Death Index in Somervell County
Somervell County death records are held by the County Clerk in Glen Rose and are part of the Texas statewide death index dating back to 1903. If you need to find a death record or get a certified death certificate for someone who died in Somervell County, you can contact the county clerk's office in Glen Rose, send a mail request, or use the state online ordering system.
Somervell County Overview
Somervell County Clerk and Death Records
The Somervell County Clerk handles vital records for the county, including certified death certificates. The office is located at the Somervell County Courthouse, 107 N. E. Vernon, Glen Rose, TX 76043. You can reach the clerk at (254) 897-4427. Office hours are Monday through Friday during regular courthouse hours. The clerk can confirm whether a record is on file and issue certified copies for qualified requesters.
Somervell County is one of the smaller counties in north-central Texas. It sits south of Fort Worth in the Paluxy River valley. The county's death index covers all deaths registered here since 1903. Because the population is modest, the volume of death records per year is relatively low compared to urban counties. Still, every record filed is preserved as part of the statewide Texas death index system and copies are held at both the county and state levels.
The fee for a certified death certificate is $21.00 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record, ordered at the same time, is $4.00. These fees apply at the county clerk level under the same rules set by Texas law for all 254 counties. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID when visiting in person. Mail requests require a copy of your ID and the fee paid by check or money order made payable to the Somervell County Clerk.
Note: No fee is refunded if the office conducts a search and no record is found. This applies to both the county and the state office.
The Texas DSHS Vital Statistics office sets the rules and fee schedule that the Somervell County Clerk follows when issuing certified death certificates.
State standards govern every death certificate request in Somervell County, whether made at the local clerk's office or through DSHS in Austin.
How to Find Somervell County Death Records
Going in person to the Somervell County Courthouse in Glen Rose is the fastest option. Bring your photo ID and the $21.00 fee. The clerk can search by the deceased person's name and approximate date of death and issue a copy while you wait if the record is on file.
Mail requests are also accepted. Download and complete the VS-142 Death Certificate Application from DSHS. Include a photocopy of your government-issued photo ID and the fee as a check or money order payable to the Somervell County Clerk. Send the packet to 107 N. E. Vernon, Glen Rose, TX 76043. Processing typically takes a few business days after the office receives your request.
If you prefer to order online, use the txapps.texas.gov portal. This routes your order through DSHS in Austin. The state fee is $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy. State orders take 20 to 25 business days and are mailed to you from Austin. For index-only searches at no cost, try the FamilySearch Texas Death Index or Ancestry's Texas Death Index, which both cover 1903 to 2000.
Who Can Access Somervell County Death Records
Texas restricts access to death records for 25 years after the date of death. Under Texas Government Code Section 552.115, only an immediate family member can get a certified copy during that period. Immediate family includes a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent. A legal representative with paperwork showing their authority to act can also request a record. Once 25 years have passed, the record is public and anyone can request a copy.
Every requester must show valid government-issued photo ID. The DSHS acceptable ID page lists the forms of identification the clerk will accept. Falsifying information on a death certificate application is a felony under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 195. The penalty can include two to ten years in prison and fines up to $10,000. The clerk's office documents the requester's identity for each transaction.
Historical Death Records in Somervell County
Somervell County's death records go back to 1903 when Texas began requiring statewide registration. The county's records document generations of families in this part of north-central Texas. For genealogy research, the relatively small number of annual deaths in Somervell County can make it easier to locate a specific person. The statewide index organized by time period (1903-1940, then 1940-1945, 1946-1955, and annually after 1956) helps narrow the search.
Free online tools are a good first step. Both FamilySearch and Ancestry provide searchable Texas death indexes through 2000. These indexes let you confirm a record exists and find the death certificate number before ordering a certified copy. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission also holds the statewide death index through 1973, available for in-person research in Austin. If you need help understanding how the Texas death index is structured, the Library of Congress Texas vital records guide explains the system clearly.
Early records from small rural counties like Somervell sometimes have gaps because compliance with statewide registration was inconsistent in the first few decades. If a record cannot be found in the index, it is worth contacting the county clerk directly to check paper records that may not have been included in the digitized index.
Note: Verification letters are available from DSHS for deaths since 1903. A verification confirms the name, date, and county of death but is not a substitute for a certified copy.
The DSHS Order Records Locally page includes Somervell County as one of the local offices where you can get a certified death certificate without going through the state office in Austin.
Somervell County residents and researchers can contact the Glen Rose clerk's office directly rather than waiting on a state mail order from Austin.
Cities in Somervell County
Somervell County's main community is Glen Rose, the county seat, along with a few small towns and rural areas. All death records for events in the county go through the Somervell County Clerk in Glen Rose. No cities in Somervell County meet the qualifying population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Somervell County. If you are unsure which county holds a death record, check where the death occurred or contact the clerk's office for guidance.