Finding a Cemetery in Delaware: Three Counties, Three Different Systems

Delaware is a small state with a long burial history. It has only three counties, New Castle, Kent and Sussex, yet each handles death care a little differently. Our database lists 30 cemetery entries in 15 cities. They range from old urban grounds in Wilmington to church and lodge cemeteries in small Sussex towns. This page explains how those places are organised and how to get what you need from them.

The first thing to know is that most Delaware cemeteries are not government offices. They are run by nonprofit cemetery companies, churches, fraternal lodges such as the Odd Fellows, or private owners. The main public exceptions are the state veterans' cemeteries. So you will usually deal with a cemetery office or caretaker directly, not a county clerk.

That matters when you need a plot, a burial date or a record. Each cemetery sets its own lot prices, opening and closing fees, and marker rules. Two cemeteries a few miles apart can quote very different terms, so it pays to call more than one.

Who Oversees Burial in Delaware and What Paperwork You Need

Delaware does not run its private cemeteries from one central desk. Several offices each cover a piece of the process. Funeral directors are licensed by the Board of Funeral Services, which sits within the Division of Professional Regulation. The death certificate is filed with the Office of Vital Statistics in the Division of Public Health, usually by the funeral director on your behalf. Disputes over a sales contract can go to the consumer protection staff at the Delaware Department of Justice.

The cemetery itself is bound by the contract you sign and by local zoning. Because rules differ from one cemetery to the next, ask for everything in writing. Federal rules require funeral homes to give you an itemized price list. A cemetery that sells only plots and openings is generally not covered in the same way, so do not assume a price sheet will be handed over. Ask for one.

Before you call a cemetery office, have these items ready:

Many small cemeteries keep limited office hours, and some rely on a part-time caretaker. If no one answers, leave a clear message with your name and number. Then try again the next morning.

Wilmington and New Castle County: Historic Grounds and Large Memorial Parks

New Castle County is the state's most populous county and holds 15 of our 30 listings. Wilmington alone accounts for 11. Many of these are older, well-established cemeteries along the city's main roads. Silverbrook Cemetery at 3300 Lancaster Pike (302-658-0953) and Lombardy Cemetery Company at 1812 Gilpin Avenue (302-656-6824) are two of the best known. Wilmington Cathedral Cemetery at 2400 Lancaster Avenue (302-656-3323) is a Catholic cemetery, so ask about parish arrangements when you call.

Two more Wilmington entries are not burial grounds at all. Pauley Cemetery Memorials at 3110 Lancaster Avenue and James A Tartaglia - Sand Piper Cemetery Lettering Company at 108 South Dupont Road are monument and lettering businesses. Contact them about headstones, inscriptions or added lettering once a lot is secured. MT Salem Cemetery at 1709 Mount Salem Lane (302-764-2111) rounds out the Wilmington-area choices.

South of the city, New Castle Gracelawn Memorial Park Cemetery at 2220 North Dupont Highway (302-654-6158) serves the town of New Castle. Farther down the county, Middletown Forest Cemetery on North Broad Street and Townsend Cemetery on Caldwell Corner Road list the same phone number, 302-378-3410. One office appears to handle both. The Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 2465 Chesapeake City Road in Bear (302-834-8046) is the state's northern veterans site. You can compare all of these by town on the New Castle County page.

Kent County: Dover's Cemeteries, Smyrna's Lodges and Barratts Chapel

Kent County has nine listings and centres on Dover, the state capital. Sharon Hills Memorial Park Cemetery at 2928 Sharon Hill Road (302-734-3535) is a larger memorial park. Delmarva Cemetery Management Inc lists the same address and phone number, which points to a management company working from the same office. In older downtown Dover, Lakeside M E Cemetery at 558 North State Street (302-734-2142) carries a name that stands for Methodist Episcopal.

Smyrna has three entries. Smyrna Glenwood Cemetery is at 20 West Mount Vernon Street (302-653-8415). Smyrna IOOF Cemetery and Smyrna Odd Fellows Cemetery both use 420 South Dupont Boulevard and 302-653-7784. The matching details suggest one set of grounds listed under two names. IOOF stands for Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal group that ran many American community cemeteries. Check which name appears on your deed.

Other Kent County sites include Harrington Hollywood Cemetery on the Milford Harrington Highway (302-398-8150) and Camden Wyoming Odd Fellows Cemetery at 35 Rising Sun Road in Highland Acres (302-697-7686). Barratts Chapel Cemetery at 6486 Bay Road in Frederica (302-335-5842) is tied to the historic chapel where Methodist leaders met in 1784, shortly before the Methodist Episcopal Church was formally organised. Many visitors there come for history or genealogy rather than a new burial. The Kent County page lists the full set.

Sussex County: Small-Town Burial Grounds and the Southern Veterans Cemetery

Sussex County is the largest of Delaware's counties by land area. It has six listings, spread thinly across farm towns and coastal communities. Drives are longer here, so phone ahead before heading to a cemetery office. Milford IOOF Cemetery and Milford Odd Fellows Cemetery share 300 South Rehoboth Boulevard and 302-422-4619. As in Smyrna, that looks like one site with two names.

Bridgeville Cemetery sits on Market Street in Bridgeville, but we have no phone number on file for it. A call to the town hall or a local funeral home is a sensible first step. Dagsboro Gate of Heaven Cemetery at 32112 Vines Creek Road (302-732-3690) serves the Dagsboro area. Henlopen Memorial Park Cemetery at 28787 Lockerman Road in Milton (302-645-6463) is a memorial park for the central part of the county.

In Millsboro, Veteran Memorials Cemetery at 26669 Patriots Way (302-934-5653) is the southern counterpart to the Bear veterans' cemetery. Eligible veterans in lower Delaware can use it instead of driving to northern New Castle County. Ask what proof of service is required and who else in the family qualifies. The Sussex County page shows every Sussex entry with its address.

Metro and Rural Cemeteries Compare Differently

Wilmington's cemeteries are often older, with historic sections where space is limited. Ask whether lots remain in the section you want and whether older family deeds are still valid. Rural cemeteries in Kent and Sussex may have more open ground but fewer staff, so scheduling can depend on one caretaker's availability. In both settings, confirm the burial date with the cemetery before the funeral home sets the service time.

Government cemeteries in Delaware include facilities administered by the VA's National Cemetery Administration, state veterans cemeteries funded through state and federal partnerships, and local municipal and county cemeteries operated by city and county governments throughout the state.

Cemetery locations are available in 15 cities across Delaware. They are spread across 3 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Wilmington, Smyrna, Dover, where established municipal cemeteries have served their communities for generations and maintain extensive historical burial records.

Veterans in Delaware may be eligible for burial in a state veterans cemetery at little or no cost. Contact the Delaware Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Services to confirm eligibility requirements and available state-operated facilities.

Cemetery by Counties

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Families and genealogists in Delaware can often request burial records from municipal cemetery offices or search online databases maintained by state archives and historical societies. Many Delaware counties have digitized older cemetery records that are available through county clerk or public library genealogy collections.

Browse Cemetery by county across Delaware to find the nearest location.

Planning Around Delaware's Distances, Records and Veterans Options

Delaware looks compact on a map, but the drive from Wilmington to Millsboro is well over an hour. If a family is split between New Castle and Sussex counties, pick a cemetery that works for the people who will visit most often. Funeral homes can usually coordinate with a cemetery, yet you should still speak to the cemetery office yourself about lot location, deed paperwork and marker rules.

Older records are a separate task. Church and lodge cemeteries sometimes keep their registers with the congregation or the lodge rather than at the grounds. The Delaware Public Archives in Dover is a good place to ask about historical records, and local genealogical groups can point you toward published cemetery surveys. If a cemetery lists no phone, as with Bridgeville Cemetery, begin with the town office or a nearby funeral home.

Veterans have a clear option in both ends of the state. Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear and Veteran Memorials Cemetery in Millsboro are the two sites in our listings. Contact either one before making other burial arrangements, because eligibility and scheduling are worth settling early.

No single state desk runs the private cemeteries. Funeral directors are licensed by the Board of Funeral Services within the Division of Professional Regulation. Death certificates go through the Office of Vital Statistics in the Division of Public Health. The cemetery's own contract, local zoning and its governing documents control lot sales, fees and marker rules. If a sales dispute cannot be settled with the cemetery, the consumer protection staff at the Delaware Department of Justice is the usual place to ask for help. Keep copies of every deed, receipt and written price quote, because those papers carry the most weight in any disagreement.

Our listings include two veterans' cemeteries. Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery is at 2465 Chesapeake City Road in Bear (302-834-8046). Veteran Memorials Cemetery is at 26669 Patriots Way in Millsboro (302-934-5653). Call the one nearer to the family and ask about eligibility, including whether a spouse qualifies. Have the veteran's DD-214 discharge paper on hand, since staff will typically want to see proof of service. Your funeral director can usually coordinate the date, but it helps to confirm availability with the cemetery office before any service is announced to relatives and friends.

Wilmington has 11 of our listings, and they serve different needs. Silverbrook Cemetery is on Lancaster Pike, and Lombardy Cemetery Company is on Gilpin Avenue. Wilmington Cathedral Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery on Lancaster Avenue, and MT Salem Cemetery is on Mount Salem Lane. Pauley Cemetery Memorials and James A Tartaglia - Sand Piper Cemetery Lettering Company are memorial and lettering businesses, not burial grounds. Call the cemetery first to secure a lot, then contact a monument firm about the marker. The New Castle County page shows each entry's address and phone.

Several entries look like one place filed under more than one name. Smyrna IOOF Cemetery and Smyrna Odd Fellows Cemetery share 420 South Dupont Boulevard. Milford IOOF Cemetery and Milford Odd Fellows Cemetery share 300 South Rehoboth Boulevard. Sharon Hills Memorial Park Cemetery and Delmarva Cemetery Management Inc share 2928 Sharon Hill Road in Dover, which suggests a management company running the park. Middletown Forest Cemetery and Townsend Cemetery use one phone number. When you call, ask which name appears on your deed so any paperwork matches the right grounds.

Start with the cemeteries in the town where the person lived or died, such as Lakeside M E Cemetery in Dover, Smyrna Glenwood Cemetery or Harrington Hollywood Cemetery. Call the office with the full name and an approximate year of death, since many keep burial registers. Barratts Chapel Cemetery in Frederica (302-335-5842) is worth a call for older Methodist families. Church and lodge records may sit with the congregation or lodge rather than the grounds. The Delaware Public Archives in Dover can help with older records. Browse the Kent County page to find each cemetery's contact details.

Ask for the full cost in writing, including the lot, the opening and closing fee, and any vault or liner the cemetery requires. Ask whether perpetual or endowment care is included and what it covers. Check the rules on marker size, material and placement, because they differ between cemeteries. Find out whether the lot can be transferred or resold, and what payment terms apply. Compare at least two cemeteries, even across county lines, since Wilmington, Dover and Sussex County grounds can price very differently. Do not sign until every figure and condition appears on paper.