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ARCHIVES/
LIBRARY
DEATH
CERTIFICATE
INDEX
STATE
ARCHIVES
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The Ohio Online Death Certificate Index
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The Ohio Historical Society hosts this online index of death records to improve access to this popular and useful resource for genealogical and family history research. Currently, this database indexes death certificates from 1913 to 1944.
More precise searching is now available using the Advanced Search that allows searching by certificate number, volume number and exact date of death.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Use the Advanced Search to further limit your search by specific fields. You may search one or all of the fields listed. Please note that the default for County Name is ALL COUNTIES. Multiple counties can be selected by holding the CONTROL key down while clicking on particular counties. The default Year Span can be bypassed by inserting a single year.
- • What is the source of this data?
1913-1935 Indexes:
In the 1970s, the Ohio Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics constructed computer indices of Death Certificates by inputting a few basic fields of data. These fields are last name (up to 11 characters), first name (up to 7 characters), optional middle initial, county of death, date of death (mm/dd/yyyy), death certificate volume and death certificate number). Those computer indices, limited by the technology of that time, are no longer with us, but OHS holds carbon copies of the printouts (some on paper, some on microforms). The OVIL project scanned the hardcopy, and then processed those image files with an OCR program. The OCR program output text files which we then verified by comparing the scanned images against the OCR output.
1936-1944 Indexes:
This index was created by volunteers participating in the Family Records Extraction Program (FREP) of the Family and Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Volunteers viewed death certificates and data entered all names contained on each document. Audit procedures were used to assure accuracy.
- • Where do I find death certificates?
The Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library has copies of original death certificates on microfilm for the period December 20, 1908 through 1944. They can be viewed in the Microfilm Reading Room or ordered through the mail. Certificates from 1945-1953 are currently being microfilmed. Deaths since 1953 are filed with the Ohio Department of Health and the county of death.
- • What information is on a death certificate?
Death certificates contain two types of information: information about the person and information about the death. Information about the person may include: first name, last name, middle name, age, sex, race, date of birth, place of birth (state or country), marital status (including number of children), spouse’s name, occupation, father’s name and birth place, mother’s name and birth place, and signature and address of person providing information about the deceased.
Information about the death may include: date of death, primary cause of death, contributing cause of death, duration of the primary and contributing causes of death, signature and address of the physician, former residence if death occurred away from home, place of death, place of burial, date of burial, signature and address of undertaker, date when the certificate was filed, and signature of the local registrar.
Not all of this information will be on every death certificate. The forms were not always complete. Earlier death records frequently used abbreviations and medical terms that are now outdated for illnesses. View the RootsWeb site to find modern equivalents for older medical terms. Further information can also be obtained through the staff at the Reference Desk.
- • Why are some names truncated?
The original Vital Statistics database truncated or shortened last names to 11 characters and first names to 7 characters. Since we don't know for certain how each name ends, we are unable to add the extra characters "back on" without going to the microfilm of the actual death certificates, looking up the chosen death certificate, then keying in the information from there for each name. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to add that extra, time-intensive step.
- • Why can’t I find a certificate that I know should be there?
Creating a death certificate and creating a database index are not exact sciences. When the information for a certificate is first compiled, there is room for error. People who give information about deaths are often family members in a time of stress. They may give out erroneous information about the deceased. The people recording the information can make mistakes too. For example, it is not unusual to find misspellings in older records of all types. In addition, the data entry process for the index allowed some room for error in typing and re-typing information.
While both the Department of Health and the Ohio Historical Society are both greatly concerned with the quality of this index, not all these errors can be corrected. Information in original records, even when erroneous, cannot be changed. To help make your searches successful, you should be aware of the possibilities of misspellings and different spellings. Consider all the possible variations in a name when doing a search (e.g., Johnson, Johnsen or Jonson). In the last resort, remember that the complete record is not available through the index; you may need to order copies of a number of certificates in order to get more information and narrow down your search.
Although it is difficult to generalize about entries in the index, many 1928-1935 deaths are missing from the online index. If a researcher knows of a specific death at a specific place but is unable to find an index entry, you can still order a copy of that certificate. Simply complete the request form giving all the required information and we will use the original indexes to locate the certificate.
- • How can I get copies of death certificates?
You may use this index to obtain information about any certificate copies that you wish to order.
Library staff will make uncertified copies and mail them to you for $6.00 (plus tax for OH residents) per record. This service does not include verification of additional information not appearing in the index.
As an alternative, you may use microfilm containing the death certificates free in the Ohio Historical Society Library in Columbus and make uncertified copies on any one of the library’s reader-printer machines for a nominal cost, currently 25 cents per page.
- • What will the Online index tell me?
The index should provide the first, middle, and last name of the individual, date of death, county of death and the certificate number. Index entries from 1908 to 1944 will not include date of birth, place of birth and mother’s maiden name. However, that information may appear on the certificate. The two most crucial pieces of information are the year of death and the certificate number because they will determine the location of the record on microfilm.
- • How do I use the Online index?
This Online index allows for specific or general searches for three basic types of data: name, date of death, and county of death.
The name category has fields for the first and last names to focus the search for a particular individual. You may use an asterisk (*) to end or begin a name to broaden the search. For example, if you were looking for a John Werniski but you weren’t sure of the spelling, use the search John Wern* to get all names that begin with Wern.
The death-year category can be set to search the two large runs of years, or one year. The county-of-death category allows searches of a single county or several counties simultaneously.
A query might produce a long list of results. By default, the index will arrange the results alphabetically by surname, but you can request the results arranged by first name, last name, death year or county of death.
- • How can I find death certificates on the microfilm?
To use the microfilm, you need to know two things: 1) the year of death and 2) the death certificate number. Both can be found in the index. Use the year of death to select the appropriate reel from the library’s inventory of death record microfilms. The inventory is in chronological order, listing all the microfilm reels for that year. It also notes the sequential range of death certificate numbers found on each reel.
The death certificates themselves are arranged in a complicated fashion on the microfilm. The primary arrangement is by year, then by political unit. Each county is listed in alphabetical order. Each county is then broken down into its civil subdivisions (townships, villages, and cities).
- • Will I find any additional information besides the death certificate?
In some cases, supporting information may appear along with the death certificate. These attachments have been microfilmed and directly follow the certificate itself on the film. This supporting data can come in a range of styles and include a variety of information. For example, if a mistake was made on the original death certificate, the Department of Health would draft an official Affidavit of Correction with the correct information. In other cases, the Department of Health may have required a doctor to provide additional information about a death certificate.
- • How were the death certificates created?
When someone died, a physician or mortician compiled information about the deceased on a death certificate. The certificate was registered with the local county registrar and the original copy sent to the Office of Vital Statistics, Ohio Department of Health. There, the vital statistics staff ensured that the information was complete and that it met the state’s standards. At that point, the death certificate at the Department of Health became the official, permanent record.
- • Are there research tips and warnings?
Keep in mind that certificates are issued and registered in the county in which the death occurred. This may be different from the county of residence.
For example, records for a highway death near Zanesville would be in Muskingum County where the accident occurred, even though the victim was traveling from Cambridge to Columbus.
If the person died outside of Ohio, the death records would be in the state in which the person died.
Creating a death certificate is not an exact science. People who give information about deaths are often family members acting in a time of stress. They may give erroneous information to authorities, and errors of communication can occur between the person giving and the one receiving information in stressful circumstances. In addition, people can make mistakes in entering data into forms and databases. Thus, you should consider all the possible errors and spelling variations when trying to locate a death certificate. Check, for example, the various spellings for last names (e.g., Johnson, Johnsen or Jonson).
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