Greensboro Obituary and Death Records
Greensboro obituary records span more than two centuries of history in Guilford County, North Carolina. Greensboro is the county seat of Guilford County and one of the state's largest cities. The Guilford County Register of Deeds holds death certificates from 1913 onward, while the Greensboro Public Library maintains exceptional genealogy collections that include a burial index of over 35,000 entries, WWII service records, and death records extracted from the Greensboro-Patriot newspaper dating back to 1771. Researchers searching Greensboro obituary history have access to some of the deepest local records in the state.
Greensboro Quick Facts
Greensboro Obituary Records at the Guilford County Register of Deeds
The Guilford County Register of Deeds is the starting point for official death record research in Greensboro. This office holds death certificates for Guilford County from 1913 onward. Death certificates identify the decedent by full name, list the date and cause of death, name the place of burial, and often include next-of-kin information provided by the reporting family member.
The Register of Deeds can be contacted by phone at 336-641-7556. In-person visits allow direct access to the index and same-day copies. Certified copies of death certificates in North Carolina cost $10 each. The office serves all municipalities in Guilford County, with Greensboro generating the majority of filings.
| Office | Guilford County Register of Deeds |
|---|---|
| Phone | 336-641-7556 |
| Website | guilfordcountync.gov/government/register-deeds |
The Guilford County Register of Deeds also maintains an online index accessible through the county website. Searching by name and date range can confirm whether a death certificate exists for a Greensboro resident before your in-person visit.
Greensboro Public Library Obituary and Burial Index
The Greensboro Public Library's genealogy collection is one of the most specialized in North Carolina for obituary research. The library maintains a Guilford core collection that includes a burial index with more than 35,000 entries. This index covers cemeteries across Guilford County and is an essential tool for researchers tracing Greensboro obituary and death records going back well before state registration began in 1913.
The library also holds WWII service personnel records for Guilford County. These records can connect a death in military service to a Greensboro family. Marriage and death records extracted from the Greensboro-Patriot newspaper run from 1771 through 1899 and are available at the genealogy desk. This newspaper extraction project makes the library a uniquely valuable resource for pre-1913 Greensboro obituary research.
Key genealogy resources at the Greensboro Public Library include:
- Guilford County burial index with 35,000+ entries
- Greensboro-Patriot death and marriage records, 1771-1899
- WWII service personnel files for Guilford County
- Ancestry Library Edition and other subscription databases
- Local history books and family files
- Microfilmed Greensboro newspaper collections
Visit the library's genealogy page at library.greensboro-nc.gov/research/genealogy to learn more about the collection and plan your Greensboro obituary research visit.
Guilford County Register of Deeds for Greensboro Death Records
The Guilford County Register of Deeds office shown below is the official repository for Greensboro death certificates. Researchers can obtain certified copies and search the death record index here.
Image source: Guilford County Register of Deeds. The office maintains Greensboro death certificates from 1913 and provides certified copies for genealogical and legal purposes.
Greensboro Newspaper Archives and Obituary Notices
Greensboro has been served by newspapers since the late 1700s. The Greensboro-Patriot is among the earliest, and death notices from its pages between 1771 and 1899 have been extracted and indexed at the Greensboro Public Library. The Greensboro Daily News and the Greensboro News and Record are more recent titles that carry obituaries for residents across Guilford County.
DigitalNC at digitalnc.org has digitized portions of Greensboro-area newspapers, providing free online access to older issues. GenealogyBank at genealogybank.com extends coverage to more recent decades. Newspaper obituaries typically include survivors' names, church affiliations, and burial details that official death certificates do not capture, making them a critical companion to the death record itself.
Note: When searching Greensboro obituaries in older newspapers, try variant spellings of surnames. Newspaper compositors frequently introduced phonetic variants, especially in the pre-1900 period covered by the Greensboro-Patriot extraction project at the library.
Guilford County Genealogy Resources for Greensboro Obituary Research
Genealogical societies in the Greensboro area have compiled additional obituary and death records that supplement official sources. Cemetery surveys conducted by local volunteers have documented burial sites across Guilford County, some predating formal recordkeeping by decades. Many of these surveys are housed at the Greensboro Public Library or the NC State Archives.
FamilySearch at familysearch.org offers free access to North Carolina death indexes, including Guilford County collections. Ancestry at ancestry.com holds additional North Carolina death record databases and digitized newspaper collections. Cross-referencing these databases with the library's burial index and Register of Deeds records gives Greensboro obituary researchers the most complete coverage.
The NC State Archives at archives.ncdcr.gov holds older Guilford County church records and cemetery transcriptions that are especially useful for pre-1913 Greensboro death research. Finding aids for Guilford County collections are searchable online.
Guilford County Obituary Records
Greensboro is the county seat of Guilford County. Death certificates for Greensboro residents are part of the Guilford County vital records system. For a full overview of county-level obituary records, the complete Register of Deeds index, and additional genealogy resources covering Guilford County, visit the Guilford County obituary records page.