Bucks County Death Records and Vital History
Bucks County holds one of the deepest vital records collections in all of Pennsylvania. As one of three original counties created by William Penn in 1682, Bucks County has original documents dating to 1684 -- a span of more than 340 years. Death records, birth entries, marriage registrations, and probate files are held at multiple repositories. Researchers must know which office covers which time period. This guide walks through every major source for Bucks County death records, from colonial-era court documents to the current state certification system.
Bucks County Quick Facts
Bucks County Register of Wills Death Records
The Bucks County Register of Wills holds one of the most remarkable vital records collections in Pennsylvania. Original documents on-site date to 1684, and a complete microfilm set covers the full run of records. The Register of Wills office is the custodian for Bucks County birth and death records from 1893 through 1906, as well as probate materials going back to the earliest colonial period.
Genealogical Search Requests at the Bucks County Register of Wills carry a fee of $25 per name searched. This fee is non-refundable regardless of whether a record is found. Certified copies of birth and death records from 1893 to 1906 cost $25 per certified copy -- higher than the state fee of $20 and worth budgeting for if you are ordering multiple records. Death records from 1907 onward are held exclusively by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records and are not available at the Doylestown courthouse.
| Office | Bucks County Register of Wills 55 E. Court Street Doylestown, PA 18901 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM |
| Records | Original documents on-site from 1684–1936; birth and death records 1893–1906; complete microfilm set available |
Note: The $25 genealogical search fee at Bucks County is non-refundable, so prepare as much identifying information as possible before submitting your request.
Bucks County Historical Society Death Records
The Bucks County Historical Society operates the Spruance Library at 84 S. Pine Street in Doylestown. The library holds death records for the years 1852 through 1855 and 1893 through 1906. These records supplement the courthouse holdings and are particularly valuable for the 1852 to 1855 window, which predates the 1893 formal registration period and represents an early local attempt at vital statistics collection.
The Spruance Library's collections extend well beyond death certificates. Researchers can access newspaper archives, cemetery surveys, family histories, and manuscript collections that shed light on Bucks County families across several centuries. The library staff is experienced with genealogical requests and can assist with identifying which collections are most relevant to a specific research question.
The phone number for the Spruance Library is 215-345-0210. Hours vary by season, so confirming availability before traveling to Doylestown is advisable.
The image below, sourced from the Bucks County Historical Society website, shows the Spruance Library research facility in Doylestown.
The Spruance Library is one of the most comprehensive county genealogical repositories in Pennsylvania, holding Bucks County death records from the mid-19th century through 1906.
Bucks County Public Records and Court Archives
The Bucks County Court system also maintains public records accessible to researchers. Court-related death records, including coroner's inquest reports and estate filings, can supplement official vital records and provide context for deaths that involved legal proceedings. Estate inventories in particular can identify surviving heirs and confirm dates and circumstances of death.
Probate records at the Register of Wills going back to 1684 are among Bucks County's most historically significant holdings. For deaths in the colonial era, probate files are often the only surviving documentation of when an individual died and who survived them. Researchers working on Bucks County lineages from the 18th or early 19th centuries should prioritize probate records alongside any church or cemetery documentation they can find.
The image below, from the Bucks County government's genealogical and archival search page, illustrates the online research options available for Bucks County death and vital records.
The county's online system supports genealogical requests for vital records held in the Doylestown courthouse.
Requesting Certified Bucks County Death Certificates
For deaths in Bucks County from 1907 onward, certified copies come from the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. The state fee is $20 per copy. You can order through the state's online portal at mycertificates.health.pa.gov, by mail to P.O. Box 1528 in New Castle, or through VitalChek as an authorized third party.
Under 35 P.S. §450.801, death records less than 50 years old carry access restrictions. Immediate family members, legal representatives, and individuals with documented needs can obtain restricted records. For records 50 years old or older, access is open to the public for genealogical purposes. Given Bucks County's historical depth, many records of research interest fall well outside this restriction period.
The Pennsylvania genealogy records page from the Department of Health explains the access rules in plain language and provides guidance on what documentation to include with a restricted-record request.
Note: Bucks County death records from 1907 onward cannot be obtained from the Doylestown courthouse -- the state Division of Vital Records in New Castle is the only source for these certificates.
Pennsylvania State Archives and Bucks County Vital Records
The Pennsylvania State Archives holds death certificates from 1906 through 1975 for all counties, including Bucks. These records are part of the state's vital statistics collection and can be accessed in person at Harrisburg or through the Archives' online indices. The death index database is searchable online and allows researchers to confirm the existence of a specific Bucks County record before requesting it.
FamilySearch has digitized a substantial portion of Pennsylvania's early vital records, and the FamilySearch Pennsylvania wiki lists specific Bucks County collections available through their free platform. Given Bucks County's colonial origins, several church record collections covering the 1700s and early 1800s are accessible through FamilySearch and provide pre-registration death information.
The Pennsylvania State Archives vital statistics records page, shown in the image below, provides access to death certificates and indexes covering all Pennsylvania counties including Bucks.
These state-held records bridge the period between local courthouse registration and the modern vital records system, covering Bucks County deaths from 1906 through 1975.
Bucks County History and Colonial Death Records
Bucks County is one of Pennsylvania's three original counties, created in 1682 by William Penn along with Chester and Philadelphia counties. The county's original land grants, court records, and church registers create an unusually long paper trail for genealogical research. Dutch, German, Welsh, and English settlers arrived in the late 17th century, and their descendants populated Bucks County through the colonial and early national periods.
For deaths before 1684, no official county records exist. The county itself did not exist until that year. For the period from 1684 to 1852, researchers rely on probate records at the Register of Wills, church burial registers, cemetery transcriptions, and Quaker meeting records. Bucks County had a substantial Quaker population, and the monthly meeting records kept by the Society of Friends are among the most detailed pre-registration death records available for this region. Many Quaker records have been microfilmed and are accessible through the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College.
Death registration was attempted locally in Bucks County from 1852 to 1855, a period during which Pennsylvania experimented with a statewide registration system that ultimately lapsed. Those records survive at the Spruance Library. Consistent local registration did not resume until 1893, leaving a gap of nearly 40 years that researchers must bridge through alternative sources.
Cities in Bucks County
Bucks County includes several major communities with their own death record research considerations. Bensalem and Levittown are among the county's largest population centers.
Nearby Counties
Bucks County borders several counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. Researchers tracing families who lived near county boundaries may need to check records in adjacent counties.