Bucks County Death Records
Bucks County is one of Pennsylvania's three original counties, created in 1682. Its Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court maintains records dating back to 1684, making it one of the longest-running courthouse archives in the state. Death records from the county registration periods cover 1852 through 1855 and 1893 through 1905. The Archive Research Center holds original documents on-site from 1684 through 1936, with complete microfilm copies in the facility. The Pennsylvania State Archives covers Bucks County deaths in the statewide Death Index for 1906 through 1975.
Bucks County Quick Facts
Bucks County Register of Wills Death Records
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court manages Bucks County's extraordinary archive going back to 1684. Original documents from 1684 through 1936 are held on-site. Complete microfilm copies are in the Archive Research Center. This office provides a Genealogical Search Request service that searches the index by name for records from 1684 through 1950. The fee is $25 per name searched. Certified birth or death records from 1893 through 1906 cost $25 per certified copy. Marriage application records from 1885 to the present cost $1 per record.
The Orphan's Court holds birth records from 1852 through 1855 and 1893 through 1905, as well as death records from both of those same periods. Probate records go back to 1684. Marriage records from 1885 are in this office. Coroner's Views and Inquisitions from 1710 through 1906 exist with an Index from 1722 through 1946. A Death Index from 1810 through 1924 is part of the International Genealogical Index, which is searchable through FamilySearch. Guardianship records from the early colonial period are also maintained here.
The Bucks County Register of Wills page on the official county website has current contact details and hours. The Genealogical Archival Search Requests page explains how to submit a name search request, what information you need to provide, and the current fee schedule. Both pages are updated regularly as the office adds new services.
Pennsylvania Death Index for Bucks County
The PA State Archives offers free online access to the statewide Death Index for 1906 through 1975. Bucks County deaths across that period are fully included. Search at the PA State Archives vital statistics page. The index gives the name, death year, and certificate number needed to request the full certificate from the Division of Vital Records.
Death certificates from 1906 through 1974 are at the State Archives. Digital copies for 1906 through 1972 are on Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania residents can access Ancestry without charge at most public libraries, including branches in Doylestown, Newtown, and throughout Bucks County. Soundex phonetic indexing applies to 1920 through 1924 and 1930 through 1951. Death certificates are public record 50 years after the death date. Birth records from 1907 forward are through the Division of Vital Records in New Castle.
Order certified copies for $20 each online at mycertificates.health.pa.gov through VitalChek, by phone at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516, or by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. Walk-in service at the Philadelphia state office is the nearest option for Bucks County residents. The PA Department of Health vital records page explains who may request restricted records.
Bucks County Coroner Records and Historical Death Data
Bucks County's Coroner's Views and Inquisitions running from 1710 through 1906 are among the oldest continuous coroner records in Pennsylvania. These documents record deaths that required official investigation, including accidents, sudden deaths, and violent incidents. The index from 1722 through 1946 makes searching these records by name practical. For researchers tracing unusual or sudden deaths in Bucks County over a very long time period, the coroner records are an invaluable source.
The Prothonotary in Bucks County has court records going back to 1682, the founding of the county. This is relevant to death research because estate contests, guardianship disputes, and other death-related legal proceedings went through the Prothonotary in some periods. Combined with the Orphan's Court records and the Register of Wills archive, researchers have three separate courthouse sources that may each contain different information about any given death in Bucks County.
The Death Index from 1810 through 1924 that is part of the International Genealogical Index covers a gap between the early colonial probate era and the county registration period. This index was compiled from a variety of primary sources and is searchable through FamilySearch. For Bucks County deaths during this 19th-century window, the IGI provides a name index that points toward more complete records in the courthouse or state archives. Church records in Bucks County are also extremely well-preserved, with Quaker meeting records dating to the 1680s providing burial information for members of that prominent religious community in the county.
Note: Bucks County's Quaker meeting records from the 1680s are among the earliest community death records in all of Pennsylvania.
What Bucks County Death Records Include
A Bucks County death certificate from the state registration era provides the full name, date and place of death, age, birthplace, occupation, cause of death, physician's name, and names of surviving family members. The informant field names the person who reported the death, often a spouse or adult child. This can reveal family connections not previously known. County-level records from the 1852 through 1855 and 1893 through 1905 periods contain similar information, though formatting varies. Coroner's records from 1710 through 1906 may add cause-of-death detail not found in the death register for deaths requiring official investigation.
Death certificates become public record 50 years after the death date. All Bucks County deaths from 1975 and earlier are open to the public. Certified copies cost $20 each. Order online at mycertificates.health.pa.gov through VitalChek, by phone at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516, or by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. For genealogy-specific requests, the Bucks County Register of Wills charges $25 per certified copy of records from 1893 through 1906. The detailed fee schedule and request procedures are on the Bucks County Genealogical Archival Search Requests page. For post-1906 records, use the PA Department of Health vital records ordering page.
Cities in Bucks County
Bucks County includes several cities and boroughs in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Death records for all municipalities in the county are through the Register of Wills for pre-1906 records and the Division of Vital Records for post-1906 records.
Nearby Counties
Bucks County borders Philadelphia and two other original Pennsylvania counties. Records for families near these county lines may appear in multiple courthouse archives.