Search Fall River Obituary Records
Fall River obituary records go back to the early 1800s and cover one of the largest cities in southeastern Massachusetts. You can search for Fall River obituary records through the City Clerk at Government Center, browse newspaper obituary archives at the Fall River Public Library, or request death certificates by mail. The library holds digitized Fall River newspapers from 1859 through the present, plus microfilm rolls of vital records from 1803 to 1889. Whether you need a recent death notice or an old obituary from a Fall River newspaper, this page walks through every method to find the record you are looking for.
Fall River Overview
Fall River City Clerk Office
The Fall River City Clerk is the main office for obituary and death record requests in the city. It sits at 1 Government Center in Fall River. The clerk handles birth, death, and marriage certificates for events that took place in Fall River. If the person died in the city, this is where the death record is on file. You can request copies by mail or by email.
Call the office at 508-324-2220 if you have questions about a Fall River obituary record or need to check if a death is on file. Staff can tell you what info you need to include in your request. Bring a valid ID if you plan to pick up a certified copy in person. Written requests should include the full name of the person who died, the date of death if you know it, and your return address.
The Fall River City Clerk page has details on how to submit obituary record requests and what forms you may need.
This is the starting point for most Fall River death certificate and obituary searches.
| Office | Fall River City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 Government Center Fall River, MA 02722 |
| Phone | 508-324-2220 |
| Methods | Mail, Email, In-Person |
Fall River Public Library Obituary Resources
The Fall River Public Library Genealogy Room is one of the best places to search for Fall River obituary records, especially older ones. The library keeps an obituary index that you can use to look up names and find which newspaper ran the notice. Staff can help you pull the right microfilm roll or point you to the right digital archive. This is free to use.
The library has newspapers on microfilm that go back over a hundred years. The Herald News runs from 1929 to the present. The Daily Evening News covers 1862 to 1929. The Daily Globe covers 1885 to 1929. These are the main Fall River papers that printed obituary notices during those years. If you know roughly when someone died, staff can help you narrow down which paper to check and which roll to load.
Fall River newspapers have also been digitized in three batches. The first set covers 1859 to 1923. The second covers 1924 to 1979. The third set runs from 1999 to the current day. These digital files make it much faster to search for a Fall River obituary than scrolling through microfilm one page at a time. Ask at the Genealogy Room desk for access to these collections.
The Fall River Public Library genealogy page lists the full range of obituary and genealogy resources held at the library.
The genealogy collection also includes city directories and vital records on microfilm.
Note: The Fall River Public Library genealogy room hours may differ from main library hours, so call ahead before visiting.
Fall River City Directories and Vital Records
Beyond newspaper obituaries, the Fall River Public Library holds city directories on microfilm from 1853 to 1967, with print editions from 1967 to the present. City directories list residents by name and address. They can help you track when someone stopped appearing, which may point to a death year. This is useful when you don't have an exact date of death for your Fall River obituary search.
The library also has Fall River vital records on microfilm from 1803 to 1889. These early records include death entries that predate newspaper obituaries in many cases. If you are looking for a Fall River death from the 1800s, these microfilm rolls may be the only source. The records show names, dates, and sometimes cause of death or family details.
Portuguese-American obituary collections are another resource at the library. Fall River has a large Portuguese community, and some obituary notices ran in Portuguese-language papers or were collected separately. Ask the genealogy staff about these materials if your search involves a Portuguese family in Fall River.
Massachusetts State Obituary Records
The state holds copies of Fall River death records too. The Massachusetts Archives Vital Records Search is free and covers deaths from 1841 to 1910. Set the location to Fall River, pick "Death," and enter the name. Results show volume and page numbers. Digital images of death records from 1841 to 1925 are free to view. The archives will also email scans of up to five records from 1841 to 1930 at no cost if you send a request to archives@sec.state.ma.us.
For more recent Fall River obituary records, the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Dorchester has death certificates from 1936 to the present. Walk-in copies cost $20. You can also order through VitalChek online or by phone at (866) 300-8535. VitalChek charges $54 for the first copy and $42 for each extra copy, but offers fast shipping.
Fall River City Government Resources
The Fall River city website is the main portal for all city departments, including the clerk office that handles obituary records. The site lists contact info, office hours, and links to forms. If you need to find the right department for a Fall River record request, start here.
The city site also links to other Fall River departments that may help with related records.
The Fall River Historical Society is another local resource worth knowing about. They hold collections of local history materials, photos, and documents that sometimes include death and funeral records from Fall River's past. If the standard sources don't turn up what you need, the historical society may have something in their archives.
Fall River Obituary Access Rules
Death certificates in Fall River are public records. Anyone can request a copy under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 46. You do not need to be a family member. The one thing that is restricted is the cause of death. Under Section 46-2A, only the surviving spouse, parent, child, sibling, legal guardian, or legal representative can see that part of the record. If you are not in one of those groups, the cause of death will be left off your copy.
Newspaper obituaries have no restrictions at all. They were published for the public to read. The Fall River Public Library makes them available to anyone, and the digitized collections can be searched without proving any relationship to the person. This makes newspaper obituaries one of the easiest types of Fall River obituary records to get.
Note: Certified death certificates cost more than informational copies, so specify which type you need when you place your Fall River request.
Bristol County Obituary Records
Fall River is in Bristol County. The county includes New Bedford, Taunton, and several smaller towns in the southeastern part of the state. Each city and town keeps its own death records at the local clerk level. For more on obituary resources across all of Bristol County, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Fall River also have their own obituary records at their local clerk offices.