Tioga County Death and Obituary Records
Tioga County obituary and death records are available through the Tioga County Register of Wills in Wellsboro and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The county sits in north-central Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvania Wilds region and was formed from Lycoming County in 1804. Whether you are looking for a certified Tioga County death certificate or historical death and burial records from the county's early history, this guide explains where each type of record is held and how to request copies.
Tioga County Quick Facts
Tioga County Register of Wills
The Tioga County Register of Wills is located at Tioga County Courthouse, 118 Main Street, Wellsboro, PA 16901. The phone number is 570-724-9270. 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 for Tioga County, handling estate probate and Orphans' Court filings from the same office in Wellsboro.
Tioga County was formed from Lycoming County on March 26, 1804. The county is named after the Tioga River. Wellsboro has served as the county seat since 1804 and is known as the gateway to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. The Register of Wills holds estate and probate records for Tioga County residents who died with property, debts, or family dependents. These files document deaths in detail that is often not found in death certificates alone, including the names of heirs and the value of the estate at the time of death.
The Tioga County government website provides links to all county departments and services, including the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court.
| Office |
Tioga County Register of Wills Tioga County Courthouse 118 Main Street Wellsboro, PA 16901 Phone: 570-724-9270 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | tiogacountypa.us |
Tioga County Death Certificates
Certified death certificates for Tioga County deaths from 1906 to the present are issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records. You can order online through VitalChek, by mail, or in person at a PA vital records walk-in office. Each certified copy costs $20. Mail orders typically take about three weeks. Check the PA processing times page for current wait estimates before placing your order.
A certified Tioga County death certificate is needed to settle estates, claim life insurance, apply for survivor benefits, and handle many other legal matters that follow a death. Order early to avoid delays in the estate settlement process. The PA vital records death certificate page explains what identification is required and which order methods are available. Walk-in service at the Scranton or Harrisburg PA vital records offices is an option for Tioga County residents who need a certificate quickly.
The Tioga County government website lists current office hours and contact information for the Register of Wills.
Note: Historical birth and death records from 1893 to 1906 for Tioga County are held at the Register of Wills office in Wellsboro, not through the state vital records office.Historical Tioga County Obituary and Death Records
Tioga County sits in the Pennsylvania Wilds and has a history rooted in logging, farming, and small-town life. Wellsboro, the county seat, is home to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and has been a center of commerce since the early 1800s. Early settlers in Tioga County included New England families and Pennsylvania German settlers. Church burial records and cemetery transcriptions from the early nineteenth century are the primary sources for Tioga County deaths before civil registration began in 1893.
The PA State Archives holds Tioga County death certificates from 1906 to 1968. These records are indexed online and searchable for free at PA State Archives vital statistics. Many death certificates from this era are also available on Ancestry.com through the Archives' digitization program. Searching the free index before requesting a certified copy allows you to confirm the record exists and gather key details about the Tioga County death.
Local Tioga County newspapers such as the Wellsboro Gazette have published obituaries for well over a century. Back issues are held on microfilm at the Wellsboro library and at the state archives. The PHMC Archives research page provides guidance on newspaper collections and other historical resources for Tioga County obituary research.
Genealogy Resources for Tioga County Deaths
Genealogy researchers working on Tioga County family history should plan to check multiple record sources. Begin with the free PA State Archives death certificate index for deaths from 1906 to 1968. Then order certified copies from the PA Department of Health for the records you need. For deaths before 1906, the Register of Wills holds local death data from 1893 to 1906. Church registers and cemetery surveys provide documentation for deaths before that.
The Pennsylvania genealogy records program gives all researchers access to death certificates more than 50 years old. This covers most Tioga County deaths from the twentieth century. The Orphans' Court clerks page lists the Tioga County contact for estate and probate records. These files are an important secondary source for death dates, family relationships, and property details not captured in death certificates alone.
Tioga County borders Potter, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Bradford counties in Pennsylvania. Families near a county border may have deaths recorded in a neighboring county. Check adjacent county registers if a Tioga County death record cannot be found through standard state and local sources.
Nearby Counties
Tioga County borders four other Pennsylvania counties. Death records for residents of each neighboring county are held at their own Register of Wills and through the Pennsylvania Department of Health.