Find Death Records in Plymouth County
Plymouth County death records span one of the oldest settled areas in the United States, with some towns holding records that predate statewide registration by more than 200 years. The Plymouth County Death Index covers records for Brockton, Plymouth, and all other county towns, with sources at the state level, the town clerk level, and through genealogical databases that have digitized much of the county's early vital record collection.
Plymouth County Overview
How Death Records Work in Plymouth County
Massachusetts death records are not maintained at the county level. In Plymouth County, death certificates are filed with the city or town clerk in the specific town where the death occurred. The state collects those records through the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The RVRS holds records from 1926 to the present. For deaths before 1926, the Massachusetts State Archives is the right place to search.
Massachusetts began statewide death registration in 1841, becoming the first state in the country to do so. Plymouth County towns have records going back to that year in the statewide system. Many towns in the county also have their own records going back much further. Plymouth and Duxbury, for example, have death records from the 1600s that were kept by local churches and town governments long before any statewide requirement existed. Those very old records were later transcribed and published in the Tan Books of vital records and are now digitized and available on FamilySearch.
Records before 1841 are held only at individual town clerks' offices or through the published transcriptions. Coverage is inconsistent. Some towns have complete records going back to the 1600s. Others have gaps or records that were damaged or lost over the centuries. MGL Chapter 46 governs the modern vital records system, but the older records predate that framework entirely.
Note: Plymouth County contains some of the oldest town records in the United States, with Plymouth and nearby towns holding death records that go back to the 1620s in some church and civil records.
Plymouth County Probate and Family Court
The Plymouth Probate and Family Court is at 72 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301. Full details are available on the Plymouth Probate and Family Court page at mass.gov.
Probate records are one of the most valuable secondary sources for Plymouth County death research. Estate files contain the date of death, will if one existed, a list of heirs with their names and often their addresses, and sometimes medical affidavits and other documents. For genealogists working on early Plymouth County families, probate records can provide family details that go far beyond what a death certificate shows.
Plymouth County has probate records going back to the 1600s, making them among the oldest in the country. Estate inventories from the 1700s and 1800s list all property owned at the time of death, debts owed, and the names of creditors and heirs. Those old files are a rich source of information about Plymouth County family structure and can help you trace lines that are otherwise hard to document. Guardianship records show the names of minor children when a parent died young, which is useful for tracing multi-generation families.
Modern probate files are also useful. If a Plymouth County death certificate is lost or damaged, an estate file can serve as a reliable confirmation of the date and fact of death. Courts accept probate documents as evidence in many legal contexts, so they can substitute for a death certificate when needed.
The image below is from the Plymouth Probate and Family Court page:
The screenshot shows the official Plymouth Probate and Family Court contact page at the Brockton location, listing the address, phone number, and office hours.
Plymouth County Registry of Deeds
The Plymouth Registry of Deeds has two offices. The Plymouth office is at 50 Obery Street, Plymouth, MA 02360, phone (508) 747-3510. The Brockton office is at 72 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301, phone (508) 587-1700. Register of Deeds is John R. Buckley Jr. The registry website is at plymouthdeeds.org, where you can search property records online.
Deed records become part of the death research process when property must transfer after a person dies. When a Plymouth County property owner dies, heirs or an estate executor must record a deed transferring the real estate. Searching deed records in the years following a suspected death can help you confirm the death date and identify surviving family members by name. The grantor and grantee index is searchable by name and is a free resource for narrowing down timelines.
The two-office structure serves the county's geography. Plymouth town and the southern part of the county use the Plymouth office. Brockton and the northern part of the county use the Brockton location. If you are not sure which office covers the town you are researching, the registry website or phone staff can direct you.
The image below is from the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds website:
The screenshot shows the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds online portal, which provides free name searches of the deed index for both the Plymouth and Brockton office districts.
Note: Plymouth County deeds are split between two offices based on location, and the registry website lists which towns fall under each office's jurisdiction.
Searching Plymouth County Death Records Online
FamilySearch Massachusetts Vital Records is the best free starting point for Plymouth County research. FamilySearch has digitized and indexed a large portion of Massachusetts vital records, and Plymouth County is particularly well-covered because the towns are old and their records were transcribed early. The Tan Books covering vital records through 1850 include Plymouth, Duxbury, Marshfield, Kingston, and other county towns. All of those transcriptions are fully searchable on FamilySearch at no cost.
The Massachusetts State Archives holds records from 1841 through 1925. Free digital images are available for 1841 through 1924. Certified copies cost $3 each. For deaths from 1926 forward, the RVRS handles all requests. Order through the state ordering page. In-person copies at RVRS 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.
The Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth and the Plymouth Public Library both have local genealogy collections with resources specific to Plymouth County families. Those collections can supplement digital searches, particularly for very old records or records from towns with unusual naming patterns.
What Plymouth County Death Certificates Contain
Massachusetts death certificates follow a uniform format set by MGL Chapter 46 Section 12. Every certificate must include the deceased person's full name, date of death, place of death (the specific Plymouth County town), date of birth, age, occupation, parents' names, spouse's name if applicable, cause of death, the attending physician or certifier, and the place of burial or cremation. MGL Chapter 46 Section 2A requires that all deaths be reported within 24 hours.
Older Plymouth County records from the 1800s may have fewer completed fields. A certificate from 1870 might list only the name, town, age, and cause of death. Modern certificates have standardized fields that must all be filled before the record is filed. The informant field shows who provided the information to the clerk, usually a family member. That name can help you identify surviving relatives and is worth noting during genealogical research.
Plymouth County has a number of towns where multiple generations of the same family lived, and similar names appear frequently across time. When searching for a specific person, using the birth date or parents' names as a cross-check against the death certificate helps confirm you have the right record. MGL Chapter 46 Section 13 allows for amendment of a death record when information is found to be incorrect after filing.
Getting a Plymouth County Death Certificate
Plymouth County death certificates are ordered through the state, not through county offices. For records 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. All ordering options are available on the state's certificate order page.
For Plymouth 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 Plymouth County town where the death occurred. Some towns have records going back centuries, but you need to contact each town directly since those very old records are not part of any centralized index.
Massachusetts death certificates are public records under MGL Chapter 46 Section 9. You do not need to prove a family relationship to request a copy. Anyone can order a certified copy by paying the applicable fee. That open-access policy has made Plymouth County death records widely studied, and the combination of early statewide registration, published transcriptions, and a long local record-keeping tradition means that most Plymouth County residents from the 1800s forward are findable through the available sources.
Cities in Plymouth County
Plymouth County's two qualifying cities have their own dedicated death records pages on this site.
Nearby Counties
Plymouth County borders three other Massachusetts counties, all with their own death record archives and probate courts.