Find Hampden County Obituary Records
Hampden County obituary records are held by individual city and town clerks across the county, not at the county level. Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, and Westfield each run their own clerk offices where you can search for death records and request certified copies. Some of these offices go back to the 1600s. If you need to find an obituary record in Hampden County, the first step is to figure out which city or town the death took place in. From there, you can reach out to the right clerk, use an online tool, or check state archives for older records. This page walks through every source and method for getting Hampden County obituary records.
Hampden County Overview
Springfield City Clerk for Hampden County Obituary Records
The Springfield City Clerk handles death records for all deaths that took place in the city of Springfield. The office is at 36 Court Street, City Hall Room 123. Call them at 413-787-6190. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Springfield is the county seat and the largest city in Hampden County, so a big share of the county's obituary records are filed here. The clerk keeps birth, death, and marriage records for events in Springfield. Staff can help you search by name and date if you visit in person or call during business hours.
Springfield also offers online ordering for death certificates through VitalChek. This is a good option if you can't visit the office. You place the order on the VitalChek site, pay a processing fee, and they mail the certified copy to your address. It takes about 7 to 10 business days in most cases. The Springfield VitalChek ordering page lets you start the process for Hampden County obituary records from Springfield right away.
The VitalChek site walks you through each step and accepts credit cards for payment.
If you send a mail request to the Springfield City Clerk, include the full name of the person, the date of death (or best guess on the year), and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Make checks payable to the City of Springfield. Fax requests can go to 413-787-6502. The clerk's office also handles marriage and birth records, so be clear that you need a death certificate or obituary record when you write or call.
| Office | Springfield City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address |
36 Court Street, Room 123 Springfield, MA 01103 |
| Phone | 413-787-6190 |
| Fax | 413-787-6502 |
| Hours | Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM |
Holyoke City Clerk Obituary Records
Holyoke keeps its own set of death records at the City Clerk's office, 536 Dwight Street. The phone number is 413-322-5510. Death certificates cost $10.00 each for birth, marriage, and death records. The Holyoke City Clerk vital records page has details on how to request copies and what forms you need.
The site lists fees, hours, and instructions for both in-person and mail requests.
Holyoke also has an online payment option for death certificates. You can order through the Holyoke online death certificate request portal. Orders placed online get mailed to the address you give them. One thing to keep in mind: the office only takes checks for amounts over $25. For smaller orders, cash or money order is best if you go in person. You will need a valid photo ID for any restricted records, though most obituary record requests are not restricted.
Mail requests should go to City Clerk, 536 Dwight St., Holyoke, MA 01040. Include the name, date of death, and your contact info. Holyoke has a large French-Canadian population, and many older death records reflect that heritage. The clerk's office can search older records if you give them a rough time frame.
| Office | Holyoke City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 536 Dwight Street, Holyoke, MA 01040 |
| Phone | 413-322-5510 |
| Fee | $10.00 per certificate |
Other Hampden County Clerk Offices
Westfield and Chicopee are two other major cities in Hampden County with active clerk offices. Westfield has death records going back to 1838, which makes it one of the better sources for older Hampden County obituary records in the western part of the county. The Westfield City Clerk is at 59 Court Street, and you can reach them at 413-572-6215 or by email at cityclerk@cityofwestfield.org.
Chicopee's City Clerk office is at 274 Front Street. Call 413-594-1400 for questions about death records filed in Chicopee. Like every other city in the county, they keep their own records for deaths that happened within city limits. Beyond these four cities, Hampden County has many smaller towns with their own clerks. Agawam, West Springfield, Ludlow, Palmer, and Monson all have town clerk offices that handle obituary records for their area.
| Westfield City Clerk | 59 Court St, Westfield | 413-572-6215 |
|---|---|
| Chicopee City Clerk | 274 Front St, Chicopee | 413-594-1400 |
| Agawam Town Clerk | 36 Main St, Agawam | 413-786-0400 |
| West Springfield Town Clerk | 26 Central St, West Springfield | 413-263-3012 |
Note: Contact the clerk in the city or town where the death took place, not where the person lived, for the fastest results on Hampden County obituary records.
Hampden County Historical Obituary Records
Springfield has some of the oldest vital records in Hampden County. The Springfield Vital Records Index covers 1638 to 1887 and is available through FamilySearch. This free database lets you search death records by name, and many of the original documents have been digitized. It is one of the best starting points for genealogy work in the Springfield area.
The Springfield Death Records collection covers 1880 to 1897, with indexes going from 1870 to 1924. These records can help fill in gaps for that late 1800s period. The Westfield Church of Christ Register of Deaths runs from 1728 to 1836 and is another source for early Hampden County obituary records. Church records like this are useful because they often predate civil record keeping.
For statewide coverage, the Massachusetts Archives Vital Records Search covers 1841 to 1910 for free. Enter a name and pick the town. Digital images of records from 1841 to 1925 are also free to view. The State Archives at 220 Morrissey Blvd. in Boston holds Hampden County death records from 1841 to 1930. Staff will email free scans of up to five records if you write to archives@sec.state.ma.us. Certified copies from the archives cost $3.00 each.
Hampden County Obituary Newspapers
The Republican is the main daily newspaper for Hampden County. Based in Springfield, it has run obituary notices for decades. The Springfield Republican Marriages and Deaths listings go back to at least 1847, and the paper's current obituary section from 1988 to the present is widely used for recent Hampden County obituary lookups. If you are searching for a death notice from the past 30 years, The Republican is likely your best bet.
Smaller papers in the county cover local obituaries too. The Westfield News serves the Westfield area. Holyoke Plus covers Holyoke and nearby towns. The Chicopee Herald handles Chicopee obituary notices. These local papers sometimes run obituaries that the bigger papers skip, especially for people who lived in the smaller towns. Checking more than one paper can turn up details you won't find anywhere else.
For historical newspaper obituary research, the Boston Public Library and local libraries in Hampden County hold microfilm collections. Many of these papers have also been digitized and are available through sites like Newspapers.com. The Union-News, a former Springfield area daily, is another source worth checking for older Hampden County obituary records.
Genealogy Resources for Hampden County Obituary Research
The Springfield City Library has a Local History and Genealogy section that is one of the best in western Massachusetts. Staff there can help you track down Hampden County obituary records, old newspaper clippings, and vital record indexes. They hold local history files and can point you to the right sources for the Springfield area.
Holyoke Public Library runs a History Room with local records and old newspapers. The Westfield Athenaeum has a Local History Collection that covers Westfield and surrounding Hampden County towns. The Chicopee Public Library has a Genealogy Section with resources for tracing families in the Chicopee area. All four of these libraries are free to visit and can be useful when online searches come up short.
The American-French Genealogical Society, based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, serves the French-Canadian communities that make up a big part of Hampden County's population. Many families in Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield have French-Canadian roots, and this group has records and resources that can help with obituary research for those families. The AmericanAncestors.org site from the New England Historic Genealogical Society also has the Massachusetts Vital Records Index from 1841 to 1920, which covers Hampden County deaths.
Note: The Springfield City Library and Holyoke Public Library both offer free access to genealogy databases that can help with Hampden County obituary research.
Massachusetts Laws on Hampden County Death Records
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 46, Section 11, the funeral director must file the death certificate with the city or town clerk where the death took place. Section 9 says a nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant can sign the declaration of death in certain cases. Section 17B gives the state registrar control over original records and certified copies. These rules apply to every clerk office in Hampden County.
Death certificates in Massachusetts are public records. Anyone can request one. The one catch is that cause of death stays private. Only close family members, legal guardians, and people with a documented legal interest can see that part. For most obituary research, this does not matter. You can still get the full name, date, and place of death on a standard copy.
The Massachusetts Public Records Law under MGL c.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 cities and towns with more than 20,000 people, which covers Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, and Westfield. After that, the fee caps out at $25 per hour. Copy fees are $0.05 per page.
Hampden County Obituary Records From State Offices
The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics holds death records from 1936 to the present for all of Massachusetts, including Hampden County. You can order certified copies through VitalChek online for $54, by mail for $32, or in person for $20. The RVRS office is at 150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125. Phone is 617-740-2600.
For records from 1841 to 1930, the Massachusetts State Archives is the place to check. The State Archives vital records page explains how to request copies. Certified copies cost just $3.00 from the archives, which is much cheaper than the state registry. Processing takes 4 to 6 weeks by mail. Cash or check only, payable to Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You can mail requests to Massachusetts Archives, Attn: Certified Vitals, 220 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125.
Cities in Hampden County
Hampden County has over 20 cities and towns. Each one keeps its own obituary and death records at the local clerk office. The two largest cities with dedicated pages on this site are listed below.
Holyoke, Westfield, Agawam, West Springfield, and Ludlow are also in Hampden County. Each has a town or city clerk office that handles obituary record requests for their area.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Hampden 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 will have the original record. Hartford County in Connecticut is just across the state line to the south.