Brown County Death Index

Brown County death index records cover deaths in the Georgetown area and all of Brown County from 1867 to the present. The Brown County General Health District handles death certificates for deaths since 1909, while the Probate Court keeps older records going back to 1867. Located in the southwest corner of Ohio, Brown County borders the Ohio River and sits between Cincinnati and the more rural counties to the east. The free Ohio Death Certificate Index lets you search for Brown County deaths from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1963 online. For a certified copy, the health department in Georgetown is your main point of contact.

Brown County Death Certificates

The Brown County General Health District is the office to contact for death certificates for anyone who died in Brown County from 1909 forward. They are at 9116 Hamer Road, Suite 101, Georgetown, OH 45121. You can call them at (937) 378-6892 or toll free at 866-867-6892. The fax number is (937) 378-4301. Walk-in requests take about five minutes once staff pulls the record.

Each certified copy costs $25.00. For mail requests, send a written letter with the full name of the deceased, date of death, your name, and a signed statement saying why you need the record. Include a money order for the full amount. Personal checks are not accepted. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope so they can send it back to you. Mail requests take longer than walk-ins, so plan ahead if you are on a deadline.

You can also order online through VitalChek, which takes credit cards. VitalChek adds their own service fee on top of the $25 county charge. It is a convenient option if you can't visit Georgetown in person or don't want to deal with money orders. The health department can also issue birth certificates for anyone born in Ohio, not just Brown County, going back to 1909.

Ohio treats death records as open public records under ORC Title 37. Anyone can ask for a copy. The one thing to know is that for deaths within the last five years, the social security number gets removed from copies unless you are a spouse, child, or estate representative.

Death Index Before 1909

The Brown County Probate Court in Georgetown holds death records from 1867 to 1908. Ohio started requiring death registration in 1867, so these are the oldest official death records for the county. The court is at 510 E. State Street, Georgetown, OH 45121, and you can reach them by phone at 937-378-6549. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 379, Georgetown, OH 45121.

Records from this time period are one-line entries in ledger books. Each entry typically shows the name, date of death, age, cause of death, and birthplace. Some entries also list the names of parents, though that detail was more common for children. The probate court also holds marriage records going back to 1818 and birth records from 1867 to 1908. These older vital records can help piece together family connections when death records alone don't give you enough.

The image above shows the Brown County government records portal where you can find information about local vital statistics and court records held at the county level.

Search Brown County Death Index Online

The Ohio Death Certificate Index is free to use. It covers deaths from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1963 across all Ohio counties, including Brown. Type in a name and the results show the county, date of death, and certificate number. You need that number to order a copy of the actual certificate from either the health department or the state office in Columbus.

FamilySearch has digital copies of Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953 that you can view for free with an account. Their Ohio County Death Records collection spans from 1840 to 2001 and may include Brown County entries. Not all records are indexed by name, so sometimes you have to browse through images page by page. It takes time but can turn up records that don't show in other searches.

The Ohio History Connection Archives in Columbus has Brown County death records on microfilm. You can visit their reading room in person or contact them ahead of time for help locating specific records. The Ohio Genealogical Society also holds cemetery transcriptions, obituary indexes, and other compiled materials that fill in gaps when official records come up short.

How to Get Brown County Death Records

Walk in to the Brown County General Health District at 9116 Hamer Road, Suite 101, Georgetown. This is the quickest way. Staff can pull records and make copies in about five minutes during business hours.

Mail is another option. Send your request to the health department at the address above. Your letter must include the full name of the deceased, date of death, your name and contact info, and a signed statement. Include a money order for $25.00 per copy. No personal checks. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow extra time for mail delivery both ways.

Online ordering goes through VitalChek. They accept credit cards and let you pick your shipping speed. VitalChek charges a service fee on top of the county cost. The Ohio Department of Health in Columbus can also fill requests for Brown County death certificates at $21.50 each, though state-level processing usually takes longer than going through the local office.

• Walk-in at 9116 Hamer Road, Suite 101, Georgetown (about 5 minutes)
• Mail to the health department with money order and SASE
• Online through VitalChek (credit card accepted)
• State office in Columbus ($21.50 per copy)
• Ohio History Connection for older records on microfilm

Brown County Death Index Resources

The Ohio local health districts directory can confirm the current phone number and hours for the Brown County General Health District. Hours and fees do change from time to time, so it is a good idea to check before you visit or send a mail request.

Cemetery records are a useful source for Brown County deaths, particularly from before official registration started. If you know which church the family attended, try reaching out to that church or its archives. Funeral home files and newspaper obituaries are other places to look. The Ohio Memory digital library has materials from over 360 Ohio institutions, and some of those touch on the Brown County area. It is free to search and browse.

Brown County has a number of small communities spread across its rural landscape. Georgetown, as the county seat, is where most government offices are based. All death records for the entire county funnel through the same health department and probate court, regardless of which town the person lived in or where they passed away.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Brown County. If you are not sure where a death took place, check the neighbors too.