Clarion County Death Records
Clarion County was formed on March 11, 1839 from Venango and Armstrong Counties. The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court maintains birth and death records from 1893 through 1907 along with probate and land records from 1840. Marriage records begin in 1885. Birth Registers from 1893 through 1907 are organized in two primary volumes plus a third volume with a delayed birth index. The Death Register also covers 1893 through 1907. Records were filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1982 and are available on microfilm. The PA State Archives death index covers Clarion County deaths from 1906 through 1975. The Division of Vital Records handles requests for post-1906 certified copies.
Clarion County Quick Facts
Clarion County Register of Wills and Death Records
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court maintains vital records, probate records, and land records for Clarion County. The Recorder's office holds birth and death records from 1893 through 1906, with the Death Register covering through 1907. Marriage records begin in 1885. Probate and land records go back to 1840, the year after the county was formed.
Will Dockets from 1841 through 1917 come with a General Index covering 1840 through 1981. Administrator and Executor Account Dockets run from 1850 through 1936. Estate Inventory and Appraisement Dockets cover 1885 through 1938. Delayed birth certificates from 1941 through 1976 are also on file. The GSU filmed these Clarion County records in 1982, meaning many are available on microfilm through FamilySearch and at genealogical libraries nationwide. The Prothonotary Clerk holds divorce records from 1880 and court records from 1874.
For Clarion County death records from 1906 forward, the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records is the source. Each certified copy costs $20. Order online at mycertificates.health.pa.gov through VitalChek, by phone at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516, or by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. The PA Department of Health vital records page has full ordering details. For genealogy requests, the genealogy certificates page outlines what documents you need to provide.
Pennsylvania Death Index for Clarion County
The PA State Archives provides free online access to the statewide Death Index for 1906 through 1975. Clarion County deaths across that period are fully indexed. Search at the PA State Archives vital statistics page. The index gives the name, death year, and certificate number. With that number, you can order the full death certificate from the Division of Vital Records.
Death certificates from 1906 through 1974 are at the State Archives. Digital copies for 1906 through 1972 are on Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania residents can access Ancestry at no charge at most public libraries. Soundex phonetic indexing covers the 1920 through 1924 and 1930 through 1951 periods. This can help find Clarion County records for surnames with multiple spellings, particularly those of families from immigrant backgrounds in the county's oil and lumber industries. Death certificates become public record 50 years after the death date.
Clarion County Early Records and Parent Counties
Clarion County was formed from Venango and Armstrong Counties in 1839. Deaths in the Clarion County area before 1839 are in Venango or Armstrong county records, depending on which township the ancestor lived in. Both parent counties have courthouse archives going back to their own formation dates. Armstrong County was created in 1800, and Venango County was established in 1800 as well. Researchers tracing Clarion County families from the early 1800s should check both parent county records.
Within Clarion County, the probate archive from 1840 is the earliest organized source of death data. The Will Dockets from 1841 through 1917 are indexed by the General Index, making name-based searches practical. When a Clarion County resident died with property, the estate was opened in the Orphans' Court. These proceedings generate a filing date close to the actual death date along with names of heirs and property details. For the period from 1839 through 1893, before county death registration began, probate records are the primary courthouse source for death information.
Clarion County participated in the 1852 through 1854 vital records collection. Records from that period, if they survive, provide the earliest formal death registrations in the county. Clarion County's oil and timber industries attracted many workers in the mid-to-late 1800s, and deaths from industrial accidents during that period may be documented in coroner's records as well as in the probate files. The Clarion County Historical Society maintains local history resources that supplement the courthouse records.
Note: Clarion County records were filmed by the GSU in 1982, so many collections are accessible on FamilySearch microfilm at family history centers throughout the country.
What Clarion County Death Records Include
Clarion County death certificates from the state registration era give the full name, date and place of death, age, birthplace, occupation, cause of death, the attending physician's name, and the names of surviving family members. The informant field, often a spouse or adult child, can identify relatives not known from other sources. County-level records from 1893 through 1907 follow a similar format but may be less standardized. Administrator and Executor Account Dockets from 1850 through 1936 and Estate Inventory Dockets from 1885 through 1938 provide complementary financial details about estates opened after each death.
Death certificates become public record 50 years after the death date. All Clarion County deaths from 1975 and earlier are open to the public. Certified copies of post-1906 certificates cost $20 each. Order online at mycertificates.health.pa.gov through VitalChek, by phone at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516, or by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. The PA State Archives provides free access to the Death Index for 1906 through 1975 at the PA State Archives vital statistics page. Soundex phonetic indexing for 1920 through 1924 and 1930 through 1951 helps with variant spellings common in Clarion County's oil and timber communities. Digital copies from 1906 through 1972 are on Ancestry.com, free to Pennsylvania residents at most public libraries. The PA Department of Health vital records page covers eligibility and ordering for restricted records.
Nearby Counties
Clarion County was formed from Venango and Armstrong Counties. Those parent county archives are the first place to look for deaths before 1839 in the Clarion County area.