Find Essex County Obituary Records
Essex County obituary records are held by individual city and town clerks across the county. There is no single county-level office that keeps vital records. Instead, each of the 34 cities and towns in Essex County has its own clerk who files and stores death records for that area. You can search for obituary records from places like Salem, Lynn, Lawrence, Haverhill, and Peabody by reaching out to the right local clerk. Historical Essex County death records go back as far as 1636 through state archives and genealogy databases. This guide walks you through where to look, who to call, and what it costs to get obituary records in Essex County.
Essex County Overview
How Essex County Obituary Records Work
Essex County does not keep vital records at the county level. This is different from how some other states run things. In Massachusetts, the city or town clerk is the one who files and holds death records. When someone dies in Essex County, a funeral director files the death certificate with the clerk in the city or town where the death took place. That clerk keeps the original on file. The state also gets a copy through the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.
This means there is no single Essex County clerk office you can call to get a death record. You need to figure out which city or town the person died in. Then contact that clerk. If you are not sure where the death happened, the Massachusetts Archives Vital Records Search can help narrow it down. That free database covers records from 1841 to 1910 and shows the town of record for each entry. It is a good starting point for Essex County obituary research when you lack a specific location.
Fees for death certificates in Essex County vary by town, but most charge around $10 per certified copy. Some towns accept walk-in requests. Others want you to mail a written request with a check. A few have online request forms. Processing times range from same-day for in-person visits to two or three weeks by mail.
Lawrence City Clerk Obituary Records
The Lawrence City Clerk handles death records for one of the largest cities in Essex County. The office is at 200 Common Street, Room 107. You can request death certificates in person or by mail. The fee is $10 per certified copy. Mail requests need a letter with the name and date of death, a check payable to City of Lawrence, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The office will not give out record details over the phone, by email, or by fax.
The Lawrence City Clerk death certificate request page has details on how to order Essex County obituary records for Lawrence residents.
The online page includes a downloadable vital records request form you can print and mail in with your payment.
Lawrence City Clerk office hours are Monday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Tuesday 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and Friday 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Email VitalRecords@cityoflawrence.com for general questions, but keep in mind they won't release specific record information that way. For obituary records of Lawrence residents who died before the city started keeping records, check with the Massachusetts State Archives.
| Office | Lawrence City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address |
200 Common Street, Room 107 Lawrence, MA 01840 |
| Phone | 978-620-3110 |
| VitalRecords@cityoflawrence.com | |
| Fee | $10.00 per certified copy |
Other Essex County Clerk Offices
Several other cities in Essex County handle a large volume of obituary record requests. The Haverhill City Clerk at 4 Summer Street has death records going back to 1850. Call 978-374-2316 to check on a record or ask about the mail request process. Haverhill is one of the better offices in Essex County for older obituary records because their collection goes back so far and staff are used to helping genealogy researchers.
Salem serves as the Essex County seat and its clerk office is at 93 Washington Street. Phone is 978-619-5607. Lynn, the largest city in the county, runs its clerk office at 3 City Hall Square. Call 781-586-6813. Peabody's clerk is at 24 Lowell Street with the number 978-538-5900. Each of these offices keeps its own set of death records for people who died within their borders.
| Haverhill City Clerk | 4 Summer St, Haverhill, MA | 978-374-2316 |
|---|---|
| Salem City Clerk | 93 Washington St, Salem, MA | 978-619-5607 |
| Lynn City Clerk | 3 City Hall Sq, Lynn, MA | 781-586-6813 |
| Peabody City Clerk | 24 Lowell St, Peabody, MA | 978-538-5900 |
| Gloucester City Clerk | 9 Dale Ave, Gloucester, MA | 978-281-9720 |
| Newburyport City Clerk | 60 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA | 978-462-0332 |
Note: Contact the clerk in the city or town where the death took place, not where the person lived, for the fastest response on Essex County obituary records.
Essex County Historical Obituary Records
Essex County has some of the oldest vital records in Massachusetts. The county was formed in 1643, and death records from that era still survive in various archives. The Essex County Vital Records to 1850 collection is available through Archive.org and covers dozens of towns. FamilySearch hosts Essex County Births, Marriages, and Deaths from 1636 to 1795 as well as records from 1861 to 1914. These are free to search and view.
Individual towns also have their own historical record sets that are useful for obituary research. Salem vital records go to 1850. Lynn records go to 1849. Gloucester has vital records from 1634 to 1895. Beverly, Danvers, Newburyport, and Amesbury each have published vital records covering their early years up to 1849. These published volumes list deaths with names, dates, and sometimes the cause of death or family connections that help with obituary research in Essex County.
The Massachusetts Archives Vital Records Search is the best free online tool for finding Essex County obituary records from the 1800s. It covers 1841 to 1910. Enter a name, pick the town, and select "Death" as the record type. Results give volume and page numbers that point to the original books. Digital scans of many records from 1841 to 1925 are free to view on the site. The State Archives at 220 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston holds the physical records. Staff there will email free scans of up to five records if you write to archives@sec.state.ma.us.
Essex County Obituary Newspapers
Newspapers are a top source for obituary records in Essex County. The Eagle-Tribune covers Lawrence and Haverhill with daily obituary listings. The Salem News runs death notices for Salem and the surrounding towns. The Gloucester Daily Times serves the Cape Ann area. The Lynn Daily Item prints obituaries for Lynn and nearby communities. These papers carry obituary notices that often include details you won't find on a death certificate, like burial location, surviving family members, and service times.
For older obituary records, the Newburyport Daily News and the Beverly Citizen are worth checking. Many of these newspapers have been digitized and are searchable through services like Newspapers.com or through microfilm at local libraries. The Essex County newspaper archives can fill in gaps when official records are missing or hard to read. A newspaper obituary might be the only source of certain personal details about a person's life and death in Essex County.
Essex County Obituary Genealogy Resources
The Peabody Essex Library in Salem has a strong Essex Collection with local history materials, old town records, and genealogy files. It is one of the best spots for deep obituary research in the county. The Salem State University Archives also hold local records and manuscripts that can help trace deaths and burials in the Salem area. Both are open to the public.
The Haverhill Public Library has special collections with local death records, newspaper clippings, and cemetery records. The Lawrence Public Library runs a Local History Room with obituary files and city records. The Newburyport Public Library has an Archival Center with old vital records and newspaper indexes. These libraries are free to use and staff can often point you to records you would not find on your own. Bring what you know about the person and the library staff will help you track down Essex County obituary records from their local collections.
Online resources like AmericanAncestors.org from the New England Historic Genealogical Society have the Massachusetts Vital Records Index from 1841 to 1920. This index covers all of Essex County. FamilySearch.org is free and has digitized Essex County death records from multiple time periods. Both sites let you search by name, date range, and town.
Massachusetts Laws on Essex County Death Records
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 46, the funeral director files the death certificate with the local city or town clerk. Section 9 says a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant can sign the declaration of death. Section 17B gives the state registrar control over original records and certified copies. These rules apply to every clerk office in Essex County.
Death certificates in Massachusetts are public records. Anyone can request a copy. The one catch is that cause of death is only shared with close family, legal guardians, or people with a documented legal interest. General requests get a certificate with that part left blank. For most obituary research in Essex County, this does not matter since you are looking for name, date, place, and age at death rather than cause.
The Massachusetts Public Records Law under MGL Chapter 66, Section 10 gives everyone the right to request government records. Agencies must respond within 10 business days. The first two hours of search time are free for towns with more than 20,000 people. After that, fees top out at $25 per hour. Copy fees are $0.05 per page for black and white copies.
Cities in Essex County
Essex County has 34 cities and towns. Each one keeps its own obituary and death records at the local clerk level. These are the major cities with their own pages.
Salem, Gloucester, Newburyport, Beverly, Methuen, and Andover also have clerk offices that handle obituary record requests for their areas.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Essex County. If you are not sure which county holds the obituary record you need, check where the death took place. The clerk in that city or town keeps the original record on file.