Ashland County Obituary Lookup

Ashland County obituary and death records are maintained by the health department, probate court, and local genealogy groups in the city of Ashland. If you are trying to find a death certificate or locate an old obituary from a local newspaper, there are several places to check. The Ashland County Health Department handles recent death records while the probate court keeps files going back to 1867. A strong local chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society adds another layer of resources, including obituary abstracts from early 1900s newspapers. State-level databases round out the picture for anyone doing family research in this part of north-central Ohio.

Ashland County Health Department Obituary Records

The Ashland County Health Department is the first stop for death certificates. Their office is at 1211 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, OH 44805. Call 419-282-4231 or fax 419-282-4360. Email: hdrotleff@ashlandhealth.com. They are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Certified copies cost $25.00 each. You can pay with cash, checks, money orders, or credit and debit cards. The department keeps death certificates for Ashland County deaths from 1908 forward. They also issue birth certificates for any Ohio county thanks to the statewide issuance system. You can get records in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. Mail requests take a bit longer, but in-person visits are usually quick. Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705, the health department serves as the local registrar and must provide certified copies to eligible applicants.

For records before 1908, the health department will direct you to the probate court.

Ashland County Probate Court Records

The Ashland County Probate Court sits in the county courthouse at 142 W. 2nd Street, Ashland, OH 44805. Phone: (419) 282-4325. Email: acjuvenileprobate.records@zoominternet.net. The court holds vital records that predate the state system. Birth and death registers from 1867 to 1908 are here. Marriage records go back to 1846. Wills, estate files, and guardianship records also start in 1846.

The court offers an online record search for probate cases from 1996 to the present. For older cases, a pre-computer index covering 1917 to 1996 is available as a PDF on their site. These tools save you a trip to the courthouse for initial research. Estate records at the probate court often contain death dates, names of heirs, and details about the deceased person's property. Wills are especially valuable for genealogy because they name family members and sometimes describe relationships in detail. Ashland County's probate records stretch back to the mid-1800s, making them a rich resource for anyone tracing roots in this area.

Ashland County Obituary Genealogy Resources

The Ashland County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society meets at the Ashland Public Library on Claremont Avenue. This group maintains several important research collections. Their obituary abstracts from the Ashland Times and Gazette cover 1904 to 1917. They also have the Loudonville Newspaper Death Index spanning 1903 to 1986. Cemetery transcripts for multiple Ashland County cemeteries are on file. Church histories, an 1880 biographical history, and will abstracts (Book I, 1846 to 1857) round out their holdings. All of these resources can help fill in blanks left by official death records.

The Ashland Public Library at 224 Claremont Avenue has a genealogy room. Phone: 419-289-8188. They keep county newspapers on microfilm from 1852 to the present. Census records and OGS chapter files are also on hand. If you need an obituary from an Ashland County newspaper, the library's microfilm collection is one of the best places to look. Staff can help you figure out which paper to check based on the time period and community.

FamilySearch has digitized Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953. Ashland County records are part of that collection. You can search and view images for free with a FamilySearch account. County-level death records from 1840 to 2001 are also indexed there.

Ashland County Clerk of Courts

The Ashland County Clerk of Courts is at 142 W 2nd St #11, Ashland, OH 44805. Phone: 419-282-4242. The clerk maintains divorce records from 1846 to the present, naturalization records, and criminal case files. Divorce records sometimes contain death information when one spouse has passed away or when the filing references a prior marriage that ended due to death. Naturalization records can also help with genealogy by showing where immigrants came from and when they arrived in Ashland County.

Ohio Death Record Search for Ashland County

The Ohio Death Record Index lets you search for free. It covers 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970 and includes Ashland County deaths from those years. The Ohio History Connection archives in Columbus hold the actual certificates from 1908 to 1970. The Ohio Department of Health keeps records from 1971 onward. State copies cost $21.50 per Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24.

The Ohio Obituary Index at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont has over 3.7 million obituary entries from Ohio newspapers. The index is searchable online for free. If an Ashland County newspaper published an obituary, you may find it here. The library is at Spiegel Grove, Fremont, OH 43420. Phone: 419-332-2081. Once you find an entry, the library or its partner can provide a copy of the actual obituary.

Note: Ohio law under Section 3705.29 makes it illegal to make false statements on vital record applications or use certificates for fraud.

Ashland County Obituary Record Sources

The Ashland County Health Department vital records page shows how to order death certificates from the county.

This site covers the fees, accepted payment methods, and application steps for requesting a death record in Ashland County.

The Ashland County Probate Court site offers case search tools and information about historical records.

You can search probate cases online or download the pre-computer index to look up older estate and death records.

The Ashland County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society lists their obituary abstracts and other research collections.

Their holdings include cemetery transcripts, newspaper death indexes, and historical biographical records for Ashland County.

Getting Copies of Ashland County Death Records

Where you go depends on the year of death. For 1971 to now, use the Ashland County Health Department or order from the Ohio Department of Health online. Deaths from 1908 to 1970 are at the Ohio History Connection. The probate court handles 1867 to 1908. For newspaper obituaries, start with the OGS chapter's abstracts or the Ohio Obituary Index. The library's microfilm goes back to 1852, so you might find death notices that predate formal death certificates entirely.

Section 3705.231 of the Ohio Revised Code allows researchers to photograph or copy vital records during in-person visits to local registrars. This is useful if you want to capture your own digital copy of an old death record for personal research. Social Security numbers on death certificates are blacked out for the first five years after death unless you can show you are close family. Records older than 50 years may be moved to the Ohio History Connection under state archival rules.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Ashland County. People in border areas may have had deaths recorded in a neighboring county depending on where the death took place.