New Hampshire, U.S., Death and Disinterment Records, 1754-1947

Vital records in early New Hampshire are kept at the town level, with some records dating back to early Colonial days. Statewide registration was required by law beginning in 1866, although compliance didn’t follow immediately, and even as late as the 1880s, not all records found their way to the Secretary of State.

In 1905, New Hampshire established its Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics. To create a state set of vital records, towns were asked to send in copies of their pre-1905 records. This database includes cards created by the state using details extracted from those original town records as well as later death records created through 1947.

What You Can Find in These Records

Details on early records tend to be sparse, but later years include more information. The death records in this database may include the following details:

• decedent's name
• date and place of death
• age
• place of birth
• gender, color and marital status
• occupation
• cause of death
• burial place
• father's name and birthplace
• mother's maiden name and birthplace
• father's occupation
• name and address of physician or informant

Not every town provided copies of its records to the Bureau of Vital Records, so even if your ancestor doesn’t appear in this database, it doesn’t necessarily mean a record doesn’t exist at the town level. Images are arranged alphabetically by first and thrid letter of surname (A*a, A*b, etc.). This may cause images to appear out of order.