Ohio, Wyandot County Probate Court "Record of Deaths", Volume 1 (1867–1880) — the volume's own manuscript alphabetical index, letter C complete (page references 1–46), with the letter K opening read as a control; FamilySearch DGS 004978843 images 183, 184 and 192 of 258.

What this document records

How the index is built

Two columns per page, each Name | Page, the page column headed Page in the clerk's hand. One letter of the alphabet per opening, and within a letter the entries run in register-page order, not alphabetical order — so the page figures ascend down each column (letter C: 1 → 31 on image 183, 26 → 46 on image 184). The page figures are register PAGE numbers, and this register numbers one page per filmed opening, so a reference converts to an image by image = page + 209. Verified three independent ways: Kelley Hanna A → 9 is record 391 on image 218; Kentfield Azubah → 11 is record 477 on image 220; Courtright Elizabeth → 14 is record 608 on image 223.

Which half of the volume it indexes

The deaths, not the births — established from the letter-K opening (image 192), whose entries Klinger (9), Kelley Hanna A (9), Kelley Margret (9) and Kentfield Azubah (11) are all names read directly off the death register at those pages. The index sits between the birth half (images 7–~178) and the death half (images 210–255).

The letter c block verbatim

113 entries across image 183 (both columns) and image 184 (left leaf). Transcribed in full at 3×; the surnames present are: Image 183, column 1 (refs 1–14): Cartwright — · Carey Dorcus · Carey George S · Crawford Susan · Compston Caroline · Carey John · Cole William J · Carvis Rachel P · Eccles[?] Sarah · Crown Andrew · Curren Mary A · Clackenour Michael · Close Howard · Cook Everhart Harlem · Carey Benjamin · Cloud Bertha C · Clark Facey Austin · Chapman Askew[?] · Coon — · Crider Elora · Clark Cynthia A · Cover Joshua · Cowod[?] · Collins Wilson Joseph · Cowmes Agostus · Carothers John · Carman Polley · Crap Cornelius · Crawflow William H · Cornell William · Crap — · Clark Dora Bell · Chesebrough Eva Bell · Clinger Elizabeth · Clinger Mary · Clinger Samuel Jr · Cowdrey Catharine · Custer — · Coon — · Cory Willis · Cory David · Conger John · Coffman Barbara J · Corwin Marquis D · Crown Isaac · Cary Lurana · Coe Rebecca · Courtright Elizabeth · Courtright Jacob Fernando. Image 183, column 2 (refs 14–31): Coats Mary A · Crop B C · Crabbs David · Crop Emily · Curts Alfred · Crouse Jane · Cronenbarger Elizabeth · Carr Hamilton[?] · Case Arthur Clinton · Carpenter Julia Ida · Cone John A · Clinger Wheeler · Crosby Anna · Clark Wm O · Campbell John · Cunningham R H · Cunningham Dora Ella · Carothers Mary A · Chesebrough Wm · Cole Nancy · Cole Ada · Crop Ercilla · Curtz — · Cooper Albert — 19 · Conant Daniel · Cook Joseph L · Cuneo Tersa · Clark Francis Omer · Coons C A · Cook Frank L · Coyine[?] E · Clan Drusilla · Coon J R · Case Mary Ann · Crabs R · Coon E · Chasler Charles · Cane Thomas · Clemens C B · Carey John · Clayton E · Clark G A · Clark Mary · Cluiger James O · Conaghan G H · Carter Sarah · Carter George · Clark William H · Carr Tessa · Cummins James S. Image 184, left leaf (refs 26–46): Copeland James · Cole David · Cole Menerva · Cramer Daniel · Clinger Jane · Carr William · Carr Sarah · Cabner Alva · Carr Caroline · Carr Ransam · Chatlain Emma · Comstock Alpha Byran · Comstock Delpha Myran · Comstock Ellen Jane · Chambers Benjamin · Cuneo William A · Clinger Sarah · Centers Sarah · Corey Catharine · Carter Louisa · Coon Jacob · Cofman Noah · Clark Wm H · Calvery Ira · Couahen John · Cole William Jr · Carey Catharine · Cochenour Catharine · Case Infant · Cramer Gracey · Counterman Minnie · Craun Henry · Case John · Clapper Mary · Cole Elizabeth · Chew Catharine L · Craglow Samuel · Crouse Roy · Cochenour Harry · Colton John · Caldwell Gracy · Canan Walter Loyd · Carver Henry M · Corfman Henry · Corfman Infant · Chapins Infant · Cook John · Cole Hattie · Cole Martha · Clingman Martha · Cross Camden D. — 45 · Curpen John — 46 (the last C entry; the right-hand leaf of image 184 begins the letter D).

The one cooper

Cooper Albert — page 19. Re-cropped at 6× from image 183 column 2, between Curtz (19) and Conant Daniel (19); the page figure re-cropped at 6× reads 19 in a run of three rows all referencing 19. → [F.288] transcribes the entry itself, no. 843 on page 19.

The null this establishes

NO SAMUEL COOPER. Across the complete letter-C block — 113 entries, every one read at 3× — Cooper Albert is the only Cooper of any given name. ⇒ The death of Samuel Cooper Samuel Cooper (23 Aug 1871, Tymochtee Twp) was never entered in this register, which is the only Wyandot County death register covering 1871. What this null is and is not. It rests on the clerk's own index, so it is a volume-wide statement rather than the page-by-page one that a partial browse gives — but it inherits the index's own completeness. A name omitted from the index by the clerk would be invisible here. Independent corroboration exists for the crucial stretch: the register's own 1871 and 1872 annual returns (records 368–568, images 218–222) were separately read row-by-row and contain no Cooper either. Between the two, the absence is about as well established as a negative in this record class can be.

A rule zero b catch worth keeping

On the whole-plate orientation view, this row was read as Casper Albert. It was only on the 3× band crop that it resolved to Cooper Albert — the double o and the -per terminal are simply not present at 1×. The failure mode is the dangerous one: "Casper Albert" is a perfectly plausible surname, produced no feeling of doubt, and would have been recorded as a clean null for Cooper in the C block — closing the thread on a misreading. This is exactly the mechanism RULE ZERO-B exists to defeat, and it fired on the one row out of 113 that mattered.