Henry County Death Records

Henry County death records are at the county health department in Abbeville. The office connects to the Alabama ViSION database. Staff can search and print death certificates for anyone who died in Alabama. Records date back to 1908. Henry County death certificates for deaths more than 25 years ago are public. Death records from the past 25 years stay restricted in Alabama.

Henry County Health Department

The Henry County Health Department is on Kirkland Street in Abbeville. This office handles death certificates in Henry County. It also handles birth records and other vital documents. Staff use the Alabama ViSION system to search records. They print certified copies while you wait. Walk-in visits usually take about 20 to 30 minutes in Alabama.

Bring a valid photo ID when you visit. This is a must. For restricted Henry County death records from the past 25 years, you also need proof that you qualify. Family members should bring papers that show their tie to the person who died. Legal reps need court documents in Alabama.

How to Request a Death Certificate

Henry County residents can get death certificates in several ways. Your choice depends on how fast you need the document. It also depends on whether you can travel to Abbeville in Alabama.

Walk In to the Health Department

Visiting the Henry County Health Department in person is the fastest option. Staff can search the database. They can print your copy while you wait. Bring cash, check, or money order to pay. You need the full name of the person who died. You need their date of death. You need the county where the death took place in Alabama.

Mail Request to Montgomery

The Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery takes mail orders for Henry County death records or any county in Alabama. Download form HS-14 from the state health site. Fill it out. Send it with a check to P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625. Make the check out to Center for Health Statistics. Processing takes 7 to 10 days, plus mail time.

Order Online

VitalChek is the official online vendor for Alabama vital records. You can pay by card. You can choose your shipping speed. VitalChek adds fees beyond the state fee. Expect to pay around $40 or more. Standard orders take 7 to 10 days to arrive in Henry County.

Henry County Death Certificate Fees

Alabama Code Section 22-9A-23 gives the State Board of Health authority to set vital records fees. The same rates apply at all county health departments in Alabama. They apply at the state office too.

Fees are not refundable in Henry County. Even when no record is found, you pay. If the search fails, you get a Certificate of Failure to Find. Check your info before paying in Alabama.

Who Can Get Henry County Death Records

Access to death records depends on the record's age in Alabama. Under Alabama Code Section 22-9A-21, death records stay private for 25 years. After that, they become public. Anyone can request old Henry County death records.

For deaths in the past 25 years, only these people may request Henry County death certificates:

• Spouse of the person who died
• Parents of the person who died
• Adult children of the person who died
• Siblings of the person who died
• Grandchildren of the person who died
• Legal reps with proper papers
• The informant named on the certificate

People with direct stakes may also qualify in Henry County. Insurance companies often have valid reasons. Funeral homes with unpaid accounts do too. Attorneys handling estate matters can often get records in Alabama. Government agencies can access records for official work.

Historical Death Records in Henry County

Statewide death registration in Alabama began January 1, 1908. Full compliance took time. By about 1925, roughly 90 percent of deaths were being recorded in Alabama. For Henry County deaths before 1908, you need other record types.

Probate court records often contain death dates in Henry County. Estate files, wills, and administration papers are useful sources. Church records of funerals and burials can help trace deaths. Cemetery records and grave markers give dates for many people in Alabama.

The Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery holds microfilm of early county records. Staff can help you search newspapers, census records, and other sources. They offer free access to Ancestry.com in the research room for Henry County research.

FamilySearch provides a free database of Alabama Deaths from 1908 to 1974. It has over 1.8 million names. You can search and view images of the original certificates at no charge in Alabama.

Death Investigation in Henry County

Most deaths in Henry County follow a standard process. The doctor certifies the cause of death. The funeral home files the certificate within five days per Alabama Code Section 22-9A-14.

Deaths from violence, accidents, suicide, or sudden unknown causes go to the Henry County Coroner. The coroner looks into the facts. They decide if an autopsy is needed. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences does autopsies when ordered in Alabama.

Henry County is served by the Montgomery forensic lab. When an autopsy is needed, the body goes there for examination in Alabama. The coroner then uses the findings to complete the death certificate with the official cause and manner of death for Henry County.

Nearby Counties

Henry County sits in southeast Alabama near the Georgia and Florida state lines. These nearby counties also have health departments for death certificate requests in Alabama.

Cities in Henry County

Henry County includes Abbeville, Headland, and other small towns. Abbeville is the county seat. No cities in Henry County reach the 50,000 threshold for a city page.

For Henry County death records of anyone who died here, visit the health department at the Abbeville address above. The nearest major city with its own page is Dothan in nearby Houston County. It is about 20 miles west in Alabama.