Ohio Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

Ohio Statewide Death Certificates -- This wiki article describes a collection that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search-Pilot Site. To access the collection, see Ohio Statewide Death Certificates.



Collection Time Period
Ohio has recorded deaths from December 20, 1908, to the present.

Collection History
Morticians or medical professionals filed death certificates with county probate clerks or health departments. The information was then forwarded to the Ohio Department of Health. State registration began in Ohio on December 20, 1908.

Beginning in 1908, Ohio law required statewide registration of all deaths. The state-level records cover more than 90 percent of those who died in Ohio after 1917.

Why This Collection Was Created
Deaths were recorded to better serve public health needs. They were also used in connection with the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

Collection Reliability
The information recorded about the death is usually reliable, including the cause of death, the name of the attending physician or medical professional, the name and address of the funeral home, and the date and place of burial. The accuracy of other information depends on the reliability of the informant, often a family member.

Collection Description
The certificates are arranged sequentially by number. Before being arranged numerically, they were arranged by year and month and then by county within each month and by registration district for heavily populated counties. The records are not always in strict date order for a district or county.

Collection Content
Death entries include the following genealogical information:


 * Death and burial dates
 * Birth date (frequently included)
 * City, county, and state of death
 * Name and location of the cemetery
 * Country or state and sometimes town and county of birth for the deceased (frequently included)
 * Country or state and sometimes town and county of birth for the parents (frequently included)
 * Name of the deceased, spouse’s married name, and parents’ names (frequently includes maiden surname of the mother)
 * Informant (often a son or daughter or other family member)
 * Age (frequently listed in years, months, and days)
 * Sex
 * Residence or address (frequently included how long at that residence or length of time in the United States if foreign born)
 * Marital status (single, married, widowed, or divorced at the time of death)
 * Occupation

How To Use The Collection
Death certificates are the best source of death information. The certificates usually contain clues for further research, including the birth date and birthplace of the individual, the spouse’s name, the parents’ names, the residence, and the name of an informant (this may be a son or daughter of the deceased).

Related Articles
Ohio Vital Records