Morris County NJ Death Index Search

Morris County was formed in 1739 from Hunterdon County. The county seat is Morristown. Death index records for Morris County cover 1901 to 1903, 1920 to 1929, and 1949 to 2017. The county has 39 towns, each with a local registrar who files death records. Marriage and land records here date back to 1780. This guide shows you how to search the Morris County death index and where to find copies of death records from local and state offices in New Jersey.

Morris County Clerk Records Office

The Morris County Clerk is at 10 Court Street, Morristown, NJ 07960. This office holds marriage and land records that go back to 1780. The clerk does not keep death certificates. Those are held by local registrars in each of the 39 Morris County towns. Still, the clerk records are useful when you pair them with death index data.

Marriage records at the clerk office show the names, dates, and places for each union. Land records show where a person lived and what they owned. When you find a name in the Morris County death index, you can use the clerk files to learn more about that person. Staff can search by name or by date range. Fees depend on the type of record and if you need a certified copy.

The Morris County clerk also keeps old maps, surveys, and tax liens. These can help pin down where a family lived over time. The office is open on weekdays. Call ahead to check hours before you visit the Morris County clerk in Morristown.

A reference view of Morris County is shown here.

The county borders Sussex, Passaic, Essex, Union, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties.

Morris County Surrogate for Probate

The Morris County Surrogate is on Washington Street in Morristown. This office handles wills, estates, and probate matters. When someone dies in Morris County, their will is filed here. The probate file lists heirs, assets, and dates. These details help confirm facts found in the death index.

You can visit the Surrogate to view a probate file. The records are public. Staff search by name or year. Older wills may be stored off site and take a day or two to pull. The Surrogate also grants letters of administration. These let an heir or executor handle the estate of the person who died in Morris County.

Note: The Surrogate does not hold death certificates. For a certified copy of a death record, contact the local registrar in the town where the death took place or the NJ Department of Health.

Death Index Coverage for Morris County

The Morris County death index covers 1901 to 1903, 1920 to 1929, and 1949 to 2017. The years 1904 to 1919 and 1930 to 1948 are not in the index. The state could not find those files. The full death certificates for those years may still exist at the New Jersey State Archives on microfilm.

For the 1920s block, entries are sorted by county and then by year. Within each year, names run in order by last name. About half of the 1920 to 1924 set is missing. The 1925 to 1929 data is more complete. Each entry lists the name, date of death, and a file number. You use that number to order the full certificate.

The free New Jersey Death Index site lets you search all covered years for Morris County at no cost. This site was built with data from the Reclaim The Records project, which got the index files through the Open Public Records Act. Type a name to see matches from Morris County and every other county in New Jersey.

For deaths before 1901, check the State Archives. They hold vital records from 1848 to 1900. You can visit the Archives at 225 West State Street in Trenton or send a mail request. Under N.J.S.A. Title 26, local registrars in Morris County must record every death and send the original to the state.

Boonton Vital Records in Morris County

Boonton has a set of local vital records from about 1908 to 1950. These are held at the town level. If you are looking for a death that took place in Boonton during those years, contact the local registrar there. The records may have details not found in the state death index for Morris County.

Many small towns in Morris County kept their own vital records books. Not all of these survived. Boonton is one of the few that still has a good run of old files. The local registrar can tell you what years they have on hand. This is a useful backup when the state death index has gaps for Morris County.

Note: Not all Boonton records may be open to the public. Certified copies are subject to the same rules as any other death record in New Jersey. You must show that you are an eligible person to get a certified copy.

Park Ridge Borough Registrar

The Park Ridge Borough Registrar handles vital records for that town. The contact is Lori Woods at 201-822-3101. A copy costs $10. Park Ridge is one of the 39 towns in Morris County that has its own registrar. Each registrar files death records for events that took place in their town.

Below is a reference image of the Park Ridge Borough Registrar page.

Contact the registrar by phone or visit in person to ask about death records from Park Ridge in Morris County.

If you do not know which town in Morris County the death took place in, start with the free online death index. It covers the whole county. Once you find the entry, it will show the town name. Then contact that town's registrar for the full certificate.

How to Search Morris County Death Records

There are a few ways to search for a death record in Morris County. Each one works best for a different type of search. Here are the main paths:

• Search the free online death index for years 1901 to 2017
• Contact the local registrar in the town where the death took place
• Write to the NJ Department of Health for a certified copy
• Visit the State Archives in Trenton for older records
• Use the Archives search page to check their database online

Start with the online index. It is free and fast. Type the last name and scan the results. Each match shows the name, date, and file number. Write down the file number. You will need it to get the full death certificate from the state or from a local office in Morris County.

For records not in the online index, check the State Archives. They hold death records from 1848 to 1963 on film. The Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness page for Morris County also lists people who may do free lookups for you at local offices.

Death Record Access Rules in Morris County

New Jersey law controls who can get a certified death certificate. Under N.J.S.A. Title 26, only certain people may get a certified copy. These include a spouse, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, or legal agent of the person who died. A court order also works. For genealogy research, you can get a copy of a death record that is more than 40 years old, but the cause of death and Social Security number may be hidden.

The death index itself is public. It shows names and dates, not the cause of death. Anyone can search the index for free. The index helps you find the file number you need to request the full certificate from the state or from a local registrar in Morris County.

Each of the 39 towns in Morris County has a registrar who files death records with the state. The registrar checks each certificate, issues burial permits, and keeps a local copy. These duties are set by state law. The local copy stays at the town level. The original goes to the State Registrar in Trenton.

Cities in Morris County

Morris County has 39 municipalities. Each one has a local registrar who keeps death records for events in that town. Below is a link to one of the larger towns in the county.

Other towns in Morris County include Morristown, Dover, Madison, Chatham, Denville, Roxbury, and Randolph. All file death records with their local registrar and with the state office.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Morris County. If you are not sure which county holds the death record you need, check the address where the death took place. Records are filed in the town and county where the death happened.