Harrison County Death Index

Harrison County death index records are managed through offices in Cadiz, the county seat. The health department handles death certificates from 1908 forward, while the Probate Court keeps older records dating back to 1867. You can search the free Ohio Death Certificate Index online for Harrison County entries from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1963. Both the health department and Probate Court have websites where you can find contact details and instructions for requesting records. Harrison County is a smaller rural county, so response times on requests tend to be quick.

Harrison County Death Certificates

The Harrison County Health Department issues death certificates for deaths that took place in the county from 1908 to the present. The office is in Cadiz. Certified copies cost about $25.00 each. Walk-in requests during regular business hours are the fastest way to get a copy. Staff can search by name and date and often have copies ready the same day.

Mail requests work too. Send a letter to the health department with the full name of the deceased, date of death, your name, your mailing address, the number of copies you want, and payment by check or money order. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail orders generally take one to two weeks to process. Ohio death certificates are public records under ORC Chapter 3705. Anyone can request a copy. For deaths in the last five years, the social security number is removed unless you are a spouse, child, parent, or estate representative.

The Harrison County Health Department certificate page is shown above. It has the current ordering instructions and forms you need to request death certificates from the Cadiz office.

Death Index Before 1908

The Harrison County Probate Court holds death records from 1867 through 1908. These are handwritten ledger entries showing the name, date of death, age, cause of death, and birthplace. Some entries include parent names. The court is at the Harrison County Courthouse in Cadiz.

You can visit in person or send a mail request. Provide the full name and an approximate date range. Staff will search the ledger books. There is no online index for these early Harrison County records, so in-person or written requests are your options. The records from this period survived intact. Harrison County did not lose its courthouse to fire, which means the ledger books are mostly complete from 1867 forward.

The Harrison County Probate Court page above has information about accessing records at the courthouse in Cadiz. Contact them directly for help with pre-1908 death records.

Search Harrison County Death Index Online

The free Ohio Death Certificate Index lets you search for Harrison County death records from 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1963. Enter a name and the results show the county, date of death, and certificate number. You need that number to order a copy.

FamilySearch has free digital images of Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1953. You need a free account to view them. Their Ohio County Death Records collection spans 1840 to 2001. Not every record is indexed by name, so you might need to browse by county. The Ohio Department of Health also issues certified copies of any Ohio death certificate from 1908 forward at $21.50 per copy.

The Harrison County government website links to all county departments. It is useful for finding current phone numbers and addresses for offices in Cadiz. For online ordering with a credit card, VitalChek is the authorized vendor for Ohio vital records. They charge a processing fee on top of the standard cost.

The Harrison County government website shown above provides links to county offices and departments in Cadiz. Use it to find contact information for the health department or Probate Court.

Harrison County Death Index Resources

The Ohio Memory digital library has materials from over 360 Ohio institutions. Searching it for Harrison County can turn up newspapers, photographs, and documents that reference deaths or burials. It is free to use.

Cemetery records and obituary indexes compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society and its local chapters cover many Harrison County cemeteries. Church records from the Cadiz area can also help, especially for deaths before 1867 when Ohio had no civil registration. The Ohio local health districts directory has the current contact details for the Harrison County Health Department.

Military veterans who died in Harrison County may have graves registration cards at the Ohio History Connection. These cards cover wars from the Revolutionary War through World War II and list the name, death date, burial place, and service details.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Harrison County. Check them if a death might have been recorded elsewhere.