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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
Pennsylvania did not record deaths on a state level until 1906. Prior to 1906 some attempts were made to record deaths but these were usually done on the county level and not until about 1893. To determine a date of death for an individual church and cemetery records are the primary records to search. There are also 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.

Who May Request a Death Certificate?
Only certain people can request a death certificate. You must be:


 * Legal representative of decedent's estate
 * Immediate family member
 * Extended family member who indicates a direct relationship to the decedent
 * Power of Attorney (Please note that a Power of Attorney document is no longer valid upon the death of the individual)

Related Wiki Articles

 * How to Find United States Birth Records
 * Learn more about U.S. Death Records
 * United States Record Selection Table
 * U.S. Vital Records Overview
 * United States Vital Records
 * Locating United States Vital Records
 * United States Birth Records
 * United States Marriage Records