials per year. Notable burials include President Benjamin Harrison, poet James Whitcomb Riley, and John Dillinger. Search it at findagrave.com/cemetery/84781/crown-hill-cemetery or call (317) 925-8231 for plot location assistance. The adjacent Crown Hill National Cemetery (VA section, Sections 9–10) is a separate historic Civil War cemetery — search it via the VA Gravesite Locator.
How do I find military veteran graves in Indiana?
Use three separate systems: (1) VA Gravesite Locator for Marion National Cemetery (Marion, IN · (765) 674-0284) and Crown Hill National Cemetery (Indianapolis); (2) Indiana DVA for the state-run Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Madison, IN · (812) 273-9220); (3) FamilySearch “U.S. Veterans Gravesites, 1775–2006” for non-VA military burials in church and township cemeteries. For military service records, contact NPRC at archives.gov/veterans.
Can I search Indiana burial records without creating an account?
Yes. FindGraveUSA.org, Find a Grave — Indiana, INGenWeb, Interment.net — Indiana, Hoosier State Chronicles, and the VA Gravesite Locator all work without registration. FamilySearch requires a free account — no credit card ever required.
What should I bring when visiting an Indiana cemetery?
Bring: the exact plot number, section, lot, and row confirmed by phone from the cemetery office; water; a soft natural-bristle brush (Indiana limestone and sandstone markers are very vulnerable to wire brushes and chemicals — use only soft natural bristles and water); a notebook; waterproof footwear for wet or hilly terrain; insect repellent and sunscreen in summer; and offline maps downloaded in advance. For Crown Hill, bring the BillionGraves app for GPS navigation within the 555-acre grounds.
Does Indiana have one central grave database?
No. Indiana burial records are distributed across FindGraveUSA, Find a Grave, INGenWeb, Interment.net, Indiana State Library, FamilySearch, and county/township health departments. The official Indiana death certificate from IDOH at in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ is the only centralized official source — but it covers only deaths from 1900 onward and the $8 search fee is non-refundable.
What is INGenWeb and how do I use it for Indiana?
INGenWeb at ingenweb.org is Indiana’s county-level genealogy volunteer network — part of the national USGenWeb Project. Each of Indiana’s 92 counties has a dedicated page maintained by local volunteers who transcribe cemetery records, obituary indexes, and county history data not found on any national platform. The quality varies by county, but many pages have Quaker meeting burial records, German church registers, and rural township cemetery transcriptions that are invaluable for pre-1900 Indiana genealogy research.
What is the best time of year to visit Indiana cemeteries?
Late April through May and September through October are ideal — mild temperatures, low humidity, no snow, and most cemetery access roads fully open. Avoid July and August in southern Indiana (extreme heat and humidity, particularly along the Ohio River valley). December through February: many rural township cemeteries in southern and central Indiana have dirt or gravel access roads that become impassable after heavy rain or snow. Call the cemetery office before any off-season visit.
Can I add a missing Indiana grave memorial on Find a Grave?
Yes. Click “Add a New Memorial” on findagrave.com and provide: full name, birth and death dates, cemetery name and full address, and plot details if known. Adding a headstone photo substantially strengthens the memorial’s usefulness for future researchers. If you don’t have a photo, submit the memorial anyway and click “Request Photo” — a local Indiana volunteer may photograph it for free.
Research Disclaimer: FindGraveUSA.org is not affiliated with the Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana State Library, Find a Grave (Ancestry), BillionGraves, or any government agency. This guide is for educational and genealogical research purposes only. For certified official records contact: Indiana Department of Health, Vital Records, 2 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 · VitalChek: 866-601-0891 · IDOH: (317) 233-2700 · in.gov/health/vital-records/order-now/ · All links verified April 2026. Report broken links to support@findgraveusa.org.

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