Lehigh County Death Records
Lehigh County offers one of the broadest sets of county-level death records in Pennsylvania. Death registers are available for the periods 1852 to 1855, 1874 to 1918, and a Register of Deaths covering 1899 to 1905. The Clerk of Orphans Court office in Room 123 of the Lehigh County Courthouse at 455 West Hamilton Street in Allentown maintains birth and death records from 1893 to 1905. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office, nationally accredited since 2005, operates separately at 4350 Broadway, Allentown. Records after 1905 are with the PA Division of Vital Records.
Lehigh County Quick Facts
Lehigh County Orphans Court Death Records
The Lehigh County Clerk of Orphans Court Office maintains birth and death records for years 1893 through 1905. Records for years after 1905 are handled by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records, not the county office. The Orphans Court office is in Room 123 of the Lehigh County Courthouse at 455 West Hamilton Street in Allentown. Telephone: 724-656-3100 (this connects to the state Vital Records line for post-1905 records).
Lehigh County's death record collection is unusually deep. Death Registers from 1852 to 1855 survive from Pennsylvania's first vital registration effort. The 1874 to 1918 Death Registers span a period that includes the transition from county to state registration, making Lehigh County's records valuable for the overlap period from 1906 to 1918. The Lehigh County Register of Deaths from 1899 to 1905 provides an additional index for that specific window. The Lehigh County Marriage and Death File from 1810 to 1911 is another compiled resource that researchers can use alongside the official registers.
Early death records from the 1800s in Lehigh County include causes of death such as typhoid, cholera, and consumption. These cause-of-death entries reflect the public health challenges of the era and can provide context for genealogy research. The Lititz Area Death Index from 1887 to 1998 is also available, covering a broader geographic span that overlaps with Lehigh County's research area.
Note: Lehigh County's death records extend to 1918, twelve years beyond the start of statewide registration, creating a valuable overlap period for verifying and cross-referencing state and county records.
Lehigh County Coroner Death Records
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office is a separate resource for death research. Located at 4350 Broadway, Allentown, PA 18104, the office can be reached at 610-782-3426. Coroner Daniel A. Buglio, D-ABMDI leads an office that has been nationally accredited since 2005. Coroner records document deaths that fall under the coroner's jurisdiction, including accidental deaths, homicides, suicides, and deaths with no attending physician. These cases may not appear in the standard vital records collection, making the Coroner's Office an important secondary source for some researchers.
For genealogists, coroner records can provide more detailed information about cause of death than standard death certificates. When an ancestor died under unusual circumstances, the coroner's inquest records may include witness testimony, medical findings, and other details not found in official death registers. Contact the Lehigh County Coroner's Office directly to determine what records are available and how to access them. Not all historical coroner records are indexed or publicly searchable, so direct contact is often necessary.
The broad span of Lehigh County death records, from the 1852 to 1855 registers through the 1918 end of county recording, means this county has more locally-held historical death documentation than most Pennsylvania counties. Researchers should take advantage of all available Lehigh County sources before concluding that a death record does not exist.
State Death Certificates for Lehigh County
Deaths from 1906 onward are recorded by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. The PA State Archives Death Indices cover 1906 to 1975 and are free to search online. The index provides name, county, year, and certificate number. Original certificates from 1906 to 1974 are at the State Archives. Digital copies for 1906 to 1972 are on Ancestry.com free for Pennsylvania residents.
Certified copies cost $20 each from the PA Division of Vital Records. Orders can be placed online through mycertificates.health.pa.gov via VitalChek, by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103, or by phone at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516. Statewide registration began in 1906. Because Lehigh County continued county-level recording through 1918, researchers have two sources for the 1906 to 1918 period. Soundex indexing applies to records from 1920 to 1924 and 1930 to 1951. Death certificates are public 50 years after death, so records through 1975 are now accessible.
Cities in Lehigh County
Allentown is the county seat and largest city in Lehigh County. Bethlehem is split between Lehigh and Northampton counties. Death records for residents of these cities fall within the Lehigh County death record collection for the applicable periods.
Nearby Counties
Lehigh County borders Northampton, Berks, Carbon, and Montgomery counties. Bethlehem spans the Lehigh and Northampton county line. Searching these neighbors may help complete your research.