Southampton Death Records

Death records for the Town of Southampton are kept by the Southampton Town Clerk at Town Hall on Hampton Road. Southampton is on the eastern end of Long Island in Suffolk County. The town has a unique feature: the Town Clerk and the Town Historian are the same person, Sundy A. Schermeyer. That means the office that issues death certificates also has deep knowledge of local historical records. This page explains how to get Southampton death records, what Suffolk County resources are available, and how to search for older records for genealogy research.

Where to Get Southampton Death Records

The Southampton Town Clerk is the primary source for death records in Southampton. The address is Town Hall, 116 Hampton Road, Southampton, NY 11968. Phone is (631) 287-5740. Email is townclerk@southamptontownny.gov. The clerk maintains birth, marriage, and death records for events that took place within the Town of Southampton.

To get a death certificate, contact the clerk's office. Provide the name of the deceased, the date of death, and your relationship to them. You will need valid photo ID. A certified copy costs $10. You can visit in person or send a request by mail. For mail requests, include a copy of your ID and a check or money order payable to the Town of Southampton.

Below is the Town of Southampton website with clerk contact details.

The town website has department information and links to forms for vital records requests.

Suffolk County and Southampton Death Records

Southampton is in Suffolk County. Like every other town in Suffolk County, death records are kept at the town level, not by the county. The Suffolk County Clerk at 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901 does not maintain birth, marriage, or death records at all. Phone is (631) 852-2000. Each of the ten Suffolk County towns has its own clerk who handles death certificates.

The Suffolk County Surrogate's Court at 320 Center Drive, Riverhead handles wills, probate, and estate matters. Phone is (631) 852-1746. If you need estate records for someone who died in Southampton, this court has those files. The court is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You can search some records through the WebSurrogate system online.

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services does not maintain vital records at the county level. Those records stay with the individual town clerks. This is a key thing to understand about Suffolk County. If you need a death certificate, you always go to the town where the death happened.

Ordering Southampton Death Records

You have two main paths. Go through the Southampton Town Clerk for a $10 certified copy. Or use the New York State Department of Health, which has records from 1881 onward. State mail orders cost $30 per copy. Online orders through VitalChek cost $45 plus a processing fee. The state address is P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Phone is (855) 322-1022.

The local clerk is almost always faster. The state has long processing delays right now. If you know the death happened in Southampton, go straight to the town clerk. If you are not sure which town the death took place in, the state can search a wider range of records, which is useful when you are not sure about the exact location.

Eligibility rules apply. The spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased can get a certified copy. Others need a documented lawful right or claim. A court order works. So does a letter from an insurance company or government agency that says they need the death record. Valid photo ID is required for all requests.

Who Can Get Southampton Death Records

New York law limits who can get a certified death certificate. The eligible people are the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the person who died. If you do not fit into one of those groups, you need to show a documented reason. An insurance company letter, a court filing, or a letter from a government agency explaining why the death certificate is needed will work. A New York State Court Order is also accepted.

You must provide valid photo ID. Accepted forms include a driver's license, state-issued non-driver photo ID, passport, or military ID. Without photo ID, two documents showing your name and current address are acceptable. Children of the deceased need a long form birth certificate showing the parent's name. Siblings need one showing shared parents.

For genealogy, death records on file for 50 years or more can be released as uncertified copies. Direct line descendants do not need to wait the full 50 years. The NYS DOH genealogy page explains these rules in full.

Southampton Death Records for Genealogy

Southampton was first settled in 1640, making it one of the oldest English settlements on Long Island. Several inhabitants lists from the 1600s have survived. The town records were published in six volumes and include early vital statistics. Cemetery transcriptions are available through the Suffolk County Historical Society and other local organizations.

The Town Clerk and Town Historian being the same person is an advantage for genealogy researchers. Sundy Schermeyer can be reached at (631) 287-5740 or (631) 723-2712. The town website also has some historic record books available online.

The Suffolk County Historical Society at 300 West Main Street, Riverhead, NY 11901 has genealogy collections including deeds, wills, census microfilm, letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and town records. Phone is (631) 727-2881. Various Presbyterian and other church records from the Southampton area are available through historical societies.

The New York State Death Index covers 1880 to 1956 and is free to search. The New York State Archives has microfiche death indexes from 1880 to 1943. For probate records, the WebSurrogate system offers free online searches of Suffolk County Surrogate's Court records.

Nearby New York Cities

Other cities near Southampton with death records pages on this site: