Chesterfield County Obituary Records

Chesterfield County obituary and death records are available through the Circuit Court Clerk, the Virginia Department of Health, and local resources like the Chesterfield County Public Library and Chesterfield Historical Society. This guide covers how to find death certificates, historical registers, and obituary notices for Chesterfield County families.

Chesterfield County Circuit Court Clerk

The Chesterfield County Circuit Court Clerk maintains vital records, land records, and court records for the county. Marriage records go back to 1771, and land records date to 1749. Historical death registers from 1853 to 1896 are available on microfilm through the Library of Virginia, and the clerk's office also holds probate records that can help trace death dates and survivors.

Chesterfield County is one of Virginia's most populous counties, sitting just south and west of Richmond. The courthouse at 9500 Courthouse Road in Chesterfield serves the county's large population and handles a significant volume of records requests. The clerk's staff can assist with name searches and help identify what older records exist for your family.

Chesterfield County Public Library

The Chesterfield County Public Library provides access to genealogical databases and maintains local history collections for the county. The library offers research assistance and access to newspaper archives. Staff can help you use Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, and other databases that include Chesterfield County death and obituary records.

The library system has several branches throughout the county. If you are looking for old obituaries from local newspapers, the library's archive collections may have them on microfilm or in digital form. These newspaper files can go back many decades and are a key source for Chesterfield County obituary notices that predate or supplement formal death certificates.

The Chesterfield County Public Library website is shown below. This is a good starting point for genealogy research in the county.

The library offers free access to major genealogy databases when you visit in person, and some are available remotely with a library card.

Chesterfield County Death Certificates

Certified copies of Chesterfield County death certificates are issued by the Virginia Department of Health. The state holds records from June 14, 1912 to the present. Each copy costs $12. Under Code of Virginia Title 32.1, Chapter 7, death records are restricted to immediate family members for 25 years after the death. After that, they become public record.

The VDH customer service office is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. Phone is (804) 662-6200. The office is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can apply online, in person, or by mail. Bring or include a copy of your photo ID with your request.

The Central Virginia Health Department also serves Chesterfield County. Their website is shown below, which covers local health services including some vital records assistance for Chesterfield County residents.

The VDH central Virginia office handles local health matters for Chesterfield and surrounding counties. For certified death certificate copies, contact the state office in Richmond or use the online portal at vdh.virginia.gov/vital-records.

Chesterfield Historical Society

The Chesterfield Historical Society maintains local history collections including archives of local newspapers and historic sites. The society can be a useful resource when searching for Chesterfield County obituaries that appear in older newspapers or records not held by the state. Their archive may include family papers, cemetery records, and other materials relevant to death research.

The Magnolia Grange house museum is part of the society's holdings. The society also provides research assistance to people tracing Chesterfield County families. If you are looking for obituaries from mid-20th century local papers, contacting the historical society directly is worth trying.

The Chesterfield Historical Society website is shown below, which describes the collections and services they offer for local research.

The society's archives include materials spanning multiple centuries of Chesterfield County history, which can help researchers find obituaries and death notices from different eras.

Search Chesterfield County Obituary Records Online

Virginia residents can search Chesterfield County death records online for free through Find It Virginia. This service provides access to Ancestry.com's database of Virginia death records from 1912 to the present. You just need a Virginia public library card number and a free Ancestry.com account to search and download records at no charge.

For pre-1912 records, the Library of Virginia's microfilm collection is the main source. The Library of Virginia death records guide explains what is available for Chesterfield County in the 1853 to 1896 period. Microfilm can be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.

The Virginia FOIA law under Section 2.2-3700 of the Code of Virginia gives people the right to request public records from state agencies. Once death records are beyond the 25-year privacy window, they can be requested under FOIA. This applies to Chesterfield County records held by state bodies.

The image below shows the VDH vital records portal, which is also the source for Chesterfield County death certificates from 1912 onward.

The portal gives you step-by-step guidance for applying online and checking the status of your request.

Chesterfield County Obituary Newspapers and Indexes

Newspaper obituaries have been published in the Chesterfield area for generations. The Richmond-area papers, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, have covered Chesterfield County extensively since the county borders Richmond. The Henley Marriage and Obituary Index, covering 1736 to 1982, may include Chesterfield County entries drawn from Richmond-area newspapers.

You can search the Henley Index through the Library of Virginia. It pulls from more than 150 Virginia newspapers, many of which covered communities that are now part of the Chesterfield County area. The index is free to search and covers a wide range of names and dates.

The Virginia Genealogy Obituaries resource page also lists additional databases that may include Chesterfield County notices. Some of these focus on central Virginia funeral homes, newspapers, and death records from specific time periods. These can be useful when formal death certificates are not available or when you need more personal detail than the certificate provides.

Cities Near Chesterfield County

Chesterfield County borders several independent cities. These cities have their own records offices but are close to the county courthouse for residents near the borders.

Nearby Counties

These counties are adjacent to Chesterfield. Each holds its own death records through the state vital records system and local circuit court.