The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is November 2024)
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One of the main goals for genealogists is finding death information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists (as well as the largest of them all – FamilySearch), many indexes to death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific death information and sometimes scanned images of the death certificates. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include death information that is not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers and obituaries have death info, but most times obituary indexes include the date of the obituary but not the date of death. To find out which types of other records may include death information, please see:
The lists below are specific death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of Delaware.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
Delaware Death Records
- Delaware Church Deaths, 1750-1886
- Delaware Death Records, 1855-1961
- Delaware Deaths and Burials, 1815-1955
- Delaware Marriages, Baptisms, Births and Deaths Index Cards ca. 1680-ca. 1934
- Delaware Mortality Schedules, Persons Who Died during the [census] Year, 1850-1880
- Delaware Public Archives Death Registers
- Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974
- Delaware Death Records, 1855-1910
- Delaware Death Records, 1910-1955
- Delaware, Bible Record Collection, ca. 1680-2000
- Delaware, Cemeteries-Tombstones, ca. 1700-1960
- Delaware, Church Records, 1707-1939
- Delaware, Death Certificates and Card File Index, 1650-1974
- Delaware, Death-Burial Index, ca. 1700-1960
- Delaware, Index to Death Records
- Delaware, Military and Veteran Deaths
- Delaware, Vital Record Index Cards, 1680-1934
- Delaware, Vital Records, 1680-1971
- Delaware, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, Deaths, 1917-1919
- Fort Delaware, Confederate, Union and Civilian Deaths, 1861-1865
- Kent County, Coroners’ Inquisitions, 1741-1943
- Kent County, Early Marriages, Births and Deaths from Deed Books
- Kent County, Tatnall Tombstone Collection, ca. 1650-1960
- Kent County, Early Marriages, Births and Deaths, 1676-1751
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- New Castle County Registration of Deaths 1919-1924
- New Castle County, Coroners’ Inquisitions, 1761-1835
- New Castle County, Deaths
- New Castle County, Tatnall Tombstone Collection Card File Index, 1650-1935
- Newspaper Abstracts and Index – Births, Deaths, Marriages
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Portsville, Sussex County Book of Memorandum of Births, Marriages & Deaths (1798-1844)
- Record of Delawareans Who Died in World War II
- Sussex County – Miscellaneous Records
- Sussex County, Coroner’s Inquests, 1757-1891
- Sussex County, Deaths
- Sussex County, Tatnall Tombstone Collection Card File Index, ca. 1650-1960
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
- Wilmington Catholic Diocese Burials (Includes Death Dates)
- Wilmington Death Records, 1847-1954; Index, 1881-1914
- Wilmington Death Register
- Wilmington Vital Records, 1847-1954
- Wilmington Registrations of Deaths out of City 1919-1922
- World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!