Understanding records of death & how our ancestors died Michelle Kratts Lewiston Public Library February 26, 2018

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Niagara Falls, NY Burial Records St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Niagara Falls, NY 1870

Burial Permit at Oakwood Cemetery Niagara Falls, NY 1887 Cause of Death: “Dysentery”

Death Certificates --if on file for at least 50 years Where can you find records of death in the Lewiston/Niagara Falls area? Death Certificates --if on file for at least 50 years (unless you can prove relationship) Where are they? Niagara Falls City Clerk (1881-present) Lewiston Town Hall (1881-present) Burial Information or Permits Contact local cemeteries

Church Burial Records Where are they? They are available at the churches or in digital form or microfilm. Church Burial Records available at the Lewiston Public Library: Please see handout Church records as microfilm at the Lewiston Public Library:

Obituaries Obituaries often list cause of death, or at least date of death and other pertinent information Where are they? We have local obituaries as printed in the Niagara Falls Gazette (with some) dated from 1854 to the present.

Other Where are they? NYS Death Index Census Mortality Schedules Ancestry.com FamilySearch.org Social Security Death Index Other local records (IOOF) Check local libraries for obits and any other vital records information!

International Classification of Diseases (ICD Codes) There is a number 126 that is circled in the “Cause of Death” section of this form. This number comes from the International Classification of Diseases and is currently maintained and updated by the World Health Organization. We can look up the code to reveal the cause of death in a clearly written database. Check the codes at: http://www.wolfbane.com/icd/index.html

What disease has killed the most people throughout human history?

According to Sonia Shah, author of “The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years,” Malaria ….has killed over 50 billion people. Other deadly diseases include: Tuberculosis—1 billion—the leading cause of mortality in adults across the world today Smallpox—500 million Plague—240 million Influenza—50 million Cholera—40 million AIDS—36 million

From the New England Journal Top Ten Causes of Death: 1900 vs. 2010 From the New England Journal of Medicine

Cause of Death in 1811 Abstract of the Bill of Mortality for the Town of Boston.

Family Trees focusing on cause (and/or age) of death

Old Medical Terms Causes of Death What is their meaning? Accouchement Catarrh Erysipelas Ague Cholera Grippe Bilious Fever Dropsy Hydrophobia Bloody Flux Diphtheria Malignant Sore throat Bright’s Disease Inanition Marasmus