Search Wilmington Death Records

Wilmington death records are held by the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics branch in Newark for deaths in the last 40 years. Older Wilmington deaths sit with the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. Wilmington also has strong local tools that work with the state records, such as the Wilmington Public Library obituary service, the Delaware Historical Society research library, and the Catholic Cemeteries burial database. This page lays out the Wilmington offices and local archives that hold death, burial, and obituary data, plus the link back to the New Castle County Register of Wills for probate.

Order Wilmington Death Records

Wilmington sits in New Castle County. The nearest Office of Vital Statistics branch is in Newark at 258 Chapman Road, DE 19702. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone is 302-283-7130. A certified copy of a Wilmington death certificate costs $25.

Recent Wilmington deaths from 1986 to the present are held at the Office of Vital Statistics. Deaths from 1985 and earlier are at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. The state death records process is the same across the county. Read the full state guide at the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics page.

Online ordering uses GoCertificates or VitalChek Network. Both add a service fee to the $25 state fee. A valid photo ID must be uploaded during checkout. Mail orders go to the central office in Dover.

Wilmington Public Library Obituary Service

The Wilmington Public Library runs a paid obituary search for researchers who need to pull a death notice from a local Wilmington paper. The library holds microfilm of local newspapers going back to 1871. That is a longer run than most Delaware local library collections.

For deaths from 1871 to 1960, the library asks for the name and the exact date of death with day, month, and year. For deaths from 1960 to today, the library needs the name and at least the month and year of death, though an exact date helps. Adding a note about the person such as military service, owning a business, or a tragic death helps the librarians narrow the search.

All requests must be in writing and mailed to the Reference Department at The Wilmington Library, Post Office Box 2303, Wilmington, DE 19899-2303. The fee is $5.00 per obituary with a limit of three names per request. The $5.00 is charged even if the library cannot find the obituary. Checks go to "The Wilmington Library." Full terms are at the Wilmington Public Library obituary page.

The library also built the Delaware Index, an index of major news stories from local Wilmington papers going back to 1922. From 1922 to 1977 the index is in card file form. From 1978 forward it is digital. Call the Reference Department to ask if a family name shows up in the index. Ancestry Library Edition is available from the library's in-house computers for free.

Delaware Historical Society Research

The Delaware Historical Society is headquartered in Wilmington at 505 Market Street. Phone is 302-655-7161. The Research Library has family histories, surname files, photographs, maps, and published local histories. Many of these tie directly to Wilmington death records research.

The Society holds two city-specific collections that are key for Wilmington death research. The first is City of Wilmington Deaths from 1847 to 1916. The second is City of Wilmington Marriages from 1881 to 1912. Paired with the state vital records index, these fill in the years before statewide registration became consistent. More info is at Delaware Historical Society.

Other key collections include Tatnall Tombstone Records and the WPA listings of New Cathedral Cemetery and Old Cathedral Cemetery. The Oates Collection of Delaware African American History has a separate file of Obituaries, Funeral Services, and Death Notices from 1856 to 1992. That is a strong source for Black family history in Wilmington.

The Research Library also has federal census records from 1790 to 1930, a Newspaper Collection, and naturalization indexes and papers. Research guides cover Italian-American research, African American research, and general Delaware genealogy.

Catholic Cemeteries Burial Database

The Diocese of Wilmington runs a searchable Catholic Cemeteries burial database that covers All Saints Cemetery, Gate of Heaven Cemetery, and Cathedral Cemetery. The database went online around 2012 and has a smartphone app feature. It is one of the most useful city-level burial tools for Wilmington death records research.

A search returns the name of the deceased, date of death, grave location, and in many cases a photo of the memorial. Search by surname. The Diocese of Wilmington covers Delaware and parts of Maryland. The full page is at Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Wilmington.

The Diocese also holds Parish Sacramental Registers that include baptismal and marriage registers of older parishes of the Diocese of Wilmington through the year 1900. These do not cover deaths directly but often show the last sacramental records before death, which point to the date of death and burial site.

Wilmington Probate and the Register of Wills

The City of Wilmington Department of Real Estate and Housing publishes a plain-English probate guide. In Delaware, an estate must be probated if the deceased owned more than $30,000 in personal property alone, or if the deceased owned real property in their name alone as sole owner or tenant in common. Property that should have been probated but was not cannot be legally transferred.

That is why ordering a Wilmington death certificate is the first step for many families who hold a parent's home. Contact the New Castle County Register of Wills at the Louis L. Redding City/County Building, 800 French Street, 2nd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office holds probate records from 1714 to the present. A $2.00 per name letter fee covers a check of what records are on file.

After probate wraps up, a new deed must be recorded to take legal ownership of any Wilmington home distributed from the estate. For probate help inside Wilmington city limits, dial 311. Outside the city, call (302) 576-3030 to reach the Department of Real Estate and Housing.

Many Wilmington estates cross into federal court cases, civil suits, or tax matters. The Delaware CourtConnect portal covers Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas, and Justice of the Peace Court cases across the county. You can search by party name or case type at courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov.

Historic Wilmington Death Records

FamilySearch holds a digitized index of Wilmington, Delaware Vital Records from 1847 to 1954. The collection covers births 1881 to 1919, marriages 1881 to 1954, and deaths 1881 to 1954. The records are drawn from Justice of the Peace vital records and indexes from Wilmington in New Castle County. Some of these records may be duplicated in the New Castle County registers.

Statewide registration of deaths in Delaware officially began in 1881. It was generally complied with by 1890. A Wilmington death record from this period may contain the name of the deceased, death date, death place, age or birth date, marital status, cause of death, occupation, birthplace, parents' names, surviving spouse, race, last known address, informant's name, and informant's residence.

The Delaware Public Archives Digital Ancestry partnership gives state residents free access to digitized Delaware death records from about 1650 to 1933 on Ancestry.com. Create a free account and enter a Delaware Zip Code to unlock the collection at no cost.

Nearby Delaware Cities

Wilmington sits at the north end of New Castle County. Newark is just west. New Castle is 10 minutes south. Middletown and Delaware City are also close.

The county page for New Castle County covers the Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and courts that handle Wilmington death and estate cases.