Guilford County Obituary Records and Death Certificates
Guilford County is home to Greensboro and High Point, two of North Carolina's largest cities, and its obituary record resources reflect that scale. The Register of Deeds maintains official death certificates, while the Greensboro Public Library and the High Point Public Library each hold specialized genealogy collections with obituary indexes spanning well over a century. The Guilford County Genealogical Society provides additional support for family researchers. Whether you are looking for a recent death certificate or a newspaper obituary from the late nineteenth century, Guilford County has layered resources available at multiple institutions.
Guilford County Quick Facts
Guilford County Register of Deeds - Obituary and Death Records
The Guilford County Register of Deeds operates multiple office locations. The High Point office is located at 325 East Russell Avenue, Room 155, High Point, NC 27260, and can be reached at 336-641-7556. The office maintains birth, death, and marriage records alongside land records for the county. Under North Carolina General Statute 130A-93, death certificates filed in Guilford County are held by the Register of Deeds and forwarded to the state as part of the statewide vital records system.
Certified copies of Guilford County death certificates cost $10 each. Requests can be submitted in person at either office location. Staff can help researchers identify records and explain access requirements. Under NCGS 130A-93.1, certain information in recent death records carries access restrictions for a defined period following the death. The office can clarify what documentation is available based on the age of the specific record being requested.
The office at guilfordcountync.gov/government/register-deeds provides details about locations, hours, and how to request Guilford County death certificates.
The Register of Deeds portal at guilfordcountync.gov serves researchers seeking official Guilford County death certificates and vital records from across the county's two major cities and surrounding communities.
| High Point Office |
Guilford County Register of Deeds 325 E Russell Avenue, Room 155 High Point, NC 27260 Phone: 336-641-7556 |
|---|---|
| Records Available | Birth, death, marriage, land records |
| Certified Copy Fee | $10.00 |
| Website | guilfordcountync.gov/government/register-deeds |
About Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County was formed in 1771 from Orange and Rowan counties and is named for Francis North, the first Earl of Guilford. Greensboro is the county seat and the state's third-largest city. High Point, also within the county, is internationally known as the Furniture Capital of the World. The county has been densely populated relative to its size for well over a century, which has produced an unusually large and well-documented body of death and obituary records compared to many other North Carolina counties.
Because Guilford County was formed from Orange and Rowan counties in 1771, researchers working on deaths and family events before that date should search those parent county records. Both Orange and Rowan county archives hold materials predating Guilford County's establishment. The State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh also holds transferred materials from Guilford County's earliest years.
Greensboro Public Library Obituary and Genealogy Resources
The Greensboro Public Library maintains one of the most substantial genealogy collections in central North Carolina. The library's Guilford core genealogy collection covers regional family history in depth. Researchers will find city directories spanning multiple decades, which provide year-by-year snapshots of residents that help verify addresses and confirm occupations near the time of death.
The library's burial index contains more than 35,000 entries covering Guilford County cemeteries. This index is a major resource for locating burial sites and cross-referencing them with death certificates and newspaper obituaries. The collection also includes records of Guilford County residents who served in World War II, which is useful when researching veterans whose deaths may be connected to their service records.
The library at library.greensboro-nc.gov/research/genealogy provides information on available collections and how to access them, including remote access options for cardholders.
Note: The Greensboro Public Library's genealogy collection is available to researchers in person at the main branch. Some digital resources are accessible remotely for library cardholders, making it possible for out-of-state researchers to access parts of the collection without visiting Greensboro.
High Point Public Library Obituary Index - Guilford County Death Records
The High Point Public Library's Heritage Research Center holds a dedicated obituary index to the High Point Enterprise, the city's primary newspaper. The index covers two periods: 1886 to 1924 and 1962 to the present. These two ranges provide obituary coverage spanning more than a century of Guilford County death notices, with the primary gap being the middle decades of the twentieth century.
The High Point Enterprise obituary index is an important resource for researchers working on the High Point portion of Guilford County's history. High Point has had a distinct cultural and economic identity within the county, and its newspaper obituaries reflect the families and communities of that city in ways that complement the Greensboro-focused resources at the main library branch.
Researchers working at the Heritage Research Center in High Point can search the obituary index for specific names and then locate the corresponding newspaper issues on microfilm to read the full obituary text. Staff at the center can assist with the search process and help identify additional resources for Guilford County death research in the High Point area.
Guilford County Genealogical Society and Obituary Records
The Guilford County Genealogical Society supports researchers working on family history throughout the county. The society publishes genealogical materials, maintains reference collections, and assists members with county-specific research. Its website at guilfordgenealogy.net provides information about the society's resources and how to connect with local expertise.
The Guilford County Genealogical Society at guilfordgenealogy.net connects researchers with local expertise and specialized collections that supplement the library and Register of Deeds resources available for Guilford County obituary and death research.
The society's members have contributed to indexes and transcription projects that make historical Guilford County records more accessible. Cemetery records, church burial registers, and newspaper obituary abstracts gathered by society members over the years provide a volunteer-built supplement to official county records. Researchers who have exhausted standard sources often find that a query to the society surfaces information not available anywhere else.
How to Search Guilford County Obituary Records
Guilford County has one of the richest obituary research ecosystems in North Carolina. Effective research typically combines official records from the Register of Deeds with the specialized collections at the Greensboro and High Point libraries and the resources of the Genealogical Society.
- Guilford County Register of Deeds for certified death certificates
- Greensboro Public Library for the 35,000-entry burial index and city directories
- High Point Heritage Research Center for the Enterprise obituary index (1886-1924 and 1962-present)
- Guilford County Genealogical Society for community-collected records and expert assistance
- North Carolina State Archives for pre-1771 Orange and Rowan County records
- DigitalNC for digitized historical newspapers from the Greensboro area
When requesting a Guilford County death certificate from the Register of Deeds, you will need the full name of the deceased and the approximate date of death. For certified copies, you will need to establish your right to access the record under NCGS 130A-93.1. Staff at either office location can walk you through the requirements based on the specific record you are seeking.
Note: The High Point Enterprise obituary index does not cover the decades between 1924 and 1962. Researchers working on deaths in that gap period should search microfilm directly at the High Point Public Library or contact the Guilford County Genealogical Society for guidance on alternative sources covering those years.
North Carolina State Vital Records for Guilford County Deaths
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services maintains statewide copies of Guilford County death records under the system established by NCGS 130A-93. Certified copies can be requested from the state Vital Records office in Raleigh by mail, in person, or through authorized online vendors. Both the county Register of Deeds and the state office draw from the same underlying death records filed in Guilford County.
For researchers outside the Greensboro and High Point area, the state office provides a practical remote option. Processing times and fees differ between the county and state offices, and either source is valid for legal or genealogical purposes. For in-person requests, the county offices typically offer faster service.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Guilford County. If you are uncertain which county a death was registered in, checking neighboring counties can help complete your Guilford County research.