How to Find Massachusetts Death Records

United States

U.S. Vital Records

How to Find U.S. Death Records

Massachusetts Vital Records

How to Find Massachusetts Death Records

Guide to Massachusetts Death Records, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, death records, and family history.

Massachusetts Towns have been recording deaths since the 1600s. Statewide registration began in 1841.

Next Step: When did the death occur?	Death Records Choose a time period: Deaths before 1841 Deaths from 1841 thru 1925 Deaths from 1926 thru present Death year unknown

Learn more about U.S. Death Records

Deaths before 1841

For deaths that occurred during this time period, try the following databases:

Includes Index and Digital Images
	1600-1850 - At Massachusetts Vital Records Project	Free; Transcriptions and images of Massachusetts town vital records. Includes births, marriages, and deaths. The collection is comprised of records for over 150 Massachusetts towns.
	1620-1988 at Ancestry	($), free at FamilySearch centers. Database and images of Massachusetts town records that include births, marriages, and deaths. The collection is comprised of records for over 260 Massachusetts towns.
	1620-1850 - At American Ancestors	($)
	1620-1850 at Ancestry	($), free at FamilySearch centers. Index to published town death records for many, but not all Massachusetts towns. Also on AmericanAncestors.org ($); free at FamilySearch centers.
	Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910 at FamilySearch.	Free at FamilySearch; Index to death and burial records from the state of Massachusetts.
Can't find your ancestor in the index?		Tips for searching indexes
No death record for your ancestor?		Other records with death information

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths from 1841 through 1925

Massachusetts was the first state to initiate statewide registration of vital records beginning in 1841. However, the city of Boston, which had kept records prior to this time, didn't start reporting their vital statistics to the state until about 1850. Records from 1841 to 1925 are housed at the Massachusetts Archives. Every five years, another block of five years is transferred from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics to the Archives.

For deaths that occurred during this time period, try the following databases:

Includes Index and Digital Images
	Massachusetts, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1841-1920, at the Massachusetts Archives	Free; Includes links to Family Search databases with digitized images of Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841 to 1920.
	1841-1910 - At American Ancestors	($)
	1841-1920 - At FamilySearch.org	Free; Browse only collection. Includes deaths, 1916-1920 and amended vital records, 1841-1920
	1620-1850 - At American Ancestors	($)
	1620-1988 - Ancestry.com	($) free at family history libraries; Database and images of Massachusetts town records that include births, marriages, and deaths. The collection is comprised of records for over 260 Massachusetts towns.
	1911-1915 - At American Ancestors	($)
	1916-1920 - At American Ancestors	($)
Can't find your ancestor in the index?		Tips for searching indexes
No death record for your ancestor?		Other records with death information

Return to top: Choose another death year

Deaths from 1926 to Present

Death records beginning in 1921 to the present are located at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The MDPH maintains no online index for these records. Try to find your ancestor in one of the indexes below.

For deaths that occurred during the time period, try the following databases:

Includes Index and Digital Images
	1970-2003 - At FamilySearch.org	Free; Includes index only. Also on Ancestry.com ($), free at FamilySearch centers.
	1901-1980 - At Ancestry	($), free at FamilySearch centers; Searchable index of Massachusetts death records, 1901-1980.
	1620-1988 - At Ancestry	($), free at FamilySearch centers; Database and images of Massachusetts town records that include births, marriages, and deaths. The collection is comprised of records for over 260 Massachusetts towns.
	1970-2003 - At American Ancestors	($), Index
Social Security Death Index
	United States Social Security Death Index for Massachusetts- starts 1962 Index. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 ($) U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Incomplete ($).

Order the Certificate

With an exact date (from your records or an index above) you can order a copy of the death record for a fee from the following locations:

To Order Death Certificates
From Town Clerk Massachusetts Vital Records		From Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
It's cheaper and faster than ordering from the state	Town websites can be more difficult to use	Onsite researchers can access public death indexes	Only certified copies of records are issued, regardless of intended use. It's cheaper to order the record from the town clerk

If you do not know the exact date or place of death:
For a fee, the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics will do a 10 year search.

If you do not want to order the death record, there are other records with death information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another death year

Related Wiki Articles

• Learn more about U.S. Death Records
• How to find U.S.Death records
• United States Record Finder
• U.S. Vital Records Overview
• United States Vital Records
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