Find Orange County Death Records
Orange County death records go back to the 1840s for some towns, though statewide registration started in 1881. The county seat is Goshen, and the county has about 401,000 residents in the Hudson Valley northwest of New York City. Orange County was established in 1683 as one of the original 12 counties in the state. Death certificates are held by the town and city clerks where the death took place. The Orange County Clerk handles court records, land records, and some marriage records, but not death certificates. The county also has one of the strongest genealogy collections in the state through the Orange County Genealogical Society.
Orange County Quick Facts
Where Orange County Death Records Are Kept
The Orange County Clerk at 255 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924, phone 845-291-2690, keeps marriage records from 1908 to 1935, divorce records, court records from 1852, and land records going back to 1703. But the County Clerk does not maintain birth or death certificates. Those come from the town or city clerk where the death happened.
Orange County has 20 towns, 3 cities, and several villages. The cities of Middletown, Newburgh, and Port Jervis each have city clerks who handle vital records. The towns of Blooming Grove, Chester, Cornwall, Crawford, Deerpark, Goshen, Greenville, Hamptonburgh, Highlands, Minisink, Monroe, Montgomery, Mount Hope, New Windsor, Newburgh, Palm Tree, Tuxedo, Wallkill, Warwick, and Woodbury all have town clerks. Each clerk keeps death records for deaths in their area.
Note that the original Orange County Courthouse built in 1739 was destroyed by fire in 1774. Some very early records were lost. But records from after that point survive, and the county has one of the most complete archival collections in the state.
Ordering Orange County Death Certificates
The New York State Department of Health has Orange County death records from 1881 forward. Mail orders are $30 per copy. Send forms to the Vital Records Certification Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Online orders through VitalChek cost $45 plus a processing fee.
Local town clerks typically charge $10 per certified copy. That is less than the state fee. Processing is faster too. If you know which town the death took place in, start there. The state has significant delays right now. You need valid photo ID and must be an eligible person: the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased, or someone with a documented lawful right or court order.
Orange County Death Records at the Genealogical Society
The Orange County Genealogical Society Research Room at 101 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924, phone (845) 291-2327, has one of the best genealogy collections in the region. Their holdings include nearly 500 published family genealogies with over 3,000 unique surnames from the Dan Burrows Collection. The Elizabeth Horton collection covers over 1,100 surnames. The Helen Predmore collection has almost 500 surnames. The Myrtle Edwards collection has over 2,000 folders.
They also have Orange County vital records from 1847 to 1849, jury lists from 1798 to 1837, federal censuses from 1790 to 1930, state censuses from 1825 to 1875, mortality schedules from 1850 to 1880, an index of wills and probate records from 1787 to 1941, marriages from 1908 to 1932 with index, court minutes from 1727 to 1856, naturalization indexes from 1802 to 1903, deed indexes from 1703 to 1891, and newspapers on microfilm. Call for current research room hours.
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society publishes a guide to Orange County vital records. The NYG&B Orange County guide covers available records and where to find them.
This guide from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society lists vital records sources for Orange County including official records from various towns dating back to 1847.
Orange County Death Records for Genealogy
Death records at least 50 years old can be requested as uncertified genealogy copies from the NYS DOH. Fees start at $22. The New York State Archives has microfiche death indexes from 1880 to 1943 including Orange County. The New York State Death Index on FamilySearch covers 1880 to 1956 for free.
The Orange County Historian at 101 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924, phone 845-360-6978, maintains archival holdings for virtually every facet of county history including obituaries, vital records, church records, maps, and family files. The Orange County Historical Society at 21 Clove Furnace Drive, PO Box 55, Arden, NY 10910, phone (845) 351-4696, has additional research materials.
Orange County Surrogate's Court
The Orange County Surrogate's Court at 30 Park Place, Goshen, NY 10924, phone (845) 476-3655, handles probate and estate cases. Probate records go back to 1787. These are among the oldest probate records in the state. You can search estate records online through WebSurrogate. Probate files typically include the date of death and names of family members.
FamilySearch has Orange County probate records from 1787 to 1938 digitized and searchable. The Genealogical Society's index covers wills and probate from 1787 to 1941. These are excellent secondary sources for tracking deaths in Orange County before and after the start of statewide vital records registration in 1881.
Nearby Counties and Cities
Orange County sits in the lower Hudson Valley. Ulster County is to the north. Sullivan County is to the northwest. Rockland County is to the south and east. Westchester County borders it to the southeast across the Hudson River. Dutchess County is across the river to the northeast.
The Town of Ramapo in neighboring Rockland County is the closest qualifying city to Orange County. For death records in Middletown, Newburgh, or other Orange County communities, contact the local city or town clerk directly. These communities do not meet the population threshold for separate pages on this site.