Cumberland County Death Records

The Cumberland County death index has records from 1901 through 2017. Cumberland County is in southern New Jersey with its county seat in Bridgeton. You can search the death index by name to find records tied to this area. The County Clerk and Surrogate in Bridgeton hold local records. State archives add more ways to find death records in Cumberland County. This page explains where to search and how to get copies.

Cumberland County Death Index Sources

Cumberland County was created in 1748 from Salem County. The county seat is Bridgeton. Marriage and land records here go back to 1748. Death records in the state index start in 1901. The County Clerk at 60 West Broad Street in Bridgeton, NJ 08302 holds older marriage and land records. For death records, the free online index is the fastest way to search Cumberland County.

The Cumberland County Surrogate is at the same address, 60 West Broad Street in Bridgeton. The Surrogate handles wills, estate administration, and other probate matters. When a person dies in Cumberland County, the Surrogate may hold records tied to their estate. These papers often name the deceased and list the date of death. Probate records can fill in gaps when a death certificate is hard to find.

The New Jersey Death Index has free online records for Cumberland County from 1901 to 1903, 1920 to 1929, and 1949 to 2017. Each entry shows the name, date of death, and a reference number. This is an index, not the full death certificate. You use the index to find a match, then order the full record from the state.

The image below links to the Cumberland County Surrogate page on the county site.

The Surrogate can point you to estate records that name the deceased and list the date of death in Cumberland County.

How to Search Cumberland Death Records

Start at newjerseydeathindex.com and type the name you want to find. The site lets you search all of New Jersey. You can narrow results to Cumberland County. If the death took place in a covered year, the index should have it. Gaps exist for 1904 to 1919 and 1930 to 1948 because those files were lost at the state level.

For older death records in Cumberland County, check the New Jersey State Archives. They hold microfilm copies of death records from 1848 to 1963. You can visit the Archives at 225 West State Street in Trenton. Their online databases have searchable entries that grow each day. The Archives is the best source for pre-1901 death records in Cumberland County.

Millville City has its own set of vital records from 1866 to 1915. If the person you are looking for lived or died in Millville, the city clerk may have a record that predates the state index. This is a good option for Cumberland County deaths in that time range.

Note: Court records in Cumberland County go back to 1748. These older court files may name people who died, which can help with research.

Cumberland County Death Index Years

The death index for Cumberland County covers these year ranges:

• 1901 to 1903
• 1920 to 1929
• 1949 to 2017

The years 1904 to 1919 are not in the index. The Department of Health could not locate those files when they were requested under the Open Public Records Act. The years 1930 to 1948 are also missing from the index. The actual death certificates may still exist on microfilm at the State Archives in Trenton. If you need a Cumberland County death record from a missing year, contact the New Jersey Department of Health to ask about their files.

For the 1920s, records are grouped in five-year blocks. They are sorted by county, then by year, then by last name. About half of the 1920 to 1924 block is missing across all counties. Cumberland County is no exception. The 1925 to 1929 block is more complete. Under N.J.S.A. Title 26, local registrars must register all deaths and send the originals to the State Registrar.

Cumberland County Death Certificates

A death certificate is the full official record of a death. It shows the name, date, place, and cause of death. It also shows parents' names. The doctor who certified the death and the funeral director who filed it both sign the form. A certified copy has a raised seal and is printed on state safety paper.

You can get a certified copy from the New Jersey Department of Health. The state charges $25 for the first search and one certified copy. Each extra copy of the same record costs $2 when ordered at the same time. Mail your request to P.O. Box 370, Trenton, NJ 08625-0370. You can also visit the walk-in center at 140 East Front Street in Trenton. Local registrars in Cumberland County towns also issue certified copies, and their costs may vary.

The image below links to the Cumberland County page on the RAOGK volunteer site.

The Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness page for Cumberland County lists volunteers who may help with local record lookups.

Not everyone can get a certified copy. Under New Jersey law, a registrar may issue a certified death record only to certain family members, legal representatives, or government agencies. For genealogical copies of death records older than 40 years, access rules are less strict. The cause of death and Social Security number may be hidden on those copies.

Death Records by Municipality

Cumberland County has 14 municipalities. Each one has a local registrar who handles death records for that town. When a death happens in a Cumberland County town, the local registrar files the record and sends the original to the state. You can contact the town clerk to ask about death records in any of these places.

The municipalities include Bridgeton, Commercial Township, Deerfield Township, Downe Township, Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Maurice River Township, Millville, Shiloh, Stow Creek Township, Upper Deerfield Township, and Vineland. Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland are the three largest places in the county. Most death records in Cumberland County come from one of these three cities.

Note: Millville City kept its own vital records from 1866 to 1915, which may include death records not found in the state index.

Cumberland County Death Index for Genealogy

The Cumberland County death index is a strong tool for family history work. Death records show parents' names, birthplaces, and last known addresses. For records before 1878, the certificates list the names of parents, the exact date of death, and the age at death. Records from 1878 to 1900 may show parents' names on the certificate but not on the register.

FamilySearch has indexes for New Jersey deaths and burials from 1720 to 1988. Ancestry has a deaths and burials index for 1798 to 1971. The Reclaim The Records death index covers 1901 to 2017 with free access. The State Archives databases also have entries for Cumberland County death records.

For deaths before 1848 in Cumberland County, there are no statewide civil records. Check church registers, family Bibles, cemetery records, or probate files. Cumberland County has historic churches in Bridgeton and Greenwich whose registers may hold death and burial records from the 1700s. Salem County records may also be useful since Cumberland was created from Salem in 1748.

Cities in Cumberland County

Cumberland County has three main cities. All death records from these cities are part of the county and state death indexes. Select a city below for more on local death records.

Other municipalities in Cumberland County include Bridgeton, Millville, Commercial Township, Deerfield Township, and Upper Deerfield Township. All death records from these places are filed with the state and appear in the Cumberland County death index.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Cumberland County. If you are not sure where a death was recorded, check each county. The death may have been filed across the county line if the person died at a hospital or care facility in a nearby area.