Death Records: Online and Off

THE INTERNET IS A TOOL OF THE LAST DAYS. HOWEVER, THE MOST IMPORTANT GUIDE FOR USING THE INTERNET IS TO LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLY GHOST.

1.What records are created when someone dies? 2.Time and Place determine available records. 3.Find the records online and off FINDING DEATH RECORDS

WHAT RECORDS ARE CREATED WHEN SOMEONE DIES?

 Newspaper announcing illness and family gathering  Will draw up, land and possessions dispersed  Doctor in attendance, hospital records, death certificate or death record  Mortician, funeral home, cemetery and sexton  Obituary or death notice or estate notice in newspaper  Funeral- mortuary or Church arranges funeral, writes notice of death in newspaper or church news  Family Bible record made by family or minister  Probate will to appoint executor, if no will appoint administrator, Widow’s portion  Taxes paid by heirs or administrator  City directory notes death, changes wife’s status to widow  Census year has morality schedule  Pension canceled, social security notified widow reapplies  Social Clubs such as Masons will note death, may have bio-sketch.

START BY NARROWING THE PLACE AND TIME PERIOD OF DEATH  Find ancestor in the census, land and or tax records  Look at all the children’s census and cemetery records because parent move close to their children in their old age.  Look at sibling’s census and cemetery records  Estimate age of death, siblings usually live to the same decade.

DETERMINE WHAT POSSIBLE RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AND OFF

TIME AND PLACE DETERMINE AVAILABLE RECORDS  Use FamilySearch.org wiki or the Red Book or Handybook to determine when records start in city, county, and state  Social Security Death Index is only good for deaths after 1937, 98% Death indexed in The index does not include everyone that registered for Social Security.  Death certificates mandated by Federal Government 1911, some states didn’t comply until Some large cities have death records or registers as early as  Obituaries became more common in the later part of the 1800’s and early 1900s. During the depression period obituaries declined.  Church records  Funeral homes  Cemetery  Newspapers  Bible Records  Taxes  Land Records  Probate

Delaware:1860New Jersey:1878 Florida:1865New York:1880 Hawaii:1850Rhode Island:1853 Iowa:1880Vermont:1770 Massachusetts:1841Virginia:1853 Michigan:1867Wisconsin:1876 New Hampshire:1840Washington, D.C.:1871 The earliest cities to require civil registration were New Orleans (1790), Boston (1848), Philadelphia (1860), Pittsburgh (1870), and Baltimore (1875). Fourteen states also initiated registration before 1880:

ONLINE SEARCH

LOOK FOR INDEXES THEN ORIGINALS  Check FamilySearch.org Catalog and Wiki (Titles in Catalog- maybe the same index or record online. Do not look at a record twice.)  Wiki- look at date records started, look for links to repositories as well as online indexes

INDEX LINKS  and  Death Index Online   Note which books, films or sources have been searched to save time later  Search both Vital Record Search Engine and Use the card Catalog  Findagrave.com.

INDEX PRINTED IN PERIODICALS  CHECK PERSI (AncestralQuest or Ancestry.com): Many local historical and genealogical societies have published birth and death records in their periodicals, newsletters, and journals; they should be examined whenever available.  CHECK PERSI Bible Records, Cemetery Indexes, Obituary Indexes

INDEXES CREATED BY LOCALS Local Archives and Libraries  Google: name of city or county + library  Call and ask names of local cemeteries, newspapers and obituary indexes

PROBLEMS FINDING NAMES IN INDEXES, I.E. DEATH CERTIFICATES  Common or nick names  Spelling of name especially surname changed,  Initials  Women listed as Mrs.  Indexers misread name such as “L” for “S”  Right-of-privacy laws restrict access to certificate

OFF LINE SEARCH

CEMETERY RECORDS 2 TYPES OF CEMETERY RECORDS 1.Sexton’s Records 2.Tombstone or Gravestones

Sexton’s Records Provide ~ Names and dates of those buried. They are not obliged to share these records.

Sexton may also provide Maps of burial plots Salt Lake City Cemetery

HOW TO CONTACT SEXTONS Google, Rootsweb sites BYU “Cemeteries of the United States” Organized by County “United States Cemetery Addressbook” Organized by State and Town

AFTER CHECKING ONLINE GO TO THE LIBRARIES

LOCAL LOOKUPS  LDS ward clerks can get the phone number of the local branch president or bishop. Call and ask for a local genealogist, or someone who might do a look up.  Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.org  Association of Professional Genealogist  ICAPgen

Example of a complete and informative Death Certificate

HOW TO FIND VITAL RECORDS  What you need to know:  Ancestor’s name, time period and locality of vital event.  How do you find this information?

Censuses. Biographies. Cemetery records. Bibles. Court records. Funeral homes. Genealogies. Land records. Local histories. Naturalization records. Newspaper notices. Pension files. Probate files. SEARCH OTHER RECORDS, IF NECESSARY, TO FIND CLUES ABOUT THESE EVENTS. RECORDS WHICH MAY CONTAIN AT LEAST THE YEAR OF A BIRTH OR DEATH INCLUDE:

HOW TO FIND VITAL RECORDS  Wiki.familysearch.org Wiki.familysearch.org  Progenealgist.org

HOW TO FIND FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY CATALOG DEATH RECORDS  Look in by  Locality: town, county and state o Use Topic of “Vital Records Index” and Vital Records”  Use Indexes to locate your individual then go to actual records  Sometimes FHL ONLY has index  Look at Cemetery, Obituaries, Newspapers, Probate, Land

SOME EXAMPLES BY STATES  Connecticut – an early state  Records by town by 1658  Special collections available o Barbour Collection o Hale Collection

SOME EXAMPLES BY STATES  Nebraska  No records per se at Family History Library  Look at Catalog for Vital Records in Nebraska. We find: o Substitute Records are Newspaper Abstracts o Nebraska Vital Records Index Nebraska Vital Records Index

OTHER SOURCES FOR VITAL RECORDS AT THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY  DAR and Genealogical Organizations publish extractions

CAN LOOK LIKE THIS…

Records at the Family History Library  Newspaper Abstractions [book form many times]

CAN LOOK LIKE THIS… “Abstracts of Cazenovia, NY” Newspaper Extractions FHL B32a

OR LIKE THIS…

NEWSPAPERS U.S. Newspaper Program U.S. Newspaper Program Index both existent papers and location of microfilms or digital links.. Look at local university library catalogs for microfilm. Example: FHL, BYU, U of U, Utah State Newspapers in microfilm. You can borrow the films through Orem City or BYU Interlibrary loan.

PROJECTS TO IDENTIFY NEWSPAPERS Each state's largest newspaper repository. inventoried holdings in public libraries, county courthouses, newspaper offices, historical museums, college and university libraries, archives, and historical societies. Online links

CLICK ON STATE OR SCROLL DOWN

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DIGITALIZE

LINK TO STATE COLLECTION: GEORGIA

OTHER SOURCES FOR VITAL RECORDS  Collections and Postings on the Internet such as:  www. familysearch.org www. familysearch.org

INTERNET SITES THAT LINK TO VITAL RECORDS  www. Progenealogist. com/genealogysleuthb.htm

OTHER INTERNET SITES

 Used to be Wee~monster site

OTHER INTERNET SITES  o Search Vital Records

OTHER INTERNET SITES

OTHER INTERNET SITES  Linkpendium.com USA

OBITUARIES  Newspapers, Online (Progenealogist.com)  Locate the local papers  Check Ancestry.com obituary collection  Check World Vital Records 

CEMETERIES ONLINE  Use Animap to create a list of cemeteries  Google the cemetery-some have their own online indexes  Search Find A Grave and Linkpendium

The two types of Cemetery Records: Sexton’s Records Tombstones or Gravestones These may be transcribed and found in publications.

HOW TO FIND TRANSCRIPTIONS OF CEMETERY RECORDS IN THE FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY AND ELSEWHERE…

ONE FHL TOOL: “THE CEMETERY RECORD COMPENDIUM” 1979 BY JACK STEMMONS, FHL [HAS A KEY TO FORMAT] LISTS SOME OF THE LIBRARY CEMETERY RECORD HOLDINGS USES FHL FILM NUMBERS

OTHER TOOLS FOR FINDING TRANSCRIPTIONS OF CEMETERY RECORDS Library Catalog Topics: Cemeteries Vital records Also found under Newspapers and Obituaries PERSI

THE FHLC CAN PROVIDE CEMETERY HELPS LIKE “INDEX TO UNITED STATES CEMETERIES”

LET’S DO A SEARCH FOR A MRS. ROXANA DAME IN THE NIAGARA, NEW YORK AREA. WE’LL USE THE FHL CATALOG.

4 search paths

L.D.J. December 6, 1884, p 2 c 5 In Royalton, Nov 28, 1884 – Dame- Mrs. Roxana Dame, relict of Samuel Dame age 88 yr., resided here 50 yr. Born Vermont. Early to Canada. 1 st husb. Capt. Cutter with whom came N.Y. 4 children. He died consumption. She mar. Samuel Dame. Members M. E. Church Grandchildren. Miss Sara and Orlanda Dame. Lived with James C. Swift Family, Mrs. Swift being a step- daughter.

Lockport Daily Advertiser is a close match.

HOW CAN WE LOCATE A NEWSPAPER ENTRY?

This shows the location where a copy of the actual newspaper article can be found.

SEARCH 2 PERSI SEARCH 2 PERSI BECAUSE THE CATALOG DOESN’T HAVE WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR IN DRYDEN, TOMPKINS, NEW YORK.

GO TO ONLINE RESOURCES

SEARCH FOR ARTICLES WITH SURNAMES AND CEMETERY RECORD INDEXES

Periodical is New York Genealogical and Biographical Record BYGBR’s Found in at BYU or FHL

This gives tombstone readings

THE SEXTON’S RECORDS FOR WILLOW GLEN CEMETERY LOOK LIKE THIS…

Newspaper Transcripts Another source for Cemetery or Obituary Records is Newspaper Transcripts

A valuable source of older record information Easier to find than original copies.

ABSTRACTS CAN LOOK LIKE THIS… They can provide good information.

CANNOT THE FHL CANNOT HOUSE MICROFILMS OF ALL NEWSPAPERS. IT HAS SOME. THE FHL CAN BE A GOOD SOURCE FOR INDEXES TO NEWSPAPERS.

NEW YORK TIMES INDEX GOOD EXAMPLE OF A NEWSPAPER INDEX IS THE “NEW YORK TIMES INDEX”

Use the index to locate actual articles.

LOCATING AN ACTUAL OBITUARY CAN BE VERY VALUABLE IN GATHERING FAMILY HISTORIES.

DIGGING UP THE DEAD IS A GREAT OCCUPATION THAT LEAVE A TRAIL OF UNDERSTANDING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

 President Hugh B. Brown declared to a group of us when the Priesthood Genealogy Committee was first organized that “missionary work is going forward in the spirit world at an accelerated pace, compared to how it is going forward in our earthly existence...

 Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.” Thomas S. Monson, “The Key of Faith,” Ensign, Feb. 1994, 2.