Bristol County Death Index

The Bristol County Death Index covers death records for one of Massachusetts's oldest counties, serving cities including New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton. Bristol County has a long maritime history that shapes its death records, with many records of deaths at sea and among fishing communities going back to the 1800s. This page explains how to search for Bristol County death records, which agencies maintain them, and how to get certified copies.

How Death Records Work in Bristol County

Death records in Massachusetts are not held at the county level. In Bristol County, death certificates are filed with the city or town clerk where the death occurred. The state then collects those records through the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The RVRS holds all statewide death records from 1926 to the present. For deaths before 1926, the Massachusetts State Archives is the source to contact.

Massachusetts became the first state in the country to require statewide death registration in 1841. Bristol County towns have nearly complete records from that year forward. The State Archives holds those records and has digitized the images from 1841 through 1924 for free online viewing. Records before 1841 exist only at the level of individual town clerks, where coverage varies by town and time period.

Bristol County has a notable maritime history. New Bedford was one of the most important whaling ports in the world during the 1800s. Deaths at sea, deaths during voyages, and deaths of sailors with origins in other countries appear in Bristol County records with some frequency. Those older records can be particularly rich for genealogists because the cause of death and circumstances are often described in more detail than for land-based deaths. Fall River also has records going back to the 1800s with good coverage of the county's industrial workforce.

Bristol County Probate and Family Court

The Bristol Probate and Family Court is at 40 Broadway Street, Suite 240, Taunton, MA 02780. Phone is (508) 977-6040. Full court details are on the Bristol Probate and Family Court page at mass.gov.

Probate records are a key complement to Bristol County death records. When a county resident dies with real property, debts, or a will, the estate often enters the probate process. The probate file typically contains the date of death, the will if one exists, a list of heirs, and sometimes affidavits from physicians or family members. For genealogists, those files often contain far more family detail than the death certificate alone provides.

Bristol County's maritime past means that probate records sometimes include estate settlements for sailors who died at sea or whose bodies were not recovered. Those files may include depositions from shipmates or ship captains about the circumstances of death. Early estate inventories from New Bedford whaling families can list detailed property, debts, and the names of all surviving relatives. Those records are among the most detailed in the county's probate archive.

Under MGL Chapter 46, death records are public in Massachusetts. Probate records are similarly accessible to the public. You can search the probate court's records in person at the Taunton courthouse or request copies by mail. The court handles estate cases from all 20 cities and towns in Bristol County.

The screenshot below is from the Bristol Probate and Family Court page:

The image shows the official Bristol Probate and Family Court contact page, listing the Taunton address, phone number, and court hours.

Bristol County Registry of Deeds

Bristol County has three Registry of Deeds locations. The Northern District (Taunton) is at 11 Court Street, Taunton, MA 02780, phone (508) 822-0502. The Southern District (New Bedford) is at 25 North 6th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740, phone (508) 993-1660. A Fall River office is at 441 North Main Street, Fall River, MA 02720. All three offices are open Monday through Friday. The county registry website is at bristolrecords.us.

Deed records are useful after a death when real estate must transfer to heirs or be sold to settle an estate. Searching deed records around the time of a suspected death can confirm when property changed hands and who the surviving heirs were. This approach is especially useful for Bristol County research when a death certificate is missing or the exact date is unknown.

The three-office structure of the Bristol Registry reflects the county's geography. Taunton, New Bedford, and Fall River are each large enough to warrant their own office. If you are not sure which office covers the town you are researching, the registry website lists the town-to-district assignments, or you can call any office for guidance.

The image below is from the Bristol County Registry of Deeds website:

The screenshot shows the Bristol County Registry of Deeds portal, which provides access to deed records for all three districts across the county.

Searching Bristol County Death Records Online

Free searches are available through FamilySearch Massachusetts Vital Records. FamilySearch has digitized many Bristol County town records and allows you to search by name, year, and town without charge. The Tan Books of vital records through 1850 are fully available on FamilySearch and include records from New Bedford, Taunton, Fall River, and other county towns. The New Bedford Free Public Library also has a genealogy collection with local resources that can supplement digital searches.

The Massachusetts State Archives covers 1841 through 1925. Free digital images are available for the 1841 through 1924 period. Certified copies cost $3 each. For deaths from 1926 forward, the RVRS handles requests. Order through the state ordering page. In-person copies at RVRS in Dorchester cost $20. Mail requests are $32. VitalChek online orders are $54 for the first copy. The RVRS is at 150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, phone 617-740-2600.

Ancestry.com has additional indexed records for Bristol County, including records from New Bedford's maritime heritage collections. Subscription access is needed for most Ancestry searches, but some public libraries in Fall River and New Bedford provide free in-library access.

What Bristol County Death Certificates Show

Massachusetts death certificates use a standard format required by MGL Chapter 46 Section 12. Every certificate includes the deceased person's full name, date of death, place of death within Bristol County, date of birth, age, occupation, parents' names, spouse's name, cause of death, the attending physician or certifier, and the place of burial or cremation. That standard applies uniformly across all counties in the state.

Older Bristol County records sometimes have unusual entries in the cause of death field because of the maritime character of the county. Causes like "drowned at sea," "lost at sea," or "died on voyage" appear with some frequency in records from the 1800s and early 1900s. The place of death field in those cases may list a ship name or port rather than a specific address. These records are valuable for tracing the lives of sailors and fishermen in New Bedford and Fall River families.

MGL Chapter 46 Section 2A requires that deaths be reported within 24 hours of occurrence. Section 13 allows for amendments when information needs to be corrected. The informant field, showing who reported the death, is often a family member and can point you toward surviving relatives when researching a Bristol County family.

Getting a Bristol County Death Certificate

Death certificate orders for Bristol County go through the state, not through county offices. For deaths from 1926 to present, contact the RVRS at 150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125. Phone is 617-740-2600. Email is vital.recordsrequest@mass.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:45 AM to 4:45 PM. In-person, mail, and online options are all described on the state's ordering page.

For Bristol County deaths from 1841 to 1925, contact the State Archives at 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125. Phone is 617-727-2816. Copies cost $3 each. For records before 1841, contact the town clerk in the specific Bristol County town where the death occurred. Some towns have records going back much further, but coverage is not guaranteed.

MGL Chapter 46 Section 9 makes Massachusetts death certificates public records. Anyone can request a certified copy regardless of their relationship to the deceased. No special authorization is needed. That open-access policy makes Bristol County death records fully available to researchers, legal professionals, and anyone with a legitimate need for the information.

Cities in Bristol County

Bristol County's three qualifying cities each have dedicated death records pages on this site.

Nearby Counties

Bristol County borders three other Massachusetts counties, all with their own death record and probate resources.