Reading Pennsylvania Death Records

Reading is the county seat of Berks County and the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania. What sets Reading apart from most Pennsylvania cities is that it maintained its own separate death records starting in 1873, more than 20 years before Berks County began its countywide registration system in 1893. Those two collections are distinct. Researchers must check both the city records and the county records to build a complete picture of Reading deaths during the 1873 to 1905 period. This page explains where each collection is held and how to access them.

Reading City Death Records 1873 to 1905

The City of Reading maintained its own separate death registration system from 1873 through 1905. This was not a countywide effort. Reading city officials kept their own records independently from Berks County. The city also kept separate birth records from 1876 through 1906. Together, these city collections represent an early and independent vital statistics system that predates Pennsylvania's statewide registration by decades.

These Reading city death records are significant for several reasons. First, they reach back 20 years before the Berks County Register of Wills began systematic death registration in 1893. If you are researching a death in Reading between 1873 and 1892, the city records may be your only source. Second, the city records and the county records are separate collections held in separate locations. A death that appears in the city's records may or may not appear in the county's records, especially for overlapping years between 1893 and 1905.

Researchers should contact the Berks History Center, which holds many of the historical records for Reading and Berks County, to determine where specific city death records are now housed and what indexes are available.

Note: The City of Reading's death records from 1873 to 1905 and the Berks County records from 1893 to 1905 are separate collections; researchers need to consult both when searching the overlapping years.

Berks History Center Reading Genealogy Collections

The Berks History Center was founded in 1869, making it the oldest continuously operating historical society in Berks County. It is located at 940 Centre Avenue, Reading, PA 19601. The center holds extensive genealogical collections for the Reading area and Berks County, including death-related records, obituary files, newspaper archives, and historical publications.

For Reading death records research, the Berks History Center is the institution most likely to point you toward the right collection. Staff there are familiar with both the city-level records and the county-level records from the 1873 to 1906 period. The center's library is a research destination for genealogists working on Berks County family histories.

This image comes from the Pennsylvania State Archives website and illustrates the statewide vital statistics records program that complements the local Reading and Berks County collections.

The Pennsylvania State Archives holds statewide death records from 1906 forward and provides online index access for researchers looking into Reading and Berks County deaths.

Reading Berks County Death Records After 1906

From 1906 onward, all Reading death certificates are held by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. Certified copies can be ordered online through the MyCertificates portal, by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103, or by phone at (724) 656-3100. Copies are also available through VitalChek. Each certified copy costs $20.

Under 35 P.S. §450.801, Pennsylvania limits who may receive a certified death certificate. Qualifying parties include the spouse, parent, child, sibling, or legal representative of the deceased. Genealogical researchers seeking records for deceased individuals may also qualify under specific open access provisions in the state's vital records law.

The PA State Archives death indices, available at the PHMC website, can help identify certificate numbers for Reading deaths from the early statewide period. Searching the index first saves time and reduces the risk of ordering the wrong record.

Note: Researchers should check the PA State Archives online death indices before ordering certified copies from the Division of Vital Records, since the indices are free and can confirm the certificate number.

Reading Death Records Research Tips

The most important thing to understand about Reading death records is the two-track system that ran from 1873 to 1905. The city ran its own track. The county ran a separate track starting in 1893. After 1906, the state took over. Three different systems, three different custodians.

For deaths between 1873 and 1892, start with the city records. For deaths between 1893 and 1905, check both the city collection and the Berks County Register of Wills. For deaths between 1906 and the present, contact the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. This three-step approach will prevent gaps in your research.

FamilySearch has digitized some Pennsylvania vital records, including Berks County materials. Their collections are searchable online at no cost and may include Reading entries from the pre-1906 period. The Ancestry PA partnership through the PA State Archives also provides access to digitized historical records that include Berks County death indices.

This image is from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission website, which manages the state archives that hold Reading and Berks County death records from 1906 forward.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission oversees the State Archives, which holds statewide death records including those from Reading and Berks County from 1906 onward.

Reading Berks County Death Records

Berks County holds the county-level resources for Reading death records. The Register of Wills maintains county registrations from 1893 to 1905, and the Berks History Center provides access to the broader historical collection including the city's own death records from 1873 forward.

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