Search Canton Obituary Records

Canton obituary records are held at several offices in Stark County and through statewide databases. The Canton City Health Department keeps death certificates for deaths within the city, and the Stark County District Library has obituary indexes from the Canton Repository going back many years. Whether you need a certified death certificate for legal purposes or want to look up an old obituary for family research, Canton has solid local resources. State tools like the Ohio Death Record Index and the Ohio Obituary Index add even more depth to what you can find from home or at the library.

Stark County Obituary Records

Canton is the county seat of Stark County. That means most county offices are right here in town. The Stark County Health Department at 3951 Convenience Circle N.W. handles birth and death certificates for the parts of the county outside Canton, Massillon, and Alliance. For deaths inside Canton city limits, you go to the Canton City Health Department instead. Since 2023, statewide death certificate issuance has been available, which means some offices can now pull records from across Ohio.

The Stark County Probate Court keeps older records too. Marriage licenses, estate files, and historical birth and death records from 1867 to 1908 are there. These older death records were kept as line entries in ledger books before Ohio started its statewide system under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705. If you are looking for a Canton ancestor who died before 1908, the probate court is where to look.

For more on Stark County death records and obituary tools, see the full county page.

View Stark County Obituary Records

Canton Health Department Death Records

The Canton City Health Department runs a Vital Statistics Division at 420 Market Ave North. They have birth and death records for Canton going back to 1908. You can order certificates in person, by mail, or online. The fee is $25 per certified copy.

The online ordering system at the Canton Health Department lets you fill out the form and pay from home. This is handy if you know the full name and date of death. Under Ohio law, Section 3705.23 of the Revised Code allows the local registrar to issue certified copies to anyone who can verify their identity and state their reason for the request. You do not have to be a family member to get a death certificate in Ohio, though some details like the Social Security number may be redacted for privacy.

Note: For deaths outside Canton but still in Stark County, contact the Stark County Health Department at 330-493-9904.

Canton Library Obituary Indexes

The Stark County District Library at 715 Market Ave North in Canton is the best local spot for obituary research. They keep Canton Repository obituary indexes covering multiple years, available as PDF files you can browse. The library also has Stark County birth and death records from 1867 to 1908 on microfilm, plus Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953.

These microfilm records are the same ones held at the Ohio History Connection in Columbus, but having them at the local library means you can do your research right here in Canton. The library offers Ancestry Library Edition for in-library use, which includes many Ohio vital records collections. Staff in the local history section can help point you in the right direction if you are just getting started with your search.

The Ohio Obituary Index is another free tool you can use from the library or from home. Run by the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, it has over 3.7 million obituary entries from Ohio newspapers dating to the 1810s. Stark County records are included in the index. You search by name, and the results tell you which paper and library holds the original obituary.

Searching Canton Obituaries Online

The Ohio Death Record Index is a free tool from the Ohio History Connection. It covers death records from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. You need a name and year of death to search. The index gives you a certificate number so you can order a copy. Records from 1908 to 1953 can also be viewed for free on FamilySearch, which has digital images of the original certificates.

For Canton obituaries from more recent years, the Canton Repository publishes current obituaries on its website. The Stark County District Library also keeps indexed files of Repository obituaries from past years. These are useful when the death happened too recently for the state archives but too far back for the paper's current online listings.

The Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is the source for death records from 1971 onward. Certified copies cost $21.50 and can be ordered online. The fee applies per search under Section 3705.24 of the Revised Code, even if no record turns up. Death records less than 50 years old may have some access limits, and records older than 50 years can be transferred to the Ohio History Connection for archival storage.

How to Get Canton Death Record Copies

Where you go for a Canton death record depends on when the person died. Ohio's record system changed over the years, so different offices hold different time periods.

For deaths between 1867 and 1908, the Stark County Probate Court holds the original ledger entries. These are not certificates but handwritten records in bound books. The probate court can make copies for a small fee. For deaths from 1908 to 1970, the Ohio History Connection in Columbus has the state death certificates. You can search their index online and order copies through their website. The Ohio History Connection archives page walks you through the process.

Deaths from 1971 on are at the Ohio Department of Health. You can also get recent death certificates from the Canton City Health Department if the death happened in Canton. Both offices issue certified copies that work for legal and insurance purposes. For genealogy, uncertified copies from the Ohio History Connection or FamilySearch images work fine.

Note: The Ohio History Connection cannot certify copies for legal use; they stamp records to show they came from the state archives collection.

Canton Obituary Search Tools

The Canton City Health Department has an online portal for ordering birth and death certificates. You can start a certificate request from their vital statistics page.

The ordering form walks you through what you need, and certificates are mailed to you once the request is processed.

The City of Canton official website connects residents to all city services including health department contacts and public records information.

From the city site you can find links to the health department, local government offices, and other Canton resources for vital records.

Nearby Ohio Cities

Several cities near Canton also have obituary records and resources worth checking if the person you are searching for had ties to these areas.

Akron • Youngstown • Mansfield • Warren • Cuyahoga Falls • Newark