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Research Guide

 

Note: If you are a beginning researcher you may want to read " Where to Start " first.

GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCHING DEATHS AND BURIALS IN HAYWOOD COUNTY
(These guidelines are included in both " Haywood County Deaths and Burials " and " Directions to the Cemeteries of Haywood County.) "

First: Finding death and burial records:
Researchers with ancestors known to have died in 1985 or earlier should check George Augustus Miller's " Cemeteries and Family Graveyards in Haywood County ", books 1 - 7, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville.   These books are available in the North Carolina Room or at the Library's main desk.

Published in 1979, Miller's first book was compiled from gravestone inscriptions found during his visits to the cemeteries.  An index that leads to individuals buried in the cemeteries was updated in February, 2000, by authors Nancy Campbell Bowling and James Campbell. Book 1 and the index are available on request from the Library's main desk (Ref. #NCR 929.3M).

Books 2 - 7 are large notebooks (yearbooks, printed, but unpublished) that contain copies of obituaries from newspapers and funeral homes of all who died in the years 1980-1985 and during months in 1979 that were not included in Book 1.  The obituaries in each book are arranged in alphabetical order.  These books are identified by years on their covers and are shelved in the North Carolina Room (Ref. #NCR 929.3M).  

None of Miller's books, 1 - 7, are available for check-out.

Second: Locating Death Certificates:
For anyone who died in Haywood County after 1913, Death Certificates may be obtained from large ledgers in the Register of Deeds office at the Waynesville Plaza on Russ Avenue. This is a temporary move due to refurbishment of the court house.

In Haywood County the Register of Deeds is developing a very helpful computerized index.   As of October, 2001, it contained an alphabetical listing of all who died in the county in the years 1980 through 1999.  It included book and page numbers that led directly to the Death Certificates.  A computerized index does, of course, greatly facilitate the process of obtaining copies of Death Certificates and the valuable information they contain.

Third: Out-of-County Deaths:
If no Death Certificate is found in the Register of Deeds office, the reason may be that out-of-county deaths are recorded, not in Haywood county, but in the county and state where deaths occurred.  If you are searching for a person who may have died from 1986 through 1995 you should check the HCGS book , " Haywood County Deaths and Burials ".

Forth: Finding Cemeteries:
If you need guidance in finding a cemetery, you should review the HCGS new book , " Directions to the Cemeteries of Haywood County, NC ".  This book updates directions to the cemeteries Miller visited and adds directions to, and information about, newly identified cemeteries and graves. Both books are available for on-site research at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville, at the Register of Deeds office at the County Courthouse, and in the HCGS Resource Center .  They are also available for purchase from HCGS from The Waynesville Book Company on Main Street across from the County Courthouse

 

 

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