Morrow County Obituary Search
Morrow County obituary records are available through the health district in Mount Gilead, the Probate and Juvenile Court, and state-level databases. Mount Gilead is the county seat and the center for most county records. If you need a death certificate, an old obituary from a local paper, or a record from the probate files, this page will show you where to look. The Morrow County Genealogical Society has also done a lot of work preserving local death records. Between the county offices, state archives, and free genealogy sites, you have several options for searching Morrow County obituary records.
Morrow County Overview
Morrow County Health District
The Morrow County Health District in Mount Gilead handles death certificates from 1908 to the present. They also issue birth certificates for Ohio births after 1908. Deaths in the Galion City area are excluded from this office, as Galion has its own health department. The fee is $26.00 per certified copy. You can get records in person, by mail, or through VitalChek online ordering.
Walk-in requests are handled during regular business hours. Mail orders need a completed application and payment. VitalChek is an authorized third-party service that lets you order online with a credit card, though they charge a processing fee on top of the base certificate cost. If you are not sure whether a death occurred in Morrow County or in Galion specifically, call the health district first. They can check their records and tell you where to go if the record is not in their files.
| Office | Morrow County Health District |
|---|---|
| Address | 619 West Marion Street, Mount Gilead, OH 43338 |
| Phone | (419) 947-1545 |
| Fee | $26.00 per certified copy |
Note: Deaths in the Galion City limits are registered with the Galion City Health Department, not the Morrow County Health District.
Morrow County Obituary Resources
The Morrow County government website provides links to county offices and services. The image below shows the Morrow County government portal, where you can find contact information for the health district, Probate Court, and other offices that handle vital records.
From this site you can reach the Probate Court and other county departments that may have the records you need. Morrow County is a smaller county, so the staff at these offices are often able to give personal attention to records requests.
Morrow County Probate Court Obituary Records
The Morrow County Probate and Juvenile Court at 48 East High Street in Mount Gilead holds death records from 1856 to 1857 and from 1867 to 1909. There is a gap in the records between 1857 and 1867, which is common in Ohio counties during that period. Marriage records and probate files are also on file at the court. Call (419) 946-1538 to ask about their holdings or to schedule a visit.
FamilySearch has digitized some of these early Morrow County records. Their collection includes death records from 1856 to 1857 and 1867 to 1909, coroner's records from 1856 to 1964, and a combined return of births, deaths, and marriages from 1856 to 1859. These free online records can save you a trip to the courthouse. If you need a certified copy for legal purposes, though, you still have to go through the Probate Court or the health district, depending on the date of death.
Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705, statewide death registration started in December 1908. Before that, county probate courts were the only official record keepers. The early Morrow County death records are handwritten entries in ledger books. The amount of detail varies from one entry to the next. Some list only a name, date, and cause of death. Others include the age, birthplace, and names of parents.
Morrow County Obituary and Genealogy Sources
The Morrow County Genealogical Society has a research annex at 35 East High Street in Mount Gilead. They keep local family histories, cemetery records, and compiled genealogical files. The society can be reached by phone at (419) 947-5866 or by email at morrowco.gen.society@gmail.com. If you are looking for an obituary from a Morrow County newspaper, the society volunteers may be able to help you find it.
The Mt. Gilead Public Library at 41 East High Street also has local history and genealogy resources. They share a phone number with the genealogical society. Their holdings include microfilm, county histories, and indexes that cover Morrow County families. The Ohio Obituary Index at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library is another free tool. It indexes over 3.7 million obituary entries from Ohio newspapers and may include Morrow County records from partner libraries in the area.
Ohio State Obituary Records for Morrow County
The Ohio Death Record Index at the Ohio History Connection is free to search and covers death certificates from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970 for all Ohio counties. Morrow County records are included. FamilySearch has free images of Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953, plus county-level death records going back to 1840. Both of these tools let you search from home.
The Ohio Department of Health handles death records from 1971 forward. Certified copies cost $21.50 each under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.24. You can order online, by mail, or in person at 4200 Surface Road in Columbus. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3705.23, anyone can request a certified copy of a death record. You do not have to be a family member. Social Security numbers are redacted on death records for the first five years after the date of death.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Morrow County. If you cannot find a death record or obituary in Morrow County, the person may have died or been buried in a neighboring county.