Dauphin County Death Records
Dauphin County death records from 1893 to 1906 are maintained by the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court at 101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. The county was formed from Lancaster County on March 4, 1785, and named after Louis-Joseph, Dauphin of France. Harrisburg is both the county seat and the state capital. Marriage license records go back to 1887, and probate records date from 1795. The state Vital Records walk-in office in Harrisburg serves researchers seeking post-1906 death certificates for Dauphin County.
Dauphin County Quick Facts
Dauphin County Register of Wills Death Index
The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans Court at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg maintain the county-level birth and death records from 1893 to 1906. Marriage license records are held for the period from 1887 to the present. Probate records go back to 1795. The Register of Wills can be reached at 717-780-6500, and the Clerk of Orphans Court at 717-780-6510. Records for many years are searchable through the county online portal, making it possible to do preliminary research before visiting in person.
Dauphin County was formed on March 4, 1785, when it was split from Lancaster County. Named after the Dauphin of France, the first son of Louis XVI, the county has served as the seat of Pennsylvania's state government since the capital moved to Harrisburg in 1812. This long history of official activity means Dauphin County records tend to be well preserved and well indexed. Probate records from 1795 provide deep genealogical coverage for families who lived in this part of central Pennsylvania.
The Harrisburg Death Index covering 1794 to 1873 is available in the International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. This resource predates the formal county death index that began in 1893 and is useful for researchers tracing Dauphin County families in the early to mid-1800s. Researchers should treat early index entries as guides to further research rather than complete records, since coverage varies by period.
Note: County-level birth and death records from 1893 to 1906 cover Dauphin County's role in the early mandatory registration system before the state took over that function entirely.
State Vital Records Access for Dauphin County
Because Harrisburg is the state capital, Dauphin County residents have a unique advantage: the Pennsylvania Department of Health walk-in Vital Records office is located in Harrisburg at 555 Walnut Street. This office provides certified death certificate copies for deaths from 1906 onward. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM. Researchers can visit in person, view records on-site, and receive certified copies the same day in most cases.
For those who cannot visit in person, the PA Division of Vital Records accepts mail orders sent to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. Online orders go through VitalChek at mycertificates.health.pa.gov. Telephone orders can be placed by calling 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516. Each certified copy costs $20. VitalChek is the only authorized online vendor for Pennsylvania death certificates.
The PA State Archives Death Indices are free to search online and cover 1906 to 1975. The index provides name, county, year, and certificate number. Original death certificates from 1906 to 1974 are held at the State Archives. Digital copies of certificates from 1906 to 1972 are available on Ancestry.com free for Pennsylvania residents. The PA Vital Records public offices page lists all walk-in locations with addresses and hours.
Death certificates are public 50 years after the date of death. All certificates through 1975 are now accessible to the public. Soundex phonetic indexing was applied to Pennsylvania death records for 1920 to 1924 and 1930 to 1951, which can help locate records when name spellings are inconsistent.
Dauphin County Genealogy Death Research
Researchers working on Dauphin County family history benefit from the county's long institutional history. Records of many types survive from the early years of the county. Probate records from 1795 often mention dates of death and names of heirs, filling gaps that exist before formal vital registration began. Marriage records from 1887 help trace families through different generations. Together with the 1893 to 1906 death index and the state death certificates beginning in 1906, Dauphin County genealogists have strong coverage across most of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission serves as the official history agency for the state. The State Archives in Harrisburg is especially convenient for Dauphin County researchers, as it is located in the county seat. Archives staff can help researchers navigate the death indices, locate original certificate microfilm, and identify other record sources relevant to their research. The online death indices are a good starting point before visiting the Archives in person.
The FamilySearch Harrisburg Death Index from 1794 to 1873 is available at no cost through FamilySearch.org. This database covers a period with no formal state vital records and is one of the few sources available for deaths in Dauphin County in the early 1800s. Cemetery records, church records, and local newspaper obituaries also supplement the official record sources for Dauphin County death research.
Nearby Counties
Dauphin County sits in the heart of south-central Pennsylvania. Several neighboring counties also hold important death records. Check these counties if your search in Dauphin does not produce results.