Find Plymouth County Obituary Records
Plymouth County obituary records are held by local town and city clerk offices across the county's 27 municipalities. There is no single county-level office that stores these records. Brockton and Plymouth are the two largest communities, and both have clerk offices that handle death record requests in person, by mail, or by phone. If you need an obituary record from Plymouth County, start with the clerk in the town where the death took place. The Massachusetts State Archives and the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics also hold Plymouth County records for certain time periods. This page walks you through every source for finding obituary records in Plymouth County.
Plymouth County Overview
Brockton City Clerk for Plymouth County Obituary Records
The Brockton City Clerk is the busiest vital records office in Plymouth County. In fiscal year 2024, the office registered 451 deaths. That is more than any other town in the county. Brockton handles death certificates, burial permits, and obituary record requests for anyone who died within city limits. The office sits at 45 School Street in downtown Brockton. You can walk in, call, or send a request by mail.
Certified death certificates from the Brockton City Clerk cost $10 per copy. The office takes credit card payments, which makes ordering simple. You can also email the clerk at jmcgarry@cobma.us to ask about a record before you place a formal request. Staff can check if a death is on file and tell you what you need to send in for a certified copy. Processing times vary, but most in-person requests get filled the same day. Mail requests can take one to two weeks depending on how busy the office is at the time.
The Plymouth Town website provides access to local government services including vital records and clerk office information for Plymouth County residents.
Plymouth's town site lists hours, contact details, and forms for requesting death certificates and other vital records from the clerk office.
Brockton also has online access for some vital records services. The city website lets you check what records are on file and start the request process. For older Brockton obituary records, the Vital Records of Brockton Massachusetts to the Year 1850 is a published volume that covers the town's earliest death entries. This book is held at the Brockton Public Library and has been digitized by some genealogy services.
| Office | Brockton City Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address |
45 School Street Brockton, MA 02301 |
| Phone | 508-580-7117 |
| jmcgarry@cobma.us | |
| Fee | $10 per certified copy |
| FY2024 Deaths | 451 registered |
Plymouth Town Clerk Obituary Records
The Plymouth Town Clerk handles death records for the town of Plymouth. The office is at 11 Lincoln Street. Call 508-747-1620 to check on a record or ask about the request process. Plymouth is the county seat, but the town clerk only keeps records for deaths that took place in Plymouth itself. If someone died in a different Plymouth County town, you need to contact that town's clerk instead.
Plymouth has deep roots in American history. The town was one of the first English settlements, and its records go back further than most places in the state. Death records from the colonial period are rare but some do exist through the Plymouth Colony Archive Project. For more recent records, the town clerk has filings from the mid-1800s forward. The Massachusetts Archives Vital Records Search also covers Plymouth death records from 1841 to 1910 in a free online database.
When you request a death certificate from the Plymouth Town Clerk, you will need to give the full name of the person who died, the approximate date of death, and your own contact information. Fees follow the same state guidelines that apply across Massachusetts. The clerk can tell you the exact cost when you call. Most requests are filled within a few business days if you visit in person.
| Office | Plymouth Town Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address |
11 Lincoln Street Plymouth, MA 02360 |
| Phone | 508-747-1620 |
Note: Plymouth County does not keep vital records at the county level, so always contact the town clerk where the death was filed for the fastest results.
Plymouth County Historical Obituary Records
Plymouth County has some of the oldest death records in Massachusetts. The area was settled in 1620, and while formal vital records did not start until much later, scattered records of deaths exist from the colonial era. The Plymouth Colony Archive Project is one of the best resources for this early period. It collects and digitizes documents from the original Plymouth Colony, which covered much of what is now Plymouth County. Researchers can find wills, probate records, and some death-related entries in the archive.
The Plymouth Colony Archive Project houses digitized records from the original colonial settlement including wills, probate filings, and early death records relevant to Plymouth County obituary research.
The archive holds court records, wills, and other documents that can help trace deaths from the 1600s and 1700s in Plymouth County.
Other historical sources for Plymouth County obituary records include the Duxbury Death Records from 1851, Brockton Gethsemane Funeral Records from the 1930s, and the Old Bridgewater Historical Society collection. The Vital Records of Brockton Massachusetts to the Year 1850 is a published compilation that covers early births, marriages, and deaths in what was then North Bridgewater before the city changed its name to Brockton. These sources fill in gaps for time periods when record-keeping was less consistent.
The Massachusetts State Archives holds Plymouth County death records from 1841 to 1930. Digital images of records from 1841 to 1925 are free to view online. For records from 1926 to 1930, you can email archives@sec.state.ma.us and request up to five free scans. Certified copies from the archives cost $3.00 each and take four to six weeks by mail. Payment must be by cash or check made out to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Plymouth County Obituary Genealogy Resources
Several libraries and historical societies in Plymouth County support obituary and genealogy research. The Plymouth Public Library has a local history section with town records, newspaper clippings, and reference materials. Staff there can help you track down obituary records for Plymouth and nearby towns. The Brockton Public Library Historical Room holds Brockton-specific records including old newspapers, city directories, and vital records indexes.
The Plymouth County Genealogy Trails website is a free online resource with transcribed records from across Plymouth County including church records, cemetery listings, and historical obituary notices.
The site organizes records by town and type, making it easy to search for specific Plymouth County obituary information.
The Plymouth Antiquarian Society focuses on preserving the town's history. They hold some records that overlap with obituary research, such as church burial records and family papers. The Old Bridgewater Historical Society covers the area that once included Brockton, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, and Bridgewater proper. Their collection has early death and burial records for all four communities. The Plymouth County Genealogical Society is another group that can point you toward local obituary sources.
- Plymouth Public Library, local history section
- Brockton Public Library Historical Room
- Plymouth Antiquarian Society
- Old Bridgewater Historical Society
- Plymouth County Genealogical Society
Newspapers for Plymouth County Obituary Research
Local newspapers are one of the best places to find obituary records in Plymouth County. The Brockton Enterprise has covered Brockton and surrounding towns for over a century. It runs daily obituary notices and death announcements. The Plymouth Old Colony Memorial is the paper of record for Plymouth and nearby communities. Both papers have archives that go back decades, and many issues are available on microfilm at local libraries.
The Patriot Ledger covers the northern part of Plymouth County along with parts of Norfolk County. Towns like Hingham, Scituate, Marshfield, and Norwell fall in its coverage area. If you are looking for an obituary from one of those communities, the Patriot Ledger is a strong source. The paper runs obituary sections daily and its online archives go back several years. Historical issues are on microfilm at the Plymouth Public Library and Brockton Public Library.
The Marshfield Mariner and Hingham Journal are smaller community papers that also carry obituary notices. These are good for finding death notices that the bigger papers may have missed, especially for people who lived in smaller towns. Many funeral homes in Plymouth County also submit obituary notices directly to these local papers as part of their services.
Other Plymouth County Town Clerk Offices
Beyond Brockton and Plymouth, there are 25 other town clerk offices in Plymouth County that handle death records. Each town keeps its own vital records. If you are not sure which town to contact, think about where the person died. The clerk in that town will have the original death record on file. Here are some of the larger towns and their clerk contact details.
| Bridgewater Town Clerk | 64 Central Sq | 508-697-0921 |
|---|---|
| Marshfield Town Clerk | 870 Moraine St | 781-834-5540 |
| Hingham Town Clerk | 210 Central St | 781-741-1410 |
| Scituate Town Clerk | 600 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy | 781-545-8730 |
| Duxbury Town Clerk | 878 Tremont St | 781-934-1100 |
| Hanover Town Clerk | 550 Hanover St | 781-826-5010 |
| Kingston Town Clerk | 26 Evergreen St | 781-585-0501 |
Death certificates in Massachusetts are public records under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 46. Anyone can request a copy. The one restriction is that cause of death information is only shared with close family members, legal guardians, and people who have a documented legal interest. General public requests will get a death certificate with that section left blank. For most obituary research, the cause of death is not needed, so this restriction rarely matters.
Massachusetts Laws on Plymouth County Death Records
Under MGL Chapter 46, Section 11, the funeral director must file a death certificate with the local 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 certified copies. These laws apply to every town in Plymouth County.
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 towns with more than 20,000 people. After that, the fee caps at $25 per hour. Copy fees are $0.05 per page for black and white copies. Brockton and Plymouth both fall above that population threshold, so the free search time applies to records requests in those offices.
Note: The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics holds Plymouth County death records from 1936 to present and charges $20 for in-person copies or $32 by mail.
Cities in Plymouth County
Plymouth County has 27 cities and towns. Each maintains its own obituary and death records at the local clerk level. The two largest communities with dedicated pages are listed below.
Bridgewater, Marshfield, Hingham, and other smaller towns also have clerk offices that handle obituary record requests. Contact the town clerk directly for those areas.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Plymouth 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 on file.