Somerset County Pennsylvania Death Records

Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795 from Bedford County. It sits in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania near the Maryland border, a region of mountains and valleys that was settled by German and Scots-Irish immigrants in the late eighteenth century. The county seat shares the county's name. Somerset County holds probate records going back to 1795 and formal death registrations from 1893 through 1905 at the local level. The county is also home to the Flight 93 National Memorial, the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, which gave this rural county a place in national history that is documented in modern death records and public memorials.

Somerset County Death Records at the Register of Wills

The Somerset County Register of Wills is the local custodian of historical death records and estate files. Birth and death registrations from 1893 through 1905 are on file at the courthouse, covering the period of county-level vital registration before Pennsylvania took over in 1906. Marriage records go back to 1885. Probate records at the Register of Wills date from 1795, the year the county was created, giving researchers access to estate files that span more than two centuries.

Pre-1893 deaths in Somerset County have no formal death certificate, but estate files from the Register of Wills can serve as a substitute source. A probate estate file from the 1800s typically includes a petition or will, an inventory of the decedent's property, and accounts showing distribution to heirs. These documents often confirm the date of death, name family members, and describe the decedent's economic circumstances in ways that add depth to any family history. Researchers working on Somerset County families from the county's founding era should consult the probate records before concluding that no death documentation exists.

Note: Probate records from 1795 at the Somerset County courthouse give researchers access to estate-related death documentation for nearly the entire history of the county.

Pennsylvania State Death Certificates for Somerset County

Deaths in Somerset County from 1906 forward are documented in state death certificates held by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. Certified copies cost $20 each. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. Phone orders are accepted at (724) 656-3100. Online ordering is available through the MyCertificates portal or through VitalChek.

The Pennsylvania State Archives holds Somerset County death certificates from 1906 through 1975. The online death indices allow researchers to search by name before placing a copy request. The indices are accessible at no charge and cover all Pennsylvania counties including Somerset. Pennsylvania residents can also access Ancestry for free through the State Archives program.

FamilySearch Collections for Somerset County Death Records

The FamilySearch Somerset County genealogy page lists free online collections available for this county. FamilySearch has digitized and indexed records from many Pennsylvania counties, and Somerset is represented in several vital record and probate collections. Researchers can search by name at no cost to identify relevant records before visiting the county courthouse or the State Archives. Church records from German Lutheran and Reformed congregations in Somerset County are particularly valuable for pre-1893 deaths and are indexed in some FamilySearch collections.

Cemetery transcriptions for Somerset County are available through FamilySearch and several genealogical websites. Many of the rural cemeteries in the county have been photographed and transcribed, making it possible to verify burial information without an in-person visit. These cemetery records complement the formal death certificates and registration books held by the county and state.

The image below is from the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records page, which processes certified death certificate orders for all Somerset County deaths from 1906 onward.

Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records is the source for certified death certificates for Somerset County residents who died in 1906 or later.

The Division handles both mail and online orders and can assist with genealogical requests for older records that fall within the open access period.

Somerset County History and Its Death Records

Somerset County's western Pennsylvania location near the Maryland and West Virginia borders gave it a distinct character from the eastern counties. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 touched Somerset County, and early settlers here came largely from Virginia and Maryland as well as from Pennsylvania's eastern counties. Understanding the migration patterns into Somerset County helps researchers know where to look for earlier records when they cannot find what they need in the county itself. Bedford County, from which Somerset was formed, is the starting point for research on families who arrived before 1795.

The coal and coke industries shaped Somerset County's economy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, bringing waves of immigrant workers from central and southern Europe. Death records from this industrial era reflect the hazards of mining and coke production. The Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville is in Somerset County, and the crash of September 11, 2001 is documented in the county's more recent death records and public records. This modern historical connection has drawn researchers to Somerset County death records who might otherwise have no family connection to the area.

The Somerset County government website provides contact information for county offices and current procedures for requesting historical records. Checking the site before writing or calling is always a good practice to confirm hours and any updated procedures.

Death Records for Somerset County Before 1893

For Somerset County deaths before 1893, no formal death certificates exist at the county or state level. Estate files from the Register of Wills, dating back to 1795, are the primary official source for confirming when someone died. Church records from German Lutheran, Reformed, and Methodist congregations in the county can document deaths going back to the late eighteenth century. Federal census mortality schedules from 1850 through 1880 recorded deaths in the twelve months before each census and provide a partial record for that period.

Newspaper obituaries are an important supplement for Somerset County deaths from the mid-nineteenth century onward. Local papers have been publishing death notices for many decades, and some have been digitized and indexed. Searching newspaper archives for Somerset County can surface death information that is not in any formal government record. The Pennsylvania State Library and some local historical societies have collections of bound newspaper volumes that can be searched in person.

Nearby Counties

Somerset County borders several western and south-central Pennsylvania counties. Families in this mountainous region often had ties to neighboring jurisdictions, and death records may appear in more than one county.

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