Search Greene County Death Records
Death records in Greene County date back to 1880 and are held by town clerks throughout the county and by the New York State Department of Health. Greene County was formed from Albany and Ulster counties in 1800, named for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. The county seat is Catskill, on the west bank of the Hudson River. The Surrogate's Court has probate records from 1803, and the county historical society maintains a research library with older files. This page explains where to find death records in Greene County, how to get copies, and what resources are available for genealogy research.
Greene County Death Records Overview
Greene County Clerk and Records
The Greene County Clerk is at 411 Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414. Phone: (518) 719-3255. Email: countyadministrator@discovergreene.com. The clerk has land records, court records, naturalization records from 1850 to 1994, and state census records for 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915, and 1925.
Death certificates are not kept at the county clerk office. You get them from the town clerk where the death happened. Greene County has no records available online through the clerk office. You must visit or write for copies. The county has a digitized map collection that can be accessed in the records room.
The county has marriage records from 1900, court records from 1800, and land records from 1800. Divorce files are sealed for 100 years under state law. There is no known history of courthouse disasters in Greene County, so records are well preserved.
Greene County Surrogate's Court
The Greene County Surrogate's Court is at the Greene County Courthouse, 320 Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414. Phone: (518) 444-8750. The court holds probate records from 1920 to the present. Earlier probate records are kept at the Vedder Library, though the Surrogate's Court also has microfilm copies of those older records.
The Greene County Surrogate's Court research guide covers probate records and estate access.
The screenshot above shows the Greene County Surrogate's Court page with details on probate records and how to search estate files in Catskill.
Probate records in Greene County go all the way back to 1803. When someone dies, probate petitions often list the date of death, the names of the spouse, children, parents, and siblings, and where each person lives. These records are useful for death record research, especially when the death certificate itself is hard to find. Estate records are searchable through WebSurrogate.
Greene County Death Records at Town Clerks
Death certificates are filed with the municipal clerk where the death took place. Greene County municipalities with clerk offices include Ashland, Athens, Cairo, Catskill, Coxsackie, Durham, Greenville, Halcott, Hunter, Jewett, Lexington, New Baltimore, Prattsville, Tannersville, and Windham. Each clerk charges around $10 for a certified copy.
The Town of Greene clerk page shows how local clerks handle vital records requests.
This page shows how the Town of Greene clerk office processes death certificate requests and what ID is needed.
You need valid photo ID to get a death certificate. Eligible people include the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased. Others need a documented legal claim or court order. Application forms are sometimes available for download on town websites. In-person requests are typically processed the same day. Mail requests take longer and require a check or money order.
Greene County Death Records at the Historical Society
The Greene County Historical Society is at 90 County Route 42, PO Box 44, Coxsackie, NY 12051. Phone: (518) 731-6490. Email: gchsvl@mhcable.com. The Society publishes the Greene County Historical Journal on a quarterly basis.
The Vedder Research Library, run by the Historical Society, holds earlier probate records that are not at the Surrogate's Court. These can be valuable for genealogy research into deaths before 1920. The County Historian is at 71 Sutton Place in Coxsackie. Phone: 518-320-8545. Email: gchistorian@gmail.com. Municipal historians are also available in individual towns for local research help.
State Death Records for Greene County
The New York State Department of Health has death records for Greene County from 1881. Mail orders cost $30. Online and phone orders cost $45 plus a processing fee. You need to be eligible and provide photo ID. The state is behind on processing right now.
For genealogy, the NYS DOH genealogy program has uncertified copies of death records on file for 50 years or more. Direct descendants can get copies without the waiting period. Fees start at $22. The New York State Archives has free microfiche death indexes from 1880 to 1943.
Greene County Death Record Access Rules
The standard New York State rules apply to Greene County death records. Records less than 50 years old are restricted to close family members. The spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased can get a certified copy. Others need proof of a lawful claim or a court order. After 50 years, the records open up for anyone.
Church records in Greene County go back well before 1880. The Dutch Reformed churches in Catskill and Coxsackie kept burial records from the 1700s. These can fill in gaps for researchers who need death information from before the state system started. The Vedder Library holds many of these early records. Local cemeteries throughout the county have also been transcribed by volunteers, and those transcriptions are on NYGenWeb and other genealogy sites.
Nearby Counties
Greene County sits along the Hudson River in the Catskill Mountains region. These neighboring counties may have related death records: