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Delaware Marriage, Death, Birth Records

State copies of vital records for Delaware are available from the Bureau of Vital Statistics. The bureau holds birth records from 1920 and marriages and deaths from 1930. Delaware vital records became public records with no restrictions after seventy-two years for births and after forty years for marriages and deaths. Certified copies of later records can be provided to those needing them for personal or property rights and for genealogical purposes.

Earlier records at the Delaware State Archives (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies) include those formerly at the Bureau of Vital Statistics, covering births and deaths for 1861 to 1863; 1881 to 1919 for births; 1881 to 1929 for deaths; and 1847 to 1929 for marriages. Copies of these records are also $5 each.

After 1881 the City of Wilmington had a registrar of vital statistics, with fairly complete records. Elsewhere, recording of vital events was the responsibility of the county recorders of deeds, and recording practices were quite poor until the creation of the bureau in 1913. Recorders of deeds' records of a very few births and deaths for 1861–63 and for 1881–1913, and marriages for 1847–1913, are at the state archives. Also at the state archives are county clerks of the peace marriage bonds from 1744 (more complete after 1793) to 1913 when bonds were no longer required.

For the period 1680 to the present, the state archives also has cards that index births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths from a variety of sources, such as marriage bonds, church and Bible records, and newspaper notices. There is a supplementary index for some deaths for 1888–1910. Some Kent County vital records for the late 1600s were recorded in deed books and published in Publications of The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (1920): 158–62 and reprinted in The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist 10 (1969) and 11 (1970). Some Kent and Sussex County vital records for the late 1600s to the 1750s were published in the Delaware Genealogical Society Journal (1982): 92–96. A private doctor's records of births for Sussex County, 1835–69, were published in volumes 6–8 of The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist (1965–67). Also, “New Castle County...Court Records...of Illegitimate Births” was published in The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 33 (1984): 353–58.

For the period up to 1975, divorces should be sought in the county superior courts, of which the prothonotary is the clerk. Some of these records are at the state archives, but permission to see them must first be obtained from the court. After 1975 the records are in the county family court where the divorce was granted. The earliest divorces in Delaware, to 1773, were a matter for the governor and council. The legislature had jurisdiction until 1897, and the superior court had concurrent jurisdiction from 1832.

Legislative divorces are indexed as private acts in the published Laws of Delaware, 2–20 (1777–1897). Since 1913 courts have been required to register divorces and annulments with the state registrar.

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The Delaware Public Archives holds Delaware Birth Certificates older than 72 years (certificates from 1934 and before) and Death and Marriage Certificates older than 40 (certificates from 1966 and before). The Office of Vital Statistics holds Delaware Birth Certificates from 1935 to the present and Death and MarriageCertificates from 1967 to the present. This means that the Delaware Public Archives only have birth certificates up through and including 1934, and marriage and death certificates up through and including 1966. To obtain vital records issued after the dates above please contact: Office of Vital Statistics, Jesse S. Cooper Building, 417 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901

Office of Vital Statistics, Jesse S. Cooper Building, 417 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901, Please allow up to approximately 3 weeks to 6 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:

Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates: The state of Delaware began issuing certificates for births on December 20, 1908. The Ohio Department of Health holds birth certificates for the state of Ohio from December 20, 1908 to the present. The Vital Statistics Office maintains statewide Death Certificates from 1954 to the present. Individual health departments in the county or city where the death took place keep certificates for their local area (not statewide).
- Cost: $10.00 per certificate, payment is payable to the "Office of Vital Statistics”. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $10.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Processing Time: 3-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
- By Mail Applications: Marriage Certificate, Birth Certificate, Adoptee's Birth Certificate, Death Certificate
- For Divorce Records the Prothonotary in the county where divorce was granted up to 1975. For divorces granted after 1975 the parties concerned should contact Family Court in county where divorce was granted.

Order In Person: Same day service is available to walk-in customers. This is the fastest way to obtain a birth certificate. When you arrive, you will complete an application and pay the $10.00 required fee. Walk-in address is

New Castle County:

Limestone Building - (302) 995-8588 - Office Hours 8:00 AM - 4:15 PM Monday through Friday except Holidays

Kent County:

Jesse S. Cooper Building - (302) 744-4549 - Office Hours 8:00 AM - 4:15 PM Monday through Friday except Holidays

Sussex County:

Georgetown State Service Center - (302) 856-5495 - Office Hours 8:00 AM - 4:15 PM Monday through Friday except Holidays

Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek

Click Here to Search Delaware Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Below is a list of online resources for Delaware Vital Records.