Middlesex County Death Records and Obituaries
Middlesex County obituary records are public documents you can access. Middlesex County sits in central Connecticut. About 163,000 people live in Middlesex County. Fifteen towns make up the area. Middletown is the county seat. You can find death records through town clerks. These obituary records help families trace history. They also settle legal matters. Each Middlesex County town keeps vital records. You have options to search death records.
Middlesex County Quick Facts
Middlesex County Obituary Records Locations
Finding obituary records in Middlesex County starts with knowing where to look. Each of the fifteen towns in Middlesex County keeps vital records. Town clerks maintain death records. They go back many years. Some obituary records date to the 1800s. Middletown has the largest collection. It is the county seat. The city has about 48,616 residents. Its health department handles vital statistics. You can visit them at 245 deKoven Drive. Their phone number is (860) 638-4960.
Smaller towns in Middlesex County also keep death records. Durham, East Hampton, and Portland all have town clerks with obituary records. So do Haddam, Cromwell, and Middlefield. Each office in Middlesex County keeps death certificates for their town. You must know where the death took place in Middlesex County. This speeds up your search for Middlesex County obituary records. Call the Middlesex County town clerk first. Ask about their Middlesex County death records hours. Ask what you need to bring to get obituary records in Middlesex County. Each office sets its own rules. But state law guides all vital records.
The Connecticut State Vital Records Office also has Middlesex County death records. They keep all death certificates from 1897 to now. This includes every Middlesex County town. Their office is in Hartford. You can order Middlesex County obituary records by mail. You can visit in person for Middlesex County death records. You can also use their online system for obituary records. The state office is a good backup. Use it when you do not know which Middlesex County town holds the record. Visit portal.ct.gov for contact info.
How to Search Middlesex County Death Records
You can search obituary records in Middlesex County in many ways. Some ways are faster for death records. The Connecticut Death Index is a free tool. It covers deaths from 1897 through 2001. This index has millions of death records. You can search obituary records by name. You can search death records by date. You can search obituary records by town. The index shows basic facts. It lists the name from obituary records. It lists the date of death from death records. It lists the place. You can find it at data.ct.gov for obituary records.
For Middlesex County death records after 2001, use other sources. The state vital records office has Middlesex County obituary records. Town clerks in Middlesex County have death records too. VitalChek offers online orders. It is the state-approved vendor. You can order obituary records from home. You pay with a credit card for death records. This works for any Middlesex County town. Middletown orders for Middlesex County obituary records go through the same system. Smaller Middlesex County towns use it too for death records. The site is vitalchek.com for Middlesex County obituary records.
Good searches for Middlesex County obituary records start with good info. Gather these facts before you start your Middlesex County death records search:
- Full name for obituary records
- Year or date for death records
- Town where death occurred
- Parents' or spouse's names for obituary records
Middlesex County Obituary Record Types
Obituary records in Middlesex County come in different forms for Middlesex County. Each form of death records has its own use. A certified death certificate is the most common type of obituary records. It has a raised seal. It proves the death occurred. You need it for legal tasks with death records. Banks ask for obituary records. Insurance companies need death records. Courts require obituary records too. Each town can issue these death records. So can the state office for obituary records. They all use the same death records form. They follow state rules for obituary records.
A death certificate shows key facts. It lists the full name from obituary records. It shows when the person died. It shows where they died. It lists the cause in death records. Age and address appear in obituary records too. Some copies of death records show Social Security numbers. But most obituary records do not. Only family can get those death records copies. Spouses can get obituary records. Children can get death records. Parents can too. You must prove your relation to obituary records. You must show ID for death records. This rule protects against fraud in obituary records. It keeps personal data safe in death records.
Uncertified copies of obituary records cost less. They are plain paper death records. They work for obituary records research. They do not work for legal needs with death records. Genealogists use obituary records often. They study family trees with death records. They trace roots through obituary records. Local history groups use death records too. They write about the past with obituary records. Old newspaper obituaries are another type of death records. The Connecticut State Library keeps these Middlesex County obituary records. They have papers from towns in Middlesex County. Middletown papers go back far. So do Portland and East Hampton obituary records. Libraries in each Middlesex County town may have local copies of Middlesex County death records.
Family History in Middlesex County
Middlesex County is rich with family history in its obituary records. Its towns date back to colonial times with death records. Many families have deep roots here. You can trace them through obituary records. The state library helps with death records. So do local groups with obituary records. The Middlesex County Historical Society is a key resource for death records. They preserve local stories. They keep old photos from obituary records. They have family papers and death records. You can visit them for obituary records. You can also write to them about death records.
Each town has its own story in death records. Middletown was a port city. It traded with the West Indies. Ship captains lived there. Their deaths were recorded in obituary records. Portland had quarries. Workers came from far away. Many stayed. Their families remain in obituary records. East Hampton had bell factories. Durham had farms. Haddam had river trades. Each Middlesex County town kept death records. You can find these obituary records in town halls. You can find death records in libraries. Some obituary records are online now. Many death records are on microfilm.
Joining a genealogy group helps with obituary records. Members share tips about death records. They know local sources for obituary records. They have searched records before. They can guide you to death records. The Connecticut State Library lists approved groups for obituary records. Membership opens doors to death records. You see more obituary records. You get help with hard searches for death records. This is worth the cost for serious work on obituary records.
Middlesex County Towns With Death Records
Fifteen towns make up Middlesex County with Middlesex County obituary records. Each keeps its own death records. Here is the full list of towns with obituary records:
- Chester - obituary records
- Cromwell - death records
- Durham - obituary records
- East Haddam - death records
- East Hampton - obituary records
- Essex - death records
- Haddam - obituary records
- Killingworth - death records
- Middlefield - obituary records
- Middletown - death records
- Old Saybrook - obituary records
- Portland - death records
- Deep River - obituary records
- Clinton - death records
- Westbrook - obituary records
Middletown is the largest town in Middlesex County. It has the most Middlesex County obituary records. Contact the Middletown Health Department first if you think the death was there. For other Middlesex County towns, call the Middlesex County town clerk. Ask about their Middlesex County death records. Ask about hours for obituary records. Some have online forms for death records. Others want you to visit for obituary records. Each town runs its own office for death records. But state law guides all obituary records.
Get Copies of Middlesex County Obituary Records
You can get copies of Middlesex County obituary records in three ways in Middlesex County. Each way has pros and cons for Middlesex County death records. In-person visits are fastest for obituary records. You get death records the same day. Visit the Middletown Health Department for obituary records. Visit any town clerk. Bring ID for death records. Bring payment for obituary records. Call first to check hours for death records. The state office in Hartford also offers same-day service for obituary records. Their hours vary for death records. Check their website before you go for obituary records.
Mail requests for obituary records take longer. They work well for old death records. Fill out the state form for obituary records. Send a copy of your ID for death records. Send payment for obituary records. Use a money order for death records. Make it out to the right office for obituary records. For Middletown, mail to the health department for death records. For other towns, mail to the town clerk for obituary records. For state death records, mail to Hartford. The address is on their website for obituary records. Mail takes ten to fifteen days for death records. Sometimes it takes longer for obituary records.
Online orders for obituary records are easy. Use VitalChek for death records. They work with all towns with obituary records. They work with the state too for death records. You pay more for obituary records. But you save time on death records. You can order obituary records at night. You can order death records from far away. This helps if you moved from Middlesex County. It helps if you live in another state now. You still get your family Middlesex County obituary records.
More Connecticut Obituary Records
Need records from other counties? Click below to find more Connecticut death records.