How to Find Delaware Death Records

How to Find United States Deaths  Delaware Deaths

The keeping of death records has been required by the state of Delaware since 1913, at which time the Office of Vital Statistics was created. Law states that Delaware death records older than 40 years are open to the public. Once a record is old enough to become public it is transferred from the Office of Vital Statistics to the Delaware Public Archives. Some deaths were recorded as early as 1855

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Next Step: When did the death occur?

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 * Death Records
 * Choose a time period:


 * Before 1881
 * 1881-Present


 * Death year unknown


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Deaths Before 1881
Records prior to 1881 may be found at the Delaware Public Archives. They is an online search for the death registers located at the Archives.

substitute records which can be searched when there is an absence of death records.

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths 1881 - Present
1855 - Present - grouped by county and record type, then arranged by certificate number, these records of death were kept by the Register of Wills for each county with returns sent to the Department of State. These returns are available for 49 of the 64 counties existing at that time; however, they are not complete for each county. Digital images of the records along with a search capability are available at www.ancestry.com. Film copies of the birth records can also be found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below try searching for death information in other records.

Requesting a Death Certificate?
The Delaware Bureau of Vital Statistics has death records for the most recent 40 years. For deaths recorded over forty years ago, contact the Delaware Public Archives.

To order a death certificate for an individual who died in the last 40 years contact one of the below listed facilities:

Jesse S. Cooper Building 417 Federal Street Dover, DE 19901 Phone: (302) 744-4549

Chopin Building 258 Chapman Rd. Newark, DE 19702 Phone: (302) 283-7130

Thurman Adams State Service Center 546 S. Bedford Street Georgetown, DE 19947 Phone: (302) 856-5495

To request a death record for an individual who died more than 40 years ago contact the Delaware Archives.

Delaware Public Archives 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North Dover, DE 19901

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