Highland County Obituary Lookup

Highland County obituary records are available through the health department in Hillsboro, the county probate court, and online state databases. If you need to look up a death record or find an obituary from a Highland County newspaper, you have several options. The health department keeps official death certificates from 1909 to the present. The probate court has older records going back to the 1860s. Statewide indexes cover newspaper obituaries from across Ohio, including Highland County papers. Between these sources, you can track down most obituary and death records for the county.

Highland County Health Department

The Highland County Health Department is at 1487 North High Street, Suite 400, Hillsboro, OH 45133. Phone is 937-393-1941 and fax is 937-393-4694. They have birth and death certificates from 1909 to the present day. A certified copy costs $25.00. You can order copies online through VitalChek, by mail, by phone, or in person at the office.

The department also offers genealogy research hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12 pm to 3 pm. During these times, staff can help you search through older death records and point you to the right files. This is a good option if you are looking for Highland County obituary data and want some help navigating the records. Bring the name and approximate date of death for the person you are researching.

Obituary Records at Highland County Probate Court

The Highland County Probate Court in Hillsboro has some of the earliest vital records in the county. Birth records go up to 1905. Death records span from 1867 to 1909. Marriage records start in 1805 and run to the present. Probate records also date to 1809. For anyone looking for a Highland County death record from the 1800s, the probate court is the place to go.

These early death records were logged in ledger books by the probate court before Ohio started statewide registration. The entries typically include the name, death date, and sometimes the cause of death. They are not as detailed as modern death certificates, but they are often the only official record available for that time period. Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705, the state validated all prior records made under earlier laws, so these ledger entries carry legal weight.

Search Highland County Obituaries Online

The Ohio Obituary Index covers Highland County. The Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont maintains this statewide index with over 3.7 million entries from Ohio newspapers. Highland County has specific coverage noted in the index, making it one of the better-represented counties. Search by name and filter by date to find obituary citations from local Highland County papers.

The Ohio Death Record Index covers state death certificates from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970. It is free to search. You need the deceased's name and year of death plus one more detail like the county or exact date. The Ohio History Connection Archives holds the original certificates from December 20, 1908 through 1970. FamilySearch has digitized many of these as well.

The Highland County OHGenWeb project provides additional resources including a death records index and marriage records. Volunteers have compiled these indexes to help researchers find Highland County records that may not appear in the larger statewide databases. The OHGenWeb pages are free to use and can point you to specific records at the county level.

For records from 1971 onward, the Ohio Department of Health handles certified death certificates at $21.50 per copy under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24.

Highland County Government Resources

The Highland County government website at highlandcounty.org provides information on local offices and departments.

You can find office hours, contact numbers, and service details on the site. Check before you visit Hillsboro to make sure the office you need is open.

Ohio Law and Highland County Records

Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.23, local registrars must provide certified copies of death records to anyone with valid ID and the right fee. Section 3705.231 lets people photograph or copy vital records during an in-person visit, which is helpful for genealogists doing research at the Highland County Health Department. Social Security numbers on death certificates are blacked out for the first five years after death unless the requester is close family.

Death records older than 50 years may be transferred to the Ohio History Connection for archival preservation under Ohio Administrative Code Section 3701-5-11. Section 3705.28 of the Ohio Revised Code validates all prior records, meaning the old ledger entries at the Highland County Probate Court are legally recognized even though they predate the modern registration system.

Note: Highland County's $25.00 fee is set locally and may change, so call the health department to confirm before ordering.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Highland County. If the death you are researching happened near a county line, check the neighboring county as well.