Ohio, Stark County Coroner's Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Ohio Stark County

What is in the Collection?
The collection covers the years 1890 to 2002.

The collection consists of images of Coroner's Inquest books, reports, and case files from the courthouse in Canton, Ohio. This collection is being published as images become available.

As soon as the county coroner’s office was established they began keeping records. The following types of deaths were reported to the county coroner:


 * Accidental deaths
 * Homicidal deaths
 * Occupational deaths
 * Sudden deaths (deaths of infants and young children, or deaths of individuals in any jail, confinement, or custody
 * Suicidal deaths
 * Therapeutic deaths (deaths which occurred during a medical procedure such as surgery)
 * Any death where there is a doubt, question, or suspicion
 * Deaths under any other special circumstances

The records were created as a permanent record of the details surrounding deaths within the county. The records also enabled government officials to better care for the public’s health needs and protection.

Collection Content
The records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Unusual details surrounding the death
 * Date examination was made
 * Sometimes, name of mortuary is given

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The name of the person at the time of death
 * Other identifying information such as the death date and place

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume" category which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. The following suggestions may be helpful to you:


 * Use the death date or age to calculate an approximate birth year.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence to find the family in census records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

What If I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image citation: