Norfolk County Death Records

Norfolk County death records are part of the Massachusetts statewide vital records system, with sources ranging from the state registry to local town clerks serving cities like Quincy, Brookline, and Weymouth. This page covers how the Norfolk County Death Index works, where to find historical and modern death records, what documents the probate court and registry of deeds hold, and how to order certified copies for legal or research purposes.

How Death Records Work in Norfolk County

Death records in Massachusetts are not maintained at the county level. When someone dies in any of Norfolk County's 28 cities and towns, the death certificate is filed with the local city or town clerk. The state collects those records through the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, which is part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The RVRS holds records from 1926 forward. For deaths before that, the Massachusetts State Archives is the right place to look.

Norfolk County was formed from part of Suffolk County in 1793. It is a somewhat younger county than the original Massachusetts Bay Colony counties, but it still has complete vital records going back to 1841 when the state began statewide death registration. Massachusetts was the first state in the country to require that level of record-keeping, and Norfolk County towns have continuous records from that point forward.

Records before 1841 exist only at individual town clerks' offices, if they were kept at all. Some older Norfolk County towns have partial records from before 1841, but coverage varies by town. If you need very early records, contact the town clerk directly in the specific town where the death occurred. The RVRS website has guidance on ordering modern certificates, and MGL Chapter 46 governs the vital records system statewide.

Norfolk County Probate and Family Court

The Norfolk Probate and Family Court is located at 35 Shawmut Road, Canton, MA 02021. The phone is (781) 830-1700. Full details are at the Norfolk Probate and Family Court page on mass.gov.

Probate records are one of the most useful secondary sources for death research. When a Norfolk County resident dies with property, debts, or minor children, the estate usually goes through probate. The estate file typically includes the date of death, the will if one existed, a list of all heirs by name, and sometimes medical records as attachments. For genealogists, probate files can confirm family relationships that are not always clear from a death certificate alone.

If a death certificate for a Norfolk County resident is missing or damaged, the probate file can often serve as a reliable substitute for proving the date and fact of death. Many people researching Boston-area suburbs find that Norfolk County probate records go back well before the RVRS records and provide much richer family detail than a standard vital record. Guardianship files, name changes, and estate inventories are all part of the probate court's holdings.

The image below comes from the Norfolk Probate and Family Court page:

The image shows the official court contact page for the Norfolk Probate and Family Court in Canton, listing the address, phone number, and directions.

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds

The Norfolk Registry of Deeds is at 649 High Street, Dedham, MA 02026. The phone is (781) 461-6101. Register of Deeds is William P. O'Donnell. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The registry website is at norfolkmass.gov, though the site can sometimes be slow to load. Contact the office by phone if the website is unavailable.

Deed records become part of the death research process whenever property changes hands after someone dies. When a Norfolk County property owner dies, the heirs or estate executor must file deed transfers to move real estate to the new owner. Those transfers are recorded at the registry and are searchable by name. If you know roughly when someone died but not the exact date, searching deed records for transfers in the years following a suspected death can help you narrow the timeline.

The Norfolk Registry covers all 28 cities and towns in the county through a single district. Unlike some Massachusetts counties that have northern and southern registry districts, all Norfolk County deed research goes through the Dedham office. The online search tool, when accessible, allows free searching of the grantor and grantee index.

The image below is from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, which is the key state agency for Norfolk County death certificates from 1926 forward:

The screenshot shows the RVRS main page, which handles death certificate orders for all Massachusetts counties including Norfolk County for records from 1926 to the present.

Searching Norfolk County Death Records Online

FamilySearch Massachusetts Vital Records offers free searching across Massachusetts towns including all Norfolk County communities. You can search by name, year range, and town. FamilySearch has indexed and digitized much of the Massachusetts vital records collection. The published Tan Books of vital records through 1850 are fully available there at no cost.

The Massachusetts State Archives holds Norfolk County death records from 1841 through 1925. Free digital images are available online for the years 1841 through 1924. Certified copies are $3 each. For deaths from 1926 forward, the RVRS handles requests. Order through the state's vital records 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 indexes and images. Many Norfolk County libraries, including public libraries in Quincy and Dedham, may offer free in-library Ancestry access for local residents.

What Norfolk County Death Certificates Contain

Massachusetts death certificates use a standard statewide format. MGL Chapter 46 Section 12 lists the required fields: full name, date of death, place of death (the specific town within Norfolk County), date of birth, age, occupation, parents' names, spouse's name, cause of death, attending physician or certifier, and place of burial or cremation. That standard has been in place in some form since the mid-1800s.

Older records from the 1800s have fewer fields. A certificate from 1870 may show only a name, town, age, and cause of death. Modern certificates are far more detailed. MGL Chapter 46 Section 2A requires that all deaths be reported within 24 hours. That rule ensures the record is created close in time to the event, which helps with accuracy. Section 13 of Chapter 46 governs how errors in a death certificate are corrected after the fact.

The informant field on a death certificate is often overlooked, but it can be one of the most useful parts for research. The informant is the person who provided the information at the time of death. It is usually a spouse, adult child, or sibling. Knowing the informant's name and address can point you directly to surviving family members, which is helpful when building out a Norfolk County family tree.

Getting a Norfolk County Death Certificate

Death certificates from Norfolk County are ordered through the state, not through county offices. For deaths from 1926 to the 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. All ordering options, including online ordering, are on the state's certificate order page.

For Norfolk County deaths from 1841 to 1925, contact the State Archives at 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125. Phone is 617-727-2816. Copies are $3 each. For records before 1841, contact the town clerk in the specific Norfolk County town where the death occurred.

Massachusetts death records are public under MGL Chapter 46 Section 9. You do not need to be related to the deceased to request a copy. That open-access rule applies to all Norfolk County death records in the state system. The public nature of these records is one reason they are so heavily used for genealogy work and legal research throughout the Boston suburbs.

Cities in Norfolk County

Three qualifying Norfolk County cities have their own death records pages on this site.

Nearby Counties

Norfolk County borders four other Massachusetts counties, all of which have their own vital records and probate resources.