Orleans County Death Records
Orleans County death records are held by the town and village clerks in this small rural county in western New York. The county seat is Albion, and the county has about 40,000 residents. Orleans County sits along the Lake Ontario shoreline between Monroe County and Niagara County. Death certificates here date back to the 1880s when New York began statewide vital records registration. The Orleans County Clerk does not maintain any vital records at all. You must contact the town or village clerk where the death took place, or you can order through the state. Orleans County is one of the smaller counties in the state, so tracking down the right clerk is usually straightforward.
Orleans County Quick Facts
Where Orleans County Death Records Are Kept
The Orleans County Clerk at 3 South Main, Courthouse Square, Albion, NY 14411, phone (585) 589-5334, does not maintain any vital records. That is worth stressing. Unlike many New York county clerks who at least keep marriage records, the Orleans County Clerk has none. You must contact the town or village clerk where the person died.
Orleans County has 10 towns: Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby, and Yates. The villages of Albion and Medina are the two largest communities. Each municipality has a clerk who keeps death records for deaths that happened in their area. Most records start around 1880. The village and town clerks can issue certified copies of death certificates.
If you are not sure which town the death took place in, the state Department of Health can search across the entire county. But for a small county like Orleans, you can often narrow it down quickly. Most of the population lives in or around Albion and Medina.
Ordering Orleans County Death Records
The New York State Department of Health has Orleans County death records from 1880 forward. Mail orders are $30 per copy. Send forms to the Vital Records Certification Unit, P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602. Online and phone orders through VitalChek run $45 plus a processing fee. The toll-free number is (855) 322-1022.
Local clerks are usually cheaper and faster. Most town clerks charge around $10 for a certified copy. The state has significant processing delays. You need valid photo ID with any application. The spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the person who died can order a copy. Others need a documented lawful right or court order.
The Orleans County Clerk's website shows the services available at their office. The Orleans County Clerk page explains that vital records are not held by their office.
As shown above, the Orleans County Clerk handles court records and land documents, but all vital records including death certificates must come from the local town or village clerk.
Orleans County Death Records and Surrogate's Court
The Orleans County Surrogate's Court at One South Main Street, Suite 3, Albion, NY 14411-1497, phone (585) 589-4457, handles probate and estate cases. Chief Clerk is Jamie Summers, phone 585-283-6658, email jamie.summers@nycourts.gov. Probate records go back to 1824 when the county was formed. The court handles wills, letters testamentary, estate inventories, and guardianship records. You can search records online through WebSurrogate.
The Orleans County Courthouse at 1 South Main Street also houses the Supreme and County Court. Chief Clerk is Kristin E. Nicholson, phone 585-283-6657, email kristin.nicholson@nycourts.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Note that Orleans Supreme and County Court does not currently accept filings through EDDS (Electronic Document Delivery System).
Orleans County Genealogy Resources
The Orleans County Genealogical Society at Albion Town Hall, 3665 Clarendon Road, PO Box 103, Albion, NY 14411, email ochomefront@yahoo.com, helps local researchers with death record searches and family history. The Orleans County Historical Association at PO Box 181, Albion, NY 14411 has local history materials.
Orleans County is part of the Nioga Library System. Libraries with genealogy collections include the Hoag Library in Albion at 134 South Main Street, phone (585) 589-4246, and the Lee-Whedon Public Library in Medina at 620 West Avenue, phone (585) 798-3430. These libraries may have local history collections, obituary files, and access to Ancestry Library Edition. The Nioga Library System connects Orleans County to resources in Niagara and Genesee counties as well, which can help if you need to trace a death across county lines.
Cemetery records are an important source for Orleans County death information before 1880. Many older cemeteries in the county have been transcribed by local genealogy groups. Church records from the early 1800s can also fill in gaps. The Erie Canal brought a wave of settlers to Orleans County in the 1820s, and churches from that era kept careful records of births, marriages, and deaths in their congregations.
The NYS DOH genealogy program offers uncertified copies of death records at least 50 years old. Fees start at $22. The New York State Archives has free microfiche death indexes from 1880 to 1943 including Orleans County. The New York State Death Index on FamilySearch covers 1880 to 1956 for free.
FamilySearch's Orleans County page shows record start dates: births from 1880, marriages from 1908, deaths from 1880, court records from 1824, land records from 1824, and probate from 1824. These dates give you a sense of how far back you can search in each record type.
Nearby Counties and Cities
Orleans County borders several counties in western New York. Monroe County is to the east. Niagara County is to the west. Genesee County is to the south. Lake Ontario forms the northern boundary. The Erie Canal runs through the county, passing through Medina and Albion.
There are no cities in Orleans County that meet the population threshold for a separate page. The closest qualifying cities are Rochester in Monroe County to the east and Buffalo in Erie County to the southwest. For death records in Albion, Medina, or other Orleans County communities, contact the local town or village clerk directly.