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Delaware Genealogy, Facts and Records Resources
Welcome to the Delaware family history research page. Here you'll find record collection links, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your Delaware ancestors.
Delaware is one of the smallest states, but it is packed with history. It has played a role in the United States since its earliest days, and because of this there are many museums, historical societies, and smaller local organizations that can serve as treasure troves to those looking for Delaware genealogy.
Since the state of Delaware is so small, it's not surprising that it has only 3 counties. Some of the counties do have microfilmed records on file, but many of the country records are held at the Delaware State Archives. The offices of the county recorder of deeds holds land conveyance records. The register of wills holds estate records from 1925 onward. The prothonotary clerk holds civil and criminal court records and divorce records up until 1975.
Select a Delaware County Below
Delaware Facts
Henry Hudson, sailing under the Dutch flag, is credited with Delaware's discovery in 1609. The following year, Capt. Samuel Argall of Virginia named Delaware for his colony's governor, Thomas West, Baron De La Warr. An attempted Dutch settlement failed in 1631. Swedish colonization began at Fort Christina (now Wilmington) in 1638, but New Sweden fell to Dutch forces led by New Netherlands' governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1655. England took over the area in 1664, and it was transferred to William Penn as the lower Three Counties in 1682. Semiautonomous after 1704, Delaware fought as a separate state in the American Revolution and became the first state to ratify the Constitution in 1787. During the Civil War, although a slave state, Delaware did not secede from the Union. See also Delaware History Page for more Details
Delaware entered the union as the 1st state on December 7, 1787. It has 3 Counties. The capital is Dover and the official state website is www.de.gov.
Delaware is bordered by Maryland (west), New Jersey (northeast), Pennsylvania (north). It has a land area of 1,954 square miles making it the 49th largest state. The 2010 population was 897,934 and the largest cities (2010) are Wilmington, 70,851; Dover (Capital), 36,047; Newark, 31,454; Middletown, 18,871; Smyrna, 10,023; Milford, 9,559; Seaford, 6,928; Georgetown, 6,422; Elsmere, 6,131; New Castle, 5,285.
Delaware name is derived from the name of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, Virginia’s first colonial governor. Its nickname is " First State " (this is because on Dec. 7, 1787, Delaware was the first of the 12 US states to ratify the new US Constitution). The State Motto is " Liberty and Independence "
How to Search for Delaware Genealogy Data
Effective Ways to Look for Delaware Genealogy Materials - Anyone beginning to search for Delaware genealogy data is going to quickly discover that they don’t have to leave home to do it! They can use many of the state’s online resources to begin scouting around for the materials needed. Because there are so many resources online, however, it does not mean that everything has been made digital.
Though many groups have websites with strong databases, not all have yet been able to afford to tackle such a project. This means that anyone doing research for a Delaware genealogy project is also going to have learn about the offline sites they may need to visit. This means that it is extremely useful to familiarize yourself with the tools that researchers use for Delaware genealogy, and how to determine which are online and which are not.
Some of the most frequently used resources for Delaware genealogy are public records, and they are found in the following groupings:
- State Records – from probate information to private manuscripts, surname lists, newspapers, state census information, marriage details, military or veterans information, land records, maps, estate information, genealogical folders, death records, deeds, birth certificates, cemetery information and more. These are available as online and offline resources for Delaware genealogy.
- Local Records – good research begins in the county clerk’s office or website, and only then moves on to the local genealogical societies, small local libraries, historical societies, and school or college libraries for Delaware genealogy data. These are things that are usually offline and viewable by appointment or through special arrangements.
- Vital Records – these include the basic birth, marriage, divorce and death records from county, state, and national archives. These can also contain cemetery or obituary information, census records, newspaper items, military records, immigration and naturalization details, passenger lists and records as well. These are available as online and offline resources for Delaware genealogy.
Strong and Effective Tools for Delaware Genealogy - You will rapidly discover which tools work for Delaware genealogy, and you learn which provide you with the most information for your needs. Below are some of the best for Delaware genealogy, and can be found in person or online at:
- Office of Vital Statistics, Division of Public Health, 417 Federal Street, Dover, DE 19901; Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/delaware.htm . This is where anyone can order birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written request or even online.
Additional state and local records can be found at the:
- Delaware Public Archives, 121 Duke of York Street, Dover, DE 19901; Website: http://archives.delaware.gov/ . This is very impressive resource offering massive digital archives, digital ancestry resources, public programs, and a huge amount of information through a single channel.
Also, consider using the Delaware Historical Society’s Genealogy Page at: http://www.hsd.org/gengd.htm
The following websites provide a large amount of state-specific details to those in search of facts for Delaware genealogy projects.
- Family History Library (familysearch.org) - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
- Delaware Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- USGenweb - Delaware Genealogy (degenweb.org)
- The Delaware Family Group Sheet Project (fgs-project.com)
- Free GenForum Message Boards - Delaware (genforum.genealogy.com)
- Free Rootsweb Message Boards - Delaware (boards.ancestry.com)
- Cyndis List Delaware Links (cyndislist.com)
- Delaware Mailing List (rootsweb.ancestry.com)
- Delaware American History and Genealogy Project (usgennet.org)
- Delaware (wikipedia.org)
- Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) - Delaware (raogk.org)
- Delaware Genealogy Look Ups (geneasearch.com)
- USGenWeb Archives Project for Delaware (usgwarchives.net)
- Background Sources for Delaware (ancestry.com) from Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
