New Castle Death Records

New Castle is the oldest continuously occupied town in the Delaware Valley. New Castle death records start in the church records of Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green, which holds burial data from 1714, long before state vital records existed. Modern New Castle death records are held by the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics branch in Newark. Older records sit with the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. This page covers how to order a certified New Castle death record, the historical society, public library, and the cemetery data that fills in the gaps.

Order New Castle Death Records

The Office of Vital Statistics New Castle County branch serves the City of New Castle. It is at University Plaza-Chopin Building, 258 Chapman Road, Newark, DE 19702. Phone is 302-283-7130. Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, closed on holidays. A certified copy of a New Castle death record costs $25.

The City of New Castle does not issue birth or death certificates. The City Administration Building at 220 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720 houses the City Clerk and Treasurer's office for city records, correspondence, archive files, and FOIA compliance. For certified vital records, the city directs residents to the Office of Vital Statistics or the Delaware Public Archives. Read more at City of New Castle.

New Castle deaths from 1986 to today are held by the Office of Vital Statistics. Deaths 40 years or older are at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. Online ordering through GoCertificates and VitalChek Network adds a service fee on top of the $25. Payment for mail orders must be a personal check or money order made out to "Office of Vital Statistics."

New Castle Historical Society Records

The New Castle Historical Society is at 30 Market Street, New Castle, Delaware 19720. Phone is (302) 322-2794. Email is info@newcastlehistory.org. The society operates from the Arsenal building. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The society keeps a varied collection of historic artifacts, documents, images, and books from the 17th century to the present. Its genealogical resources focus on the City of New Castle and New Castle Hundred. Research appointments are required because of the small staff. Call 302-322-2794 or email info@newcastlehistory.org to set up a visit. The society page is at New Castle Historical Society.

The society's city-specific focus makes it a strong source for early New Castle death records research. The collection ties in with state vital records and with the Immanuel Church burial register for family trees that go back to the 1700s.

New Castle Library Death Records

The New Castle Public Library is at 424 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720. Phone is (302) 328-1995. Library hours are Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday is closed.

The library offers Ancestry Library Edition for genealogy research. Access is on the library's public computers. The library also holds a Digital Archives collection of New Castle newspapers, including the New Castle Eagle newspaper from 1983 to 1990. Learn more at New Castle Public Library.

For deep-dive searches, the library is a good first stop. You can match a name and date to the Delaware state vital records index, then go to the Office of Vital Statistics in Newark for a certified copy. For pre-1986 New Castle death records, the next stop is the Delaware Public Archives in Dover.

Immanuel Church Cemetery Records

Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green stands at the corner of Harmony and Market Streets in New Castle. The cemetery surrounds the church. The church has been open continuously since 1689. That makes it the oldest Anglican church in the region.

At the request of Immanuel Church, a full survey of the graves and monuments was done in 1986. The survey data has been entered into an online database that is searchable by surname. Records include name, date of death, grave location, and other vital statistics about people and their families. The database is a key source for pre-1913 New Castle death records research.

Immanuel Church parish registers run from 1714 to 1985 and cover birth, baptism, marriage, and burial records. Many notable people are buried at Immanuel, including Gunning Bedford Sr., Governor of Delaware, C. Douglass Buck, U.S. Senator, and George Read, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The New Castle Community History and Archaeology Project compiles many useful resources about New Castle history and hosts the Immanuel Church burial database. The project, maintained by local historian James Meek, is a free source for cemetery surveys, church records, vital records transcriptions, and genealogical resources specific to New Castle city.

New Castle Court House Museum

The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs runs the New Castle Court House Museum at 211 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720. Phone is (302) 323-4453. The Court House served as the meeting place for Delaware's colonial assembly from 1732 to 1777, when New Castle was Delaware's capital.

Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays and state holidays. Admission is free. The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs also runs other state history sites that hold death and burial data across Delaware.

For Delaware family history research that starts in New Castle, the sequence is: Immanuel Church burial database for the colonial era, the Delaware Public Archives for pre-1986 state records, and the Office of Vital Statistics for deaths from 1986 to the present. FamilySearch.org holds Delaware Vital Records from 1650 to 1974, including Wilmington Vital Records from 1847 to 1954, which cross-reference many New Castle families.

The Bureau of Vital Statistics has death records for the most recent 40 years. For deaths over forty years ago, contact the Delaware Public Archives. The state guide to certificates at delaware.gov/guides/certificates confirms this split at the 40-year mark.

New Castle Probate and Estates

New Castle estates open at the New Castle County Register of Wills. The office is at the Louis L. Redding City/County Building, 800 French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. Phone is (302) 395-7800. The office holds probate records from 1714 to the present. A $2.00 per name letter fee covers a record check before you order full copies.

To open a New Castle estate, bring the original death certificate, the original will if one exists, an estimate of the decedent's assets and real estate, a list of next of kin with full names and addresses, and a valid driver's license. A certified New Castle death certificate from the state is the starting document for most probate cases.

The New Castle County page covers the Recorder of Deeds, the court system, and the CourtConnect portal in full. The City of New Castle is just 10 minutes south of downtown Wilmington, so probate, deed recording, and civil court filings all happen at the county offices in Wilmington. Funeral homes can also order a New Castle death certificate as part of the funeral service.

Nearby Delaware Cities

New Castle is just south of Wilmington on the Delaware River. Delaware City and Middletown are to the south. Newark is to the west. All file through the same New Castle County offices.