Use Excel to track birth, death and marriage records

Have you ever purchased a birth, death or marriage record for your family history only to discover that you already had it?

Many genealogists waste money buying duplicate vital records. This Excel tracking system creates a list of your birth, death, and marriage certificates to help you avoid duplicate purchases and plan future research efficiently.

Post last updated 19 June 2025

Birth, death and marriage records are essential sources in genealogy research, because they usually contain information which helps to establish identity and relationships between people. They also establish details around key events in a person’s life. With a few exceptions, such as probate events, life events all occur between a person’s birth and death.

Birth, death and marriage records may be government records, usually referred to as certificates; or church records, such as baptisms or burials. The BDM index can include all of these types.

Over the course of family history research, you will probably obtain hundreds of birth, death and marriage records. In some cases, these records may be obtained for free, but often they cost money. Organising family history records becomes crucial as your collection grows.

You could keep track of the records by saving them all in a centralised folder and naming them appropriately. However, the added benefit of a BDM index is that it can be used to prioritise which records you need to obtain next. This makes it a useful tool in research planning.

These instructions assume a basic knowledge of Excel. If you do not know how to use Excel, I recommend viewing a YouTube tutorial first. This genealogy spreadsheet method works with any version of Excel and can be adapted to other spreadsheet programs.

Step 1: Set up your Excel BDM index

Create these columns and format them to stand out. I like bold headings with shading, and I alter the width of the columns as needed.

• A. Surname
• B. First name
• C. ID (unique identifier number)
• D. Type (of record)
• E. Year
• F. Country
• G. State/county
• H. Reference
• I. Status

Explanation:

ID – This is the unique identifier number from your Family History software, if you use such software. The ID helps to distinguish between two people of the same name.

Type – Birth, baptism, marriage, death, burial.

Year – of the event or record.

Country and State/County – of the event or record. This helps you identify where to look for it.

Reference – any descriptors for the record, such as those provided by a Registry index.

Status – This is the column that records whether you have it yet. I use Order 1 (top priority), Order 2, Received, Blank.

Step 2: Add birth death and marriage data to your Excel index

Start filling in the table. Each person needs to be entered two to three times, for birth, marriage and death.

Be careful not to list a marriage event against both members of a couple. Choose one person to list them under. It does not matter which, provided you are consistent.

You do not have to enter everyone in your family tree. This vital records tracking system works best when you focus on active research subjects. You might take a systematic approach by adding your four grandparents first then working your way back in time.

It does not matter which order you enter them in. You can sort them in the Step 3.

Step 3: Organise your BDM records: Sorting and filtering tips

Sort the entries in a way that makes sense to you. I tend to sort by surname, but you can sort by any column. The Sort button is on the Data Tab.

Add filter buttons to each column

Click in Cell A1, click on the Data Tab, then click on the Filter button. This adds a little drop-down arrow to each column.

You can use the drop-down arrows to filter the data using any column.

For example, I can create a subset of my table which just shows the records that need to be ordered next. I click on the arrow in the Status column and unselect all options except for Order 1, then click OK.

You can use the filter button to create any subset you need, such as all the people of a particular surname or every record from a particular location.

To clear the filters and see the full table again, follow the same steps as you did to add the filters: Click in Cell A1, click on the Data Tab, then click on the Filter button. I like to clear the filters each time before I save and close the index, so that the full table is revealed next time I open it.

This Excel tracking system transforms chaotic family history records management into an organised research tool.

For more articles and information about using Excel in family history, head to the Excel page. You can also download your free copies of my Excel guides on my Free Stuff page.

For more of my articles about organising your family history, go to the Organise page.

About the author: Danielle Lautrec is a genealogy educator, researcher, and author of The Good Genealogist. With qualifications in history, family history, and historical archaeology, she teaches for the Society of Australian Genealogists.