Access Warren County Death Records

Warren County death records are kept by the town clerks in each municipality across the county. The county sits in the Adirondack region of east-central New York, with county offices at the Municipal Center in Lake George. Warren County was created in 1813 from Washington County and named for General Joseph Warren, a hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Death records date back to 1880 under the statewide registration system. The Warren County Records Center also holds some unique death-related records, including almshouse reports of death from 1906 to 1930.

Warren County Death Records at the Clerk

The Warren County Clerk's Office is at the Warren County Municipal Center, 1340 State Route 9, Lake George, NY 12845. Call (518) 761-6455. The clerk keeps land records from 1813, court records from 1813, military discharges, naturalization records, and state census data.

Warren County has an online records search through Infodex. No subscription is needed. You can search deeds dating back to 1971 and mortgages back to 1980 online. While these are not death records, land and property records can help you piece together family history information.

The Records Center has some unusual death-related records. Almshouse Reports of Death from 1906 to 1930 are available for free. Almshouse Burial Permits from 1911 to 1933 are also free. These records cover people who died in the county poorhouse and can be very useful for researching ancestors who lived in difficult circumstances.

The Warren County Clerk's website offers access to online records and county services. Below is a look at the clerk's portal.

The clerk's online portal gives you access to the Infodex search tool and information about death records resources in Warren County.

Warren County Death Records at Town Clerks

Death records in Warren County are held by the town clerk where the death happened. The standard fee is $10 per certified copy. Birth and marriage certificates are also $10 each. Marriage licenses cost $40. You need a valid photo ID to request any vital record.

Acceptable ID includes a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID. If you lack a photo ID, two documents showing your name and address work as a substitute. Only the spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased can get a certified death certificate. Others need to show a lawful right or claim, a medical need, or a court order.

Recording fees for documents at the county level are $40 per document with $5 for a cover sheet and $5 per page. Capital gains tax affidavits cost $5. Real property transfer reports run $125 for qualifying residential or farm properties and $250 for all others.

Warren County Surrogate's Court

The Warren County Surrogate's Court is at the Municipal Center, 1340 State Route 9, Lake George, NY 12845. Call (518) 761-6514 or email WarrenSurrogate@nycourts.gov. Probate records go back to 1813. The court handles wills, estate administration, letters testamentary, guardianships, and related matters.

Probate files are useful for death research. They often contain the exact date of death, names and addresses of heirs, and details about the estate. The WebSurrogate system provides free online searches of Warren County court filings. You can search by name or file number to find estate records.

State Death Records for Warren County

The New York State Department of Health has Warren County death records from 1880 forward. Mail orders cost $30 per copy. Online orders are $45 plus a vendor fee. Send requests to P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Call (855) 322-1022 with questions.

State processing is very slow right now, taking at least eight months. Town clerks are much faster. For genealogy work, the state has uncertified copies of death records over 50 years old for $22. You need to prove your relationship and that the person is deceased.

Warren County Historical Resources

The Warren County Historian's office is at the Municipal Center, Room 7-122, Warren County Clerk's Wing, 1340 State Route 9, Lake George, NY 12845. Call (518) 761-6544. The historian can provide historical context and research guidance for death records searches.

The Crandall Public Library Folklife Center is at 251 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. Call (518) 792-6508 or email info@crandalllibrary.org. This library has a strong collection for death records research, including New York State Vital Records Indexes (copies), cemetery transcriptions for Warren, Washington, and Saratoga counties, church record transcriptions, city directories, family papers, maps including Sanborn Maps, manuscripts, over 61,000 photographs, scrapbooks, vertical files, and yearbooks. The cemetery transcriptions alone make this a top stop for anyone researching Warren County death records.

Free Online Warren County Death Records

The New York State Death Index covers 1880 to 1956 for free. Search by name to find which town the death was filed in. FamilySearch has free collections with Warren County death data. The New York State Archives has death record indexes on microfiche from 1880 to 1943.

Warren County is part of the Southern Adirondack Library System. Many local libraries hold genealogy and history collections that can help with death records research. Check with your nearest library branch for what they have on hand.

Ancestry.com also has paid collections for Warren County, including the New York Death Index (1880-1956), wills and probate records (1659-1999), and the Social Security Death Index. If you do not know which town the death happened in, start with the free state death index to narrow it down. Then contact the right town clerk or the county archives to get the full record. For deaths before 1880, look at church records, cemetery transcriptions at the Crandall Public Library, and any family papers that might have been saved. The Warren County Historian can also point you to sources that are not in any database.

Nearby Counties

If the death you are researching happened near the Warren County border, check these neighboring counties too.