Sussex County, Delaware Genealogy
Guide to Sussex County, Delaware ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Sussex County, Delaware | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Delaware | |
 Location of Delaware in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | August 8, 1673 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Georgetown |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Administrative Office Building, 1st Floor, 2 The Circle PO Box 589 Georgetown, DE 19947 Phone: (302) 855-7785 Sussex County Courthouse |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Websites
- 5 Research Guides
- 6 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The County is located in the south area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
| ||||||
- Formerly known as Deale County, the name was changed to Sussex on 4 Dec 1682.
- The Recorder of deeds has land records from 1693.
- Register of Wills houses the probate records[2]
Sussex County, Delaware[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1861 | 1847 | 1861 | 1680 | 1693 | 1683 | 1782 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
- Parent County: Sussex County was created 8 August 1673 from Deale (old) County.
- County Seat:Georgetown [4]
- Because of the ongoing boundary disputes between Lord Baltimore of Maryland and William Penn of Pennsylvania, much of Sussex County (excepting a few miles inland from the coast) was also recognized as part of Maryland's Somerset County up through 1760. Both Pennsylvania (and, after 1710, Delaware) and Maryland issued land patents for the area, sometimes in conflict with each other.
The British Crown ordered the dispute to be settled in 1760, and commissioned Charles Mason and Jermiah Dixon to survey the boundary. In 1769, the survey was completed, defining the border between Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania that exists today.
The border between Sussex and Kent Counties, Delaware was set in 1683 and has not changed since then.
- For animated maps illustrating Delaware County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Delaware County Boundary Maps" (1673-1841) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Wiltbank Family Bible, published in Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 29, p.339, available online at Family Search.
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites may have additional information on Sussex County cemeteries.
- Interment.net Delaware cemetery records by County.
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 20,488 | — |
| 1800 | 19,358 | −5.5% |
| 1810 | 27,750 | 43.4% |
| 1820 | 24,057 | −13.3% |
| 1830 | 27,115 | 12.7% |
| 1840 | 25,093 | −7.5% |
| 1850 | 25,936 | 3.4% |
| 1860 | 29,615 | 14.2% |
| 1870 | 31,696 | 7.0% |
| 1880 | 36,018 | 13.6% |
| 1890 | 38,647 | 7.3% |
| 1900 | 42,276 | 9.4% |
| 1910 | 46,413 | 9.8% |
| 1920 | 43,741 | −5.8% |
| 1930 | 45,507 | 4.0% |
| 1940 | 52,502 | 15.4% |
| 1950 | 61,336 | 16.8% |
| 1960 | 73,195 | 19.3% |
| 1970 | 80,356 | 9.8% |
| 1980 | 98,004 | 22.0% |
| 1990 | 113,229 | 15.5% |
| 2000 | 156,638 | 38.3% |
| 2010 | 197,145 | 25.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Sussex County, Delaware Genealogy census records online, see: Delaware Census.
Territory and State Census Records[edit | edit source]
Federal Census Records[edit | edit source]
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Delaware: Enslaved and Free Persons, and Slaveholders is a database of enslaved and free African-Americans extracted from Sussex County, Delaware will books from 1836-1851, with ongoing updates. Slaveholders occasionally provided surnames or exact birthdates in their wills.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Online County Histories
- Some Records of Sussex County, Delaware. By Charles Henry Black Turner. 1909. Philadelphia : Allen, Lane & Scott. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
American Revolution[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861-1865 - Delaware Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1917-1919 - Delaware, World War I Servicemen Records, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 - Delaware, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
1804-1839, 1907-1959 Delaware, County Naturalization Records at Family Search - free
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
- 1680 -1800 Sussex County, Delaware Probate Records, online at Ancestry ($)
- DeValinger, Leon. A Calendar of Sussex County, Delaware Probate Records, 1680-1800 . Dover, Delaware: Public Archives Commission, 1964.
- Moore, Marguerite R. indexes for Sussex 1800-1869, three volumes(Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1995-97.)
School Records[edit | edit source]
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
- 1650-1974 Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- See also How to order Delaware Vital Records
Birth[edit | edit source]
- order electronically online or download an application for Delaware Birth Certificate to mail
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1784-2007 Delaware, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- Marriage Certificate to mail
Death[edit | edit source]
- Death Certificate to mail
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
Societies, Libraries, and Museums[edit | edit source]
Georgetown Historical Society
510 S. Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947
302 855-9660
302 855-1030 (Fax)
Facebook
Laurel Public Library
101 E 4th St
Laurel, DE 19956
302 875-3184
Website
Lower Delmarva Genealogical Society
(Kent and Sussex County)
Box 3602
Salisbury, Maryland 21802-3602
E-Mail: lowerdelmarva@yahoo.com
Website
Sussex County Genealogical Society
c/o Rehoboth Beach Public Library
226 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Sussex County, DE History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Delaware Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Delaware Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- The Sussex County DEGenWeb Project, an member of The DEGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Sussex County
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Sussex County
- Sussex County, Delaware Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Sussex County Genealogy (Delaware Genealogy)
- Sussex County Delaware History
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sussex County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_County,_Delaware 04/27/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Sussex, Delaware Page 121 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Sussex County, Delaware. Page 121 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 118.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Sussex County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_County,_Delaware, accessed 25 October 2018.
