Portage County Obituary Database
Portage County obituary records span over 150 years and are held by multiple offices in the Ravenna and Kent area. Whether you need a recent death certificate or an old obituary clipping from a Portage County newspaper, there are several places to look. The county sits in northeast Ohio and includes Kent, home to Kent State University. Death certificates from 1909 forward are at the Kent City Health Department, while earlier records live at the Probate Court. The Portage County Historical Society and local libraries hold additional obituary resources that genealogy researchers find useful.
Portage County Overview
Portage County Death Certificate Records
The Kent City Health Department handles vital statistics for Portage County, including death certificates. Their office is in the Kent Central Gateway building at 201 East Erie Street, 2nd Floor, Kent, OH 44240. Call (330) 678-8109 for the vital statistics division. Fax is (330) 678-2082. They have birth certificates from 1908 to the present and death certificates from 1909 to the present.
For birth and death records from 1867 to 1908, you need to contact the Portage County Probate Court. That court also holds marriage records and probate files including estates, guardianships, and adoptions. The Probate Court has an online database through CourtView that lets you search some records from home. This can save you a trip to the courthouse in Ravenna if you just need to verify basic information about a Portage County death or estate filing.
The standard fee for a certified death certificate in Ohio is $25. Portage County follows this rate. You can request copies in person at the Kent office or by mail. Include the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and your payment with any mail request.
| Office | Kent City Health Department - Vital Statistics |
|---|---|
| Address |
Kent Central Gateway 201 East Erie Street, 2nd Floor Kent, OH 44240 |
| Phone | (330) 678-8109 |
| Fax | (330) 678-2082 |
The Portage County government website links to county departments including vital records offices and the Probate Court.
Use the site to find addresses, phone numbers, and links to online court records.
How to Find Portage County Obituaries
Finding obituaries in Portage County takes a slightly different path depending on what you are looking for. For an official death certificate, go through the Kent City Health Department or the Probate Court. For published obituary notices that appeared in newspapers, your best bet is the library or online databases.
The Record-Courier and other Portage County newspapers have run obituaries for decades. Back issues are available on microfilm at local libraries. The Portage County Historical Society also has collections that include cemetery records and other burial-related documents. Their published volumes on Portage County cemeteries are useful for finding grave locations and confirming death dates.
Online, the Ohio History Connection death certificate index is free to search. It covers Ohio deaths from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1963. The Ohio History Connection archives hold original death certificates from 1908 through 1970. For more recent records, the Ohio Department of Health is your state-level source. FamilySearch has digitized records from many Ohio counties including some Portage County materials.
Ohio Law and Portage County Death Records
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3705 sets the framework for vital records registration in the state. Every death in Portage County must be recorded on a death certificate and filed with the local registrar. The funeral home or crematory completes the form. The local registrar processes it and sends a copy to the Ohio Department of Health. This system started in December 1908 and replaced the older county-by-county method.
Death certificates in Ohio are public records. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, anyone can request a copy regardless of their relationship to the person who died. This makes Portage County obituary and death record research open to the public. Genealogists, attorneys, and curious family members all have the same right to access these records.
Portage County Obituary Research Tips
Portage County has good resources for genealogy research. The Probate Court's CourtView online database lets you search case records from home. The Kent City Health Department has death certificates going back to 1909. The Portage County Historical Society has published several volumes on local cemeteries that include headstone transcriptions and burial dates. All of these sources help when you are trying to piece together a family history.
When searching for a Portage County obituary, think about where the person lived. Someone in Kent might have had their obituary in the Record-Courier. Someone in Ravenna might have been in the Ravenna Evening Record or another local paper. If the family had ties to Kent State University, the university archives might have something too. Casting a wide net across multiple sources gives you the best chance of finding what you need.
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont has the Ohio Obituary Index with millions of newspaper obituary entries. Cemetery records on FindAGrave cover many Portage County burial sites. FamilySearch has some digitized county records as well.
Note: The Portage County Probate Court's CourtView database is a good first step for online searches, but it may not include all older records.
Cities in Portage County
Portage County includes several cities and townships. All death certificates for the county are handled through the Kent City Health Department or the Probate Court in Ravenna.
Other communities in Portage County include Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Aurora, and Mogadore. All obituary and death records for these areas go through the same county offices.
Nearby Counties
Portage County borders several northeast Ohio counties. If you are looking for an obituary from a nearby area, check these neighboring counties.