Medina County Obituary Records

Medina County obituary and death records are kept by the health department, the probate court, and at the state level in Columbus. If you need to find an obituary or death record for someone from Medina County, the health department handles recent certified copies while the probate court stores older files from the 1800s. Online tools like the Ohio Death Record Index and the Medina County District Library genealogy collection let you search from home. The county sits between Cleveland and Akron in northeast Ohio, and its growing population means records from recent decades are fairly easy to track down through the local offices.

Medina County Health Department Death Records

The Medina County Health Department handles death certificates for deaths that took place in the county. Their office is at 4800 Ledgewood Drive in Medina. You can reach them at 330-723-9688, option 6. Certified copies of death records cost $26.00 each, which was recently raised from $25.00 due to the new state system. The health department has death records from 1954 to the present.

You can get copies in person during regular business hours. Bring a photo ID with you. For older death records between 1908 and 1953, the Ohio History Connection archives in Columbus hold the original certificates. Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705, local health departments serve as registrars for vital events in their area. That makes the Medina County Health Department the official source for recent death records and obituary-related vital records.

Note: The fee increased to $26.00 per certified copy as of the new state system rollout.

Medina County Probate Court Obituary Files

The Medina County Probate Court keeps death records from 1867 to 1908. These are the oldest official death records in the county. They are handwritten registers with names, dates, and basic facts about each death. The probate court also holds marriage records, wills, estate files, and guardianship records.

Estate papers from the probate court can be a useful source for obituary research in Medina County. They often list surviving family members, property details, and the cause or date of death. If you are tracing a family through the county, the probate court files stretch back to 1818 when Medina County was first established. These older records can fill gaps that the health department files cannot cover since the state registration system did not start until December 1908.

Medina County Library Obituary Resources

The Medina County District Library has one of the better genealogy collections for this part of Ohio. Their microfilm holdings include birth and death records from 1867 to 1909, plus marriage records from 1818 to 1965. Digital copies of many of these records are also available through FamilySearch, so you can view them from home with a free account.

The library's genealogy room is a solid starting point if you are looking for Medina County obituaries. Local newspaper archives on microfilm contain death notices and obituaries that go back many decades. The Medina County Historical Society at 3335 Myers Road in Medina also keeps vintage newspapers and magazines that sometimes have death notices not found elsewhere. Between the library and the historical society, you can piece together obituary details that the official records might not include.

Ohio Obituary and Death Record Search

The Ohio Department of Health in Columbus keeps death records from 1971 to the present. The state fee is $21.50 per record search as set by Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24. The Ohio Death Record Index lets you search for free online and covers 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970.

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont runs the Ohio Obituary Index with over 3.7 million entries from newspapers across the state. If a Medina County newspaper published an obituary, it is likely indexed there. FamilySearch also has Medina County vital records available for free viewing online, which can help you find death records and obituary details without making a trip to any office.

Medina County Obituary Record Sources

The Medina County District Library genealogy page provides access to birth, death, and marriage records for researchers looking into Medina County obituaries.

The library's genealogy collection includes microfilm of vital records from 1867 to 1909 and can point you to other Medina County research tools.

The Medina County Health Department website has details on ordering death certificates and other vital records from the county.

Use this site to check current fees and office hours before you visit for a Medina County death record request.

Getting Medina County Obituary Records

Where you look for a Medina County death record depends on when the person died. For deaths from 1954 to now, the county health department has certified copies. Deaths from 1908 to 1953 are at the Ohio History Connection. Anything before 1908 sits in the probate court. Newspaper obituaries can be found at the library or through the Ohio Obituary Index.

Social Security numbers are blacked out on death certificates for five years after death unless you can show a close family tie. Death records more than 50 years old can be transferred to the Ohio History Connection for archival storage under Ohio law. Section 3705.29 of the Ohio Revised Code covers penalties for making false statements on vital record forms. Be honest when filling out any request paperwork for Medina County obituary or death records.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Medina County. If the person you are looking for lived near a county line, check the neighboring county records as well.