A death certificate often provides the name of the cemetery where a person is buried, as well as the name of the funeral home and the cause and location of death. Death certificates are usually found in a state’s Department of Health Office of Vital Records, county clerk’s office, city clerk’s office, or city’s Bureau of Vital Records. Older records may be found in city or state archives, libraries, or historical societies. Often you can visit these repositories and perform the research yourself, but sometimes only written requests are accepted.
The below indexes provide the individual’s death certificate number and date and place (borough) of death, which will help you to locate the death certificate.
Certificates up to 1948
FamilySearch, the website of the Church of Latter-Day Saints’ Family History Library, has a searchable index of all New York City death records covering the following periods: New York City (Manhattan) 1795-1948, Bronx 1898-1948, Brooklyn 1847-1948, Queens 1898-1948, and Richmond 1898-1948.
Certificates from 1950 through 1965
An index of New York City death certificates through 1965 is available on microfilm through the Church of Latter-Day Saints’ Family History Library. To find the relevant microfilm number, click here. This index is on permanent loan at the Center for Jewish History’s Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. If you cannot visit the Genealogy Institute, please consult the Major Death and Cemetery Resources section of this guide for information on ordering these microfilms.
Certificates up to 1949
Death certificates from the time periods indexed by the Italian Genealogical Group (see above) are held at the New York City Municipal Archives (Department of Records). You may view them in person or order them online here.
NYC Department of Records
31 Chambers Street, Room 103
New York, N.Y. 10007
Phone: 311 or (212) 639-9675 (outside NYC)
To e-mail them, click here.
Certificates from 1950 to the present
Death certificates from 1950 to the present are held by the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. You may order them online, by mail, or in person. Note: If you are not the spouse or a blood relative of the deceased, you must document your right to get a death certificate. For order forms and instructions, click here.
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vital Records
125 Worth Street, Room 133
New York, NY 10013
Phone: 311 or (212) 639-9675 (outside NYC)
*For online resources, start with the Major Death and Cemetery Resources section of this guide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Vital Records maintains a listing of Where to Write for Vital Records, organized by state. The site provides useful information on how to request records and links to each state’s website for ordering certificates.