The New Jersey Death Index

A free searchable database of 1,275,833 deaths in the state of New Jersey between 2001-2017, and over 500,000 free digitized images of the death index for the years 1901-1903, 1920-1929, and 1949-2000.

Start Your Free Search
  • A new project from
  • using data from
  • and

Search Results

Only the top matches from within the first 250 search results will be displayed.

Sorry, no results found for this search query. Please try a different search, perhaps one with fewer parameters.

Given Name Middle Name Surname Date of Birth Place of Birth Date of Death Age State File Number

Browse images of the index

The records of the death index for 1901-1903, 1920-1929, and 1949-2000 are currently only available in digital image format. Luckily, they're easy to use and completely free.

Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 1902

Browse the images

1901-1903

In 2016, the non-profit organization Reclaim The Records obtained microfilm copies of the data for these years from the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton, and the non-profit organization FamilySearch donated the microfilm digitization equipment and labor, thereby creating the first-ever digital copies.

The information provided by these early years of the death index is very basic. However, 1902 is the only year of the index that provides information as to the race of the deceased person, denoting every African-American with the notation "(B)" (for "Black"). No other racial categories are noted and no other years of the state index do this.

Coming soon

1904-1919

The New Jersey Department of Health could not locate the death index data for these years, even under a New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. The images for these years are now being sought from the reference microfilm copies at the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton. If they can be located, microfilm copies will be acquired, then digitized, and then put online for free public use, possibly by the end of 2018.

Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 1925

Browse the images

1920-1929

These records were obtained from the New Jersey Department of Health under an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. The death index for the 1920's is unusual in that the records are grouped in five-year periods, 1920-1924 and 1925-1929. Within each grouping, they are then separated out by locality name, such as county or major city. Within each locality, they are broken down by year, as represented by the single final digit of the year, such as "4" for 1924. And finally, within each of those years inside each of those localities, the records are then listed alphabetically by surname.

Note that half of the 1920-1924 index is missing, as the New Jersey Department of Health could not locate their own copy of the information. A copy of the missing document is being sought from the reference microfilms at the New Jersey State Archives and if found, will be digitized and put online, probably by the end of 2018.

Not Available

1930-1948

The New Jersey Department of Health could not locate the death index data for these years, even under a New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. It seems unlikely that even the New Jersey State Archives has a copy of the index for these years. However, they do have reference microfilms of the actual death certificates for these years. In late 2018, Reclaim The Records will be exploring legal options to see if there is any way to force the state to re-create this missing index data.

Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 1957

Browse the images

1949-1967

These records were obtained from the New Jersey Department of Health under an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. These years of the death index supply only basic information, including the month and year of death, but not the exact day. They also provide numeric locality codes for the place of death and place of residence. Use this locality code master key (used by the state between 1949-1984) to translate that code into a named location.

Browse the images

1968-1978

Starting in 1968, the state death index starts to provide the exact date of death, not just the month and year. Place of death and place of residence are still provided as numeric locality codes, so you'll still need to reference the state's locality key for 1949-1984.

Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 1971
Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 1982

Browse the images

1979-1984

Starting in 1979, the state death index starts to provide two more pieces of information: the deceased person's age at death, from which one can then infer their approximate year of birth, and their Social Security Number, which can then be cross-referenced with the Social Security Death Master File (SSDMF), also known as the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). (These numbers cannot ever be legally reused once a person is deceased, so yes, it is perfectly fine to list them.)

The place of death and place of residence are still provided as numeric locality codes, so you'll still need to reference the state's locality key for 1949-1984.

Browse images

1985-1998

Starting in 1985, the state death index stops using those annoying numeric locality codes for the place of death and place of residence. From this point on, the first four letters of the county and the first five letters of the town or city are explicitly spelled out.

Another helpful change: starting in 1985, the deceased person's exact date of birth is provided, where known. Also, the age at death will now state whether the number refers to age in years, age in months, or age in days.

Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 1994
Sample of New Jersey Death Index from 2000

Browse the images

1999-2000

In 1999, the state death index starts to spell out many more characters of the county name and the town or city name for both the place of death and the place of residence, not just the first few characters.

Order a certificate

This record set is only the index to New Jersey death records. If you find a name of a relative or other person of interest in this index, you can then place an order for a copy of the original death certificate, which will have much more information on it, such as the person's place of birth, the names of the person's parents and spouse, and their burial location.

For copies of records from May 1848 - December 1917, you can order online directly from the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton.

For copies of records from January 1918 to the present, you have more options available to you, depending on how quickly you want to receive the record, how much you want to pay, and whether or not you require a certified copy:

1918 - 1955

If you want a non-certified record from 1918 - 1955, you can either go to New Jersey State Archives in Trenton yourself, or you can hire a genealogist to go on your behalf, to get a non-certified print-out copy made from a reference-only microfilm.

Unfortunately, the New Jersey State Archives staff are not allowed to provide this record copy to you, so you cannot order it from them by mail or phone, but you or someone else who is actually in the building can print it.

1918 - 1978

If you want a non-certified record from 1918 - 1978, you can order a "genealogy" copy directly from the state of New Jersey, but you can only place the order by mail, and it is not expedited.

You will have to provide your official identification with your order, but you won't have to prove your relationship to the deceased if the death was more than forty years ago. This method may cost somewhat more than going to the Archives or hiring someone to go to the Archives.

1918 to the present

If you want a certified record from 1918 to the present, you will need to order online directly from the state of New Jersey and you will have to provide proof of both your identity and your relationship to the deceased.

This method is usually pretty quick, but it's also the most expensive one. It's also the only option if you want to use the certificate for any kind of legal or identification purposes, such as probate or applying for dual citizenship.

Sign up for our free newsletter

Interested in learning more about Reclaim The Records and our work to obtain and publish genealogical and archival data through Freedom of Information requests? Stay up to date with the latest news by signing up for our mailing list. We send out newsletters about once a month.

(We ask because some states' Freedom of Information laws only allow state residents to make a request.)

I am a/an... (please choose all that apply)

Recent Newsletter Issues