Search Allen County Obituary Records

Allen County obituary records can be found through the health department in Lima, the probate court, and several state archives. Death certificates for recent years are available at the Allen County Health Department, while older records sit with the probate court and the Ohio History Connection. The county seat of Lima serves as the hub for all vital record requests. Whether you are looking for a recent death certificate or tracing a family line back through the 1800s, Allen County has multiple paths to the records you need. Online databases from FamilySearch, the Ohio Death Record Index, and the Ohio Obituary Index give you free ways to search from anywhere.

Allen County Health Department Death Records

The Allen County Health Department is the main place to get death certificates in this part of Ohio. Their office is at 219 E. Market St. in Lima. Call 419-228-4457 and press 3 for Vital Statistics. Walk-in hours run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on weekdays.

A certified copy costs $27.00. You can pay with cash, money order, cashier's check, or a debit or credit card. Card payments have a small $2.50 processing fee. The department issues death certificates for deaths in Allen County going back to December 1908. They can also pull death records for deaths anywhere in Ohio from 1971 to the present, which saves you the trouble of contacting the state office. If you need the record by mail, fill out the Vital Record Application and send it to P.O. Box 1503, Lima, OH 45802-1503. VitalChek online ordering is another option, though it adds a processing fee on top of the base cost.

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705 gives local health departments the authority to act as registrars and issue certified vital records. Section 3705.23 spells out the rules for how copies are provided.

Allen County Probate Court Obituary Resources

The Allen County Probate Court is at 1000 Wardhill Ave in Lima. Phone: 419-227-5531. Email: probate@allencountyohio.com. The clerk's office is open 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. This court holds birth and death registers from 1867 through 1908. These are the oldest vital records you will find in Allen County.

Beyond the old death registers, the probate court manages wills, estate files, guardianship records, and marriage licenses. Estate records often mention death dates and list surviving relatives. A will might name children, a spouse, and sometimes even grandchildren. Guardianship records can show when a parent died, leaving minor children. All of these records add context to obituary research and help build a fuller picture of a family. Allen County was founded in 1820, so the earliest probate records go back over 200 years.

Note: The clerk's office closes for lunch from noon to 1:00 PM, so plan your visit around that break.

Allen County Clerk of Courts Records

The Allen County Clerk of Courts is at 301 North Main Street, Suite 209, Lima. Phone: (419) 223-8513. Email: recordsrequest@allencountyohio.com. The clerk keeps divorce records and civil and criminal court files. Certified copies cost $1 per page, and email delivery costs $2 extra. Court records can help with obituary research in indirect ways. Wrongful death cases, for instance, contain details about how someone died and who their survivors are.

Allen County Obituary Genealogy Sources

The Allen County Genealogical Society (ACGSI) keeps marriage record indexes, cemetery records, and local genealogy files. They are a good starting point for anyone researching Allen County families. Cemetery transcriptions are especially helpful. Grave markers record birth and death dates that may not appear in any other source. Some also show military service, lodge memberships, or family relationships carved into the stone.

The Lima Public Library has a local history and genealogy section. They hold newspapers, city directories, and local records. Old Lima newspapers published obituaries with a lot of detail. Names of pallbearers, church affiliations, the funeral home, and a list of survivors usually appeared in these notices. The library can help you find the right newspaper roll on microfilm. FamilySearch has digitized many Allen County records, including death certificates from 1908 to 1953. You can view these images for free with a FamilySearch account.

The Ohio Death Record Index is another free tool. It covers 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. The Ohio Obituary Index at the Hayes Presidential Library indexes over 3.7 million newspaper obituaries across the state.

Allen County Death Record Sources Online

The Allen County Health Department vital statistics page explains how to order death certificates and what you need to bring.

This site covers fees, hours, and the application process for certified death record copies in Allen County.

The Allen County Probate Court website has details about historical records and estate case searches.

From here you can learn about the court's holdings, including death registers from the 1867 to 1908 period.

The Allen County Clerk of Courts portal provides access to civil case records that may support obituary research.

Use this site to look up court filings and request copies of documents on file with the clerk.

The Allen County Genealogical Society website lists their research holdings and upcoming events.

The society offers cemetery records, marriage indexes, and other genealogy tools for Allen County researchers.

How to Get Allen County Obituary Copies

Your approach depends on the time period. For deaths from 1971 to now, the Allen County Health Department or the Ohio Department of Health can help. State copies cost $21.50 per the fee set in Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24. The health department charges $27.00. For deaths from 1908 through 1970, contact the Ohio History Connection at 800 East 17th Avenue, Columbus. Their archives hold the original certificates from that era. Deaths before 1908 are in the probate court registers.

For newspaper obituaries, the Ohio Obituary Index is the broadest resource. You can also check GenealogyBank, Newspapers.com, or the local library's microfilm collection. Some Allen County funeral homes keep their own records too, and they may share information with family members upon request. Under Section 3705.231, local registrars must allow people to photograph or copy birth and death records during in-person visits, which is useful for genealogy researchers who want their own digital copies.

Cities in Allen County

Lima is the county seat and largest city. All death records for Allen County residents are filed through the local health department or probate court.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Allen County. If the person you are researching lived near a county line, their death may have been recorded in a neighboring county.