Find Death Records in Shackelford County

Shackelford County death records are filed with the County Clerk in Albany and are part of the Texas statewide death index that begins in 1903. To search for a death record or get a certified death certificate for someone who died in Shackelford County, you can contact the county clerk, request by mail, or use the state online ordering system.

Shackelford County Clerk and Death Certificates

The Shackelford County Clerk in Albany handles vital records for the county, including certified death certificates. The office is at the Shackelford County Courthouse, 225 S. Main Street, Albany, TX 76430. You can call the clerk at (325) 762-2232. Office hours are Monday through Friday. The clerk can search the death index by name and date and issue certified copies when the record is available locally.

Shackelford County is a small rural county in the rolling plains of west-central Texas. Albany is the county seat and the only incorporated city. The county's ranching and oil heritage is reflected in its records. With a small population, the annual volume of death records is low. All records since 1903 are part of the Texas statewide death index. If a record is not found at the county level, the DSHS state office in Austin holds copies of county records and can be searched separately.

The fee for a certified copy of a death certificate is $21.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record when ordered at the same time. Bring valid government-issued photo ID for in-person requests. Mail requests need a copy of your ID included. The fee is not refunded if the search turns up no record.

Note: Shackelford County is one of many small Texas counties where records may be easier to find in person at the courthouse than through online searches, since not all older records are digitized.

The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office sets statewide standards on fees, access, and ID requirements that Shackelford County follows when processing all death certificate requests.

The same state rules apply to every Shackelford County death record request, whether at the local clerk or through DSHS.

Searching Shackelford County Death Records

In person at the Shackelford County Courthouse is the most direct route. Bring your photo ID and $21.00. The clerk can look up the record by name and date and issue a certified copy the same day if available.

Mail requests are accepted using the VS-142 Death Certificate Application. Include a copy of your photo ID and a check or money order payable to the Shackelford County Clerk. Send to 225 S. Main Street, Albany, TX 76430. Allow a few business days after receipt for processing.

Online ordering goes through DSHS at txapps.texas.gov for $20.00 per copy. State orders are mailed from Austin and take 20 to 25 business days. Free index searches for Texas deaths from 1903 to 2000 are available at FamilySearch and Ancestry.

Access Rules for Shackelford County Death Records

Under Texas Government Code Section 552.115, death records are restricted for 25 years from the date of death. Only an immediate family member can request a certified copy during that window. Immediate family includes a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent. Legal representatives with documentation can also request. After 25 years, the record is public.

All requesters must show valid government-issued photo ID. The DSHS acceptable ID list shows what forms are accepted. Providing false information to get a death certificate is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195, with penalties including prison time and fines up to $10,000.

Genealogy Research in Shackelford County

Shackelford County death records go back to 1903 as part of the Texas statewide system. For genealogy work, the county's records offer a century-plus of family histories from the west Texas plains. The small annual volume means fewer records to sort through when searching. Free Texas death index searches are available on FamilySearch and Ancestry through 2000.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission holds the statewide death index through 1973, open for public research. The Library of Congress Texas vital records guide explains how the death index is organized by time period, which helps with older searches. Early Shackelford County records may have gaps due to inconsistent rural registration in the first decades of the Texas statewide system.

The DSHS Order Records Locally page includes Shackelford County as a Texas county office where you can get a certified death certificate without ordering through the state office.

Requesting from the Albany clerk is faster than ordering through Austin for Shackelford County death certificates.

Cities in Shackelford County

Shackelford County's main community is Albany. All death records for events in the county are filed through the Shackelford County Clerk in Albany. No cities in this county meet the qualifying population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Shackelford County. Check where a death occurred to determine which county holds the record.

Callahan County • Haskell County • Jones County • Palo Pinto County • Stephens County • Throckmorton County