<<<<Maybe it all depends of who opens your mail!>>>> I think so too. The very first time, I called, and they told me that they wouldn't issue a death certificate if it was for genealogy purposes. They also said they didn't have them before or after a certain date, like 1940. I went to the library in town and they had a large book that gave information on finding records and they had forms to copy from each state. Well, when I looked at the one for NJ, it had the option of using it for genealogy purposes and quite a few other options. I've sent off for quite a few certificates, some which they say they never found or were not in their records. Some I got quickly, others took quite a long time, but not as long as NY. On some, they sent my money back ( the ones I gave the option of two last names), saying that I could only do one last name, or pay for two searches. Needless to say, I spent more money on one ancestor, and they still haven't found her yet! Also, if the dead ancestor was not reported, there won't be a death certificate on her/him :( Susan Seifert mal316@ix.netcom.com