Death Records in Pike County

Pike County obituary and death records are available through several offices in Pennsylvania. The Pike County Register of Wills in Milford holds estate and probate records tied to local deaths. The Pennsylvania Department of Health maintains certified death certificates from 1906 to the present. For older Pike County death records, the PA State Archives and historical birth and death registers from 1893 to 1906 provide additional sources. This guide walks you through each resource for searching Pike County death records.

Pike County Register of Wills Office

The Pike County Register of Wills is the local office for probate and estate records in Pike County. The office is located at Pike County Courthouse, 412 Broad Street, Milford, PA 18337. You can call 570-296-7903 for questions about records and services. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Register of Wills also serves as Clerk of Orphans' Court, handling adoptions and guardianship matters.

When a person dies in Pike County and leaves property or debts, their estate may go through probate at this office. Estate files name the deceased, surviving heirs, and the executor. These records connect directly to a death event and can provide details not found on a death certificate alone. For family history research, Pike County probate files dating from the county's founding in 1814 are an important source. The county was formed from Wayne County and is named after explorer Zebulon Pike.

The Register of Wills also holds historical birth and death records from 1893 to 1906. This window precedes full statewide registration and can fill gaps for Pike County deaths before the Pennsylvania Department of Health began issuing certificates in 1906.

Pike County Death Certificates from Pennsylvania

Certified death certificates for Pike County deaths from 1906 to the present are available from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records. You can order online through VitalChek or by mail. The fee for each certified copy is $20. Processing typically takes about three weeks by mail. Check the current processing times on the PA Department of Health website before submitting your request.

Death certificates are required for many legal and financial matters after a Pike County resident passes away. Settling an estate, filing for life insurance, and transferring a deed all require a certified copy. Order early, as some processes cannot move forward until the certificate arrives. The PA vital records death certificate page lists all the ways to request a copy and what identification you need to provide.

Note: Pike County deaths from 1893 to 1906 may have local death records at the Register of Wills office before full statewide records begin in 1906.

Pike County Historical Death and Obituary Records

Pike County was formed in 1814 from Wayne County and sits in the Pocono Mountains region of northeastern Pennsylvania. The county borders both New Jersey and New York, giving it a unique mix of residents over the centuries. Church records, cemetery records, and local newspapers are primary sources for Pike County deaths before civil registration began. Many Pike County families settled along the Delaware River, and church registers from early congregations often contain burial and death entries going back to the early 1800s.

The PA State Archives holds death certificates for Pike County from 1906 to 1968 and makes them searchable through Ancestry.com. Visit the PA State Archives vital statistics page to search for Pike County deaths at no cost. Many records from the early twentieth century are indexed there. The PHMC Archives research page offers additional guidance on what records are available online versus by mail request.

Milford, the county seat, is a historic town in the Poconos with well-preserved records at the courthouse. Local historical societies and libraries in Pike County also hold collections of obituary clippings, death notices, and cemetery transcriptions that researchers can access in person. These local resources often include deaths not captured in official state records, particularly from the nineteenth century.

Pike County Death Records for Genealogy

Genealogy researchers looking into Pike County family history should plan to check several sources. The Register of Wills holds probate records and historical death data from 1893 to 1906. The PA Department of Health covers deaths from 1906 forward. The PA State Archives provides free online indexes for deaths from 1906 to 1968. Church records and cemetery transcriptions fill the gap before 1893.

The PA genealogy records program allows open access to death certificates older than 50 years. This means most Pike County death certificates from before the mid-1970s are available to any researcher, not just close relatives. Requests can be submitted online, by mail, or in person at a PA vital records walk-in location. The Orphans' Court clerks directory lists the Pike County contact for Orphans' Court records, which include estate filings that document deaths through the probate process.

Pike County's location on the borders of New Jersey and New York means some families may have crossed state lines. A death that occurred just over the border in New Jersey would be recorded there rather than in Pike County. Keep this in mind when searching and check New Jersey vital records if a Pike County death record cannot be found in Pennsylvania sources.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health website at pa.gov is the official source for certified Pike County death certificate requests.

Nearby Counties

Pike County borders several counties in Pennsylvania as well as areas of New Jersey and New York. Death records for residents of neighboring counties are held at each county's own Register of Wills office.

View All 67 Counties