Gloucester County Death Records

The Gloucester County death index has records from 1901 through 2017. Gloucester County is in southern New Jersey with its county seat in Woodbury. You can search the death index by name or year to find records tied to this area. The County Clerk at 1 North Broad Street in Woodbury holds local vital records. State sources give you more options for your search. This page shows where to look and how to get copies of death records in Gloucester County.

Gloucester County Death Index Sources

Gloucester County was created in 1686 from West Jersey. It is one of the oldest counties in the state. The county seat is Woodbury. The County Clerk is at 1 North Broad Street, Woodbury, NJ 08096. Marriage and land records here go back to 1785. Court records go back to 1686, and land records start in 1686 as well. Death records in the state index begin in 1901.

The free New Jersey Death Index has online records for Gloucester 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 reference to order the actual record from the state. The site is free and open to anyone.

The New Jersey State Archives holds death records on microfilm from 1848 to 1963. Their online databases have searchable entries that grow each day. Gloucester County records make up a solid part of the collection. You can also visit the Archives at 225 West State Street in Trenton to view microfilm in person.

The image below links to the Gloucester County resource page.

The County Clerk in Woodbury can help you find older vital records tied to Gloucester County.

Note: Gloucester County has court records from 1686 and land records from the same year, making it one of the richest sources for early New Jersey history.

How to Search Gloucester Death Records

Start at newjerseydeathindex.com and type the name you want. You can search all of New Jersey or narrow results to Gloucester County. If the death fell in a covered year, the index should show it. Gaps exist for 1904 to 1919 and 1930 to 1948 because those files were lost at the state level.

For deaths before 1901 in Gloucester County, the State Archives is the best source. They have microfilm copies of death records from 1848 to 1963. You can visit in Trenton or use their online search tools. The Archives adds new records on a regular basis. For Gloucester County, their holdings include early records from local registrars across all 24 municipalities.

You can also visit the Gloucester County Clerk in person at 1 North Broad Street in Woodbury. The Clerk holds marriage and land records from 1785. While these are not death records, they can help you trace a family line. A land record may show when a property changed hands after a death. A marriage record confirms names and dates. Both types of records work well alongside the Gloucester County death index.

Gloucester County Death Index Years

The death index for Gloucester 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 find those files when they were requested under the Open Public Records Act. The years 1930 to 1948 are also missing. The actual death certificates may still exist on microfilm at the State Archives in Trenton. If you need a Gloucester County death record from a missing year, contact the New Jersey Department of Health 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 for all counties, including Gloucester. 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.

Note: The state fee schedule sets the cost for copies of death records from any year in New Jersey.

Gloucester County Death Certificates

A death certificate is the full record of a death in Gloucester County. It shows the name, date, place, and cause of death. It also lists 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 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 Gloucester County towns also issue certified copies, and their costs may vary.

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 in Gloucester County.

The Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness page for Gloucester County lists volunteers who may help with local record lookups. These volunteers sometimes visit the County Clerk or local offices on your behalf to check for a death record.

Death Records in Gloucester Municipalities

Gloucester County has 24 municipalities. Each one has a local registrar who keeps death records for that town. When a death happens in a Gloucester County town, the local registrar files the record and sends the original to the state. You can contact the town clerk to ask about local death records.

The municipalities include Woodbury, Deptford Township, Washington Township, Glassboro, Pitman, Mantua Township, West Deptford Township, Woolwich Township, Harrison Township, Greenwich Township, Logan Township, Paulsboro, Swedesboro, Wenonah, Westville, National Park, Woodbury Heights, Clayton, Elk Township, Franklin Township, East Greenwich Township, Monroe Township, Newfield, and South Harrison Township. Deptford and Washington Township are among the largest. Most death records in Gloucester County come from these two towns along with Woodbury.

Note: All death records filed by local registrars in Gloucester County are sent to the State Registrar and added to the statewide death index.

Gloucester County Death Index for Genealogy

The Gloucester 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, 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 Gloucester County death records.

For deaths before 1848 in Gloucester County, no statewide civil records exist. You would need to check church registers, family Bibles, cemetery records, or probate files. Gloucester County has Quaker meeting houses and old churches whose records go back to the late 1600s. The Gloucester County Historical Society in Woodbury holds collections that may include death and burial records from early settlers. Land records from 1686 can also show when a property passed from one generation to the next after a death in Gloucester County.

Cities in Gloucester County

Gloucester County has 24 municipalities. All death records from these towns are part of the county and state death indexes. Select a city below for more on local death records.

Other municipalities in Gloucester County include Woodbury, Deptford Township, Washington Township, Glassboro, Pitman, and West Deptford Township. All death records from these places appear in the Gloucester County death index.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Gloucester 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.