Brunswick County Obituary and Death Records
Finding Brunswick County obituary records starts with the Register of Deeds office in Bolivia, NC. This office maintains death records from 1913 forward and marriage records dating back to 1764. Brunswick County stretches along the southeastern coast of North Carolina and has grown rapidly in recent decades. Searching obituary and death records here requires knowing which offices hold the materials you need and how to access them efficiently.
Brunswick County Quick Facts
Brunswick County Register of Deeds Obituary and Death Records
The Brunswick County Register of Deeds is the official keeper of vital records for the county. Death records held here date from 1913, which is when North Carolina began requiring statewide death registration. Marriage records in this office reach back to 1764, the year the county was formed. Both collections are useful when reconstructing family histories through Brunswick County obituary research.
Certified copies of death certificates cost $10 per document under the standard North Carolina fee schedule. NCGS 130A-93 governs who may obtain certified copies. Informational copies, which carry a notation that they cannot be used for legal identification purposes, are available to a wider group of requesters. Staff at the Register of Deeds can clarify eligibility and walk you through the request process.
Online searching is available for Brunswick County records through the Permitium platform. This gives researchers a way to start their search before visiting the office in person. The Register of Deeds website at brunswickcountync.gov/register-of-deeds has links to the online index and request forms.
| Office |
Brunswick County Register of Deeds 75 Courthouse Drive, Building I Bolivia, NC 28422 Phone: (910) 253-2690 |
|---|---|
| Death Records | Available from 1913 |
| Marriage Records | Available from 1764 |
| Online Search | Available through Permitium portal |
| Certified Copy Fee | $10 per certificate |
| Website | brunswickcountync.gov/register-of-deeds |
Note: The Permitium online portal allows index searches but certified copies still require a formal request either in person, by mail, or through the official online process.
Brunswick County Register of Deeds Online Resources
The Brunswick County Register of Deeds maintains a website with helpful guidance for obituary and death record requests. The page below from the Register of Deeds shows the resources available to researchers searching Brunswick County vital records.
Visit the Brunswick County Register of Deeds website to access the online index and request forms.
Using this online portal before visiting in person can save time by helping you identify which specific records exist for the person you are researching in Brunswick County.
Brunswick County History Relevant to Obituary Searches
Brunswick County was formed in 1764 from New Hanover and Bladen counties. Its coastal location made it an important area in colonial North Carolina. The county seat of Bolivia is a small community, but the county itself includes well-known beach communities such as Southport, Oak Island, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Sunset Beach.
Rapid population growth since the 1980s means a large share of current residents were not born in Brunswick County. This can complicate obituary searches when a person died in Brunswick County but was born elsewhere. Cross-referencing birth records and obituary notices from newspapers may help establish the full picture for these individuals.
Records predating 1913 require different sources. Wills, estate files, and probate records from Brunswick County's early history survive at the NC State Archives. Church records from colonial congregations in the Southport and Bolivia areas may also yield death-related information for eighteenth- and nineteenth-century residents.
Brunswick County Obituary Records in Digital Collections
Several digital archives contain Brunswick County obituary and death-related materials. DigitalNC at digitalnc.org has digitized historical newspapers and documents from across North Carolina, including materials tied to Brunswick County communities. Searching by place name or surname can surface obituary notices, estate notices, and other death-related items from local publications.
The NC Digital Collections portal at digital.ncdcr.gov hosts archival materials from the State Archives, state agencies, and cultural institutions. Brunswick County items in this collection include land and court records that sometimes accompany death-related research.
Find A Grave and BillionGraves both have extensive Brunswick County cemetery records. Volunteers have photographed and transcribed headstones from cemeteries throughout the county, including historic plots in Southport and rural church graveyards. These transcriptions are searchable by name and provide burial date information that complements official death certificates.
The image below shows the NC Digital Collections portal, which holds statewide archival materials useful for Brunswick County obituary searches.
Combining these digital resources with the Brunswick County Register of Deeds records gives researchers the broadest possible search across time periods.
Note: DigitalNC newspaper digitization is ongoing, so not all historical Brunswick County publications are fully available online yet. Check back regularly or contact the project directly about specific titles.
Brunswick County Newspaper Obituary Sources
Local newspapers have long published Brunswick County obituaries. The Brunswick Beacon covers much of the county and has been publishing for decades. The Southport State Port Pilot is another longstanding publication with a strong obituary tradition. Both papers serve as primary newspaper sources for death notices and fuller obituary tributes in Brunswick County.
Current obituaries from these newspapers often appear on their websites. Historical issues may be available on microfilm at the Brunswick County Public Library or through interlibrary loan. The NC State Library and NC Digital Collections may also hold archived issues. Asking a reference librarian is the fastest way to determine what is available for the dates you need in Brunswick County.
Genealogical societies sometimes maintain clipping files or indexes of obituaries from local papers. The Lower Cape Fear Genealogical Society serves southeastern North Carolina, including Brunswick County, and may have compiled resources that speed up an obituary search.
Nearby Counties
Brunswick County shares borders with several other southeastern North Carolina counties. Death records for people living near county lines sometimes appear in neighboring jurisdictions.