Search Lawrence Obituary Records
Lawrence obituary records go back to the mid-1800s, when the city first started keeping track of deaths and burials. The Lawrence City Clerk holds death certificates and can issue certified copies for a small fee. You can also search older Lawrence death records through the Massachusetts Archives, which has free digital images for records from 1841 to 1925. Newspaper obituaries from the Eagle-Tribune cover Lawrence deaths going back decades. The Lawrence Public Library has a local history room with additional resources for tracing obituary records in the city. This page walks through every way to find and request Lawrence obituary records, from the clerk's office to online databases and archives.
Lawrence Overview
Lawrence City Clerk Death Records
The Lawrence City Clerk is the main office for getting obituary records and death certificates in Lawrence. It sits at 200 Common Street, Room 107, inside Lawrence City Hall. The clerk keeps death records for all deaths that took place in the city. Staff can pull up records and print certified copies while you wait if you go in person. You need a valid photo ID to request records. The fee is $10 per certificate, and you pay by check or money order made out to the City of Lawrence.
Hours change by day of the week, so plan your visit. Monday is 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday has late hours, staying open until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday is the short day, with the office closing at 1:30 p.m. If you need to go after work, Tuesday is your best bet. The office can get busy, so try to arrive well before closing time.
One thing to know about the Lawrence City Clerk is that staff will not give out specific record information over the phone, by email, or by fax. This is a firm policy for the safety and protection of sensitive vital records. If you call 978-620-3110, you can ask general questions about how to request records, but they will not look up a name or confirm whether a death record exists. You have to go in person or send a written request by mail to get that kind of information.
The Lawrence City Clerk death certificate request page explains how to order copies of Lawrence obituary records and what you need to include.
The page also has a link to the downloadable Vital Records Request Form in PDF format.
| Office | Lawrence City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 200 Common Street, Room 107 Lawrence, MA 01840 |
| Phone | 978-620-3110 |
| VitalRecords@cityoflawrence.com | |
| Hours | Mon 8:30-4:30, Tue 8:30-7:00, Wed-Thu 8:30-4:30, Fri 8:30-1:30 |
| Fee | $10 per certified copy |
Request Lawrence Death Records by Mail
If you can't visit the Lawrence City Clerk in person, you can request obituary records by mail. Write a letter that includes the full name of the deceased and the date of death. Then include a check or money order for $10 per certificate, made payable to the City of Lawrence. Add a self-addressed, pre-stamped envelope so the clerk can mail the record back to you. Send it all to the Office of the City Clerk at 200 Common Street, Room 107, Lawrence, MA 01840.
Mail requests go out by regular mail unless you arrange something different. If you need overnight or two-day delivery, you have to pre-pay for that shipping method. The clerk will not cover express shipping costs on your behalf. The same goes for return receipt mail. Regular mail is the default, and most people find that it works fine for Lawrence obituary record requests that are not urgent.
The Lawrence city website has more details about city services and the clerk's office.
You can also find links to other Lawrence departments and services from the main site.
Note: The Lawrence City Clerk will not respond to requests for specific record information by phone, email, or fax under any circumstances.
Lawrence Obituary Records at State Archives
The Massachusetts Archives Vital Records Search is a free tool that covers death records from 1841 to 1910. You can search for Lawrence deaths by entering a name, picking Lawrence as the location, and choosing "Death" as the record type. Results show volume and page numbers that point to the original record books. Digital images of Lawrence death records from 1841 to 1925 are free to view online.
For records from 1926 to 1930, the Massachusetts Archives can help through email. Send your request to archives@sec.state.ma.us and staff will email links to scans or make individual scans by request. They handle up to five unique records at no charge. The archives sit at 220 Morrissey Blvd. in Boston. Certified copies from the archives cost $3 per certificate, which is less than what you would pay at the Lawrence City Clerk or through the state registry.
The state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics holds Lawrence death records from 1936 to the present. Walk-in copies cost $20. Mail orders run $32 each. You can also order through VitalChek for $54 for the first copy and $42 for extras. VitalChek takes credit cards and offers next-day shipping if you need records fast.
Historical Lawrence Obituary Resources
Lawrence was incorporated as a city in 1847. Death records from those early years are some of the oldest in Essex County for a planned industrial city. The Lawrence Vital Records to 1850 collection covers the first few years of the city's existence and includes death entries from the original town books. These early Lawrence obituary records are useful for genealogy research on mill workers and immigrant families who settled in the city during its industrial boom.
The Lawrence History Center is another resource for obituary research. It holds archives, photographs, and documents related to the people who lived and died in Lawrence. The center can help with research on specific families, especially those tied to the city's textile mills and immigrant communities. Lawrence drew large numbers of Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and other immigrant groups in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and their death records often appear in church records and ethnic newspaper archives as well.
The Lawrence Public Library has a Local History Room with materials that help fill gaps in the official record. Old city directories, church bulletins, and other local publications sometimes mention deaths that do not show up in the standard vital records system. The library also provides access to genealogy databases.
FamilySearch has free indexed Massachusetts death records that include Lawrence entries. The site covers Massachusetts Deaths and Burials from 1795 to 1910 and Massachusetts Town Clerk records from 1626 to 2001. You need a free account to search. AmericanAncestors.org from the New England Historic Genealogical Society also has Lawrence-area vital records indexes, though a subscription is needed for full access.
Lawrence Newspaper Obituary Archives
The Eagle-Tribune is the main daily newspaper covering Lawrence and the surrounding Merrimack Valley. It has published obituaries for Lawrence residents for many years. Current obituaries appear on the paper's website, and older editions are available on microfilm at local libraries. The Eagle-Tribune also covers Haverhill, Methuen, Andover, and other nearby towns, so it picks up deaths across a wide area of Essex County.
For older Lawrence obituaries, check Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. Both services have searchable archives of historical Massachusetts newspapers. Ancestry also carries the Massachusetts Death Index from 1970 to 2003, which can confirm whether a Lawrence death is on file before you request a certificate. These are subscription services, but many public libraries offer free access through their websites.
Note: The Lawrence Public Library may offer free access to Ancestry.com and other genealogy databases through its patron services.
Lawrence Obituary Access Laws
Death certificates in Lawrence are public records. Anyone can request a copy for genealogy, obituary research, or other purposes. This falls under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 46, which governs the registration and issuance of vital records across the state. The Lawrence City Clerk must provide copies to any person who requests them and pays the fee.
There is one restriction. The cause of death is confidential 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 request a Lawrence death certificate and you are not one of those people, the clerk will leave the cause of death blank on your copy. Everything else on the certificate, like the name, date, place, age, and burial information, is still included.
The Massachusetts Public Records Law also applies to Lawrence obituary record requests. The city must respond within 10 business days. Copy fees beyond certified certificates are capped at $0.05 per page. Search time is free for the first two hours since Lawrence has a population over 20,000, and after that, the maximum charge is $25 per hour.
Essex County Obituary Records
Lawrence is in Essex County. The county does not maintain vital records at the county level. All death records in Essex County are kept by individual city and town clerks. For more on obituary resources across all of Essex County, including Haverhill, Lynn, Salem, and other communities, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Lawrence also have their own obituary records at their local clerk offices.