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Genealogy Death Records: Cause of Death

Records of our ancestor’s deaths can reveal vital clues that help with tracing the family tree. Genealogists have long recognized the importance of the information held in these records such as names, dates and places.

However quite often, family historians want more than the dry facts. We want to get to know our ancestors through the paper trails they have left behind. Even more importantly, we sometimes want to learn more about a family history of disease.

 

Causes of Death in Your Family Tree

While obtaining these records has become easier over the years, understanding the cause of death is often a conundrum.  Whether they are natural or accidental, causes of death can be extremely perplexing.

Even when they seem straight forward, like in the case of P. Sinclair whose death record stated lost at sea.  After a good deal of research went into determining where he was lost at sea it was discovered that the term was often applied to sailors who had celebrated a little too heavily while on leave and drowned from drunkenly falling off the dock.

Making things more difficult are archaic medical terms that seem quite bizarre to our 21^st century minds. It is hard to know what is meant when the cause of death cited is poisoned face.

Not all causes of death on old records are as extreme as the example above however they can still be a challenge. Here is a look at some common and not so common terms you are likely to run across in your research.

The causes of death found in ancestral records are as diverse and numerous…well, as our ancestors.

If you are interested in tracking this fascinating subject in order to research and document possible hereditary diseases, Genealogy Beginner recommends using our Major Milestones Tracking Form. Download yours today with your 30 Day FREE Trial.

 

Genealogy News: Over 172 Million New Records for your Family Tree

October has been a very busy month for family tree enthusiasts on the internet and genealogy Sites are bursting at the seams with new records on an international scale. There are new additions to databases from Canada, Europe, Ireland, Scotland England and the US, giving a combined total of 172,082,000.00 plus records. All made available in October alone.

The new records come in great variety, from Home children, Poor Law Immigrants, land records, baptisms, marriages, deaths, prison records, estate files and much more.

North American Records

In Canada, additions were made to the Home Children database at Library and Archives Canada with 20,000 new names added.  The new names, extracted are from the Canadian Passenger lists collection 1925 to 1932.  Each record contains the name and age of the child, name and type of ship along with both the dates and ports of arrival and departure.

Another October contribution from Canada comes via Olive Tree Genealogy and includes a database of Poor Law immigrants 1836 to 1871.  The English Poor Law was legislation that made immigration available to very poor UK citizens living in workhouses. The law allowed immigration to the British Colonies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Thanks to Olive Tree, there is a new compilation of immigrants from 23 ships available on their site.

With the addition of 134 million newspaper articles GenealogyBank leads the pack for this resource while FamilySearch backs up the US contribution with 281,000 estate files for North Carolina 1663 to 1917.

For military records look to FindMyPast, they have published approximately 10,000 records of allied POW’s for WWII.  These records are of soldiers who had escaped or attempted escape from POW camps through central Europe. The information available in this record collection is name, rank, serial number and references to files kept in the National Archives. You may also find references to the POW camp where the prisoner was held, along with their date of capture.

European Records

FamilySearch has done it again with the addition of 220,000 plus land records originating from the Czech Republic.  The land records cover the period 1450 to 1850 and can be accessed through “Browse-Only” also known as Waypointing (see, LDS Family Search: How to access un-indexed records for the Genealogy Beginner).  The images themselves largely predate parish records and although the value of these resources cannot be questioned translation may be necessary.

(In addition to this, FamilySearch has also made 289,000 images available containing the land records of Guam 1898 to 1964.)

New Records from Great Britain

October online searches continue to amaze as Irelands, FindMyPast includes Irish Prison Records 1790 to 1924.   This record set contains 2.7 million records and is a first time online premier. Director of FindMyPast, Brian Donovan states, “These records provide an invaluable resource for anyone tracing their Irish ancestors, as during the period covered almost every household in Ireland had a convict in their family. These records provide such a wealth of information that they are sure to shock and surprise almost anyone looking for the missing links in their Irish family tree.”

Chalk up another fantastic genealogical resource to The Ireland Genealogy Project. With an update to the Royal Irish Constabulary records, this collection covers Derry/Londonderry, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Longford and Offaly for 1845. Best of all it access to the records are entirely free.

Those of you with Irish roots will be even more excited to know that Roots Ireland and IrishGenealogy have also had a very busy October. Over 543,000 birth and baptism records for Waterford have been added to the Roots Ireland database. With a substantial contribution of their own, IrishGenealogy has included more Roman Catholic Church records covering Carlow, Cork, Dublin and Kerry.  IrishGenealogy is the website of the Irish government and access is free of charge.

In Scotland, FamilyRelatives offers up a banquet of trade directories, adding over 80 volumes from Pigot’s Directory Scotland.  The Directories cover the years 1825 to 1826, 1837, 1902 and 1912.

More New Records From Great Britain

Not to be outdone by their neighbors, the UK’s GenesReunited, Anscestry.co.uk, and TheGenealogist.co.uk all have made an October contribution.

GenesReunited has updated their already considerable collection with 35 million parish records. Included in this compilation are baptismal, marriage and death records in addition to Boyde’s Marriage Index 1538 to 1840. Access to these records requires a subscription that is well worth it.

If you have been looking for parish records from Warwickshire and Dorset with Dorset Poor Law records inclusive, then you should check out Ancestry.co.uk. The new record additions cover a wide span beginning in 1910 with some records reaching into the 1500’s.

Finally yet importantly, TheGenealogist.co.uk released the 1911 census records for Wales, Kent and the Isle of Man. Available with these long awaited records are high-resolution images, in color.

October Wrap Up

What an incredible ancestor filled October it has been and how fitting during Family History Month to have so many additional resources contributed.  For more information on how to access these great new records, existing members can join us on the forums at Genealogy News and Events

If you are not yet a member, take advantage of our two-week free trial and join us on the forums today.

Death Records | Obituary Searches | The LDS Family History Library

The Family History Library, located at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (often referred to as the LDS) houses the largest collection of genealogical information in the world. Originally founded in 1894 by the Genealogical Society of Utah, the library is committed to recording on microfilm all public record data such as births, deaths, marriages, deeds and wills.

 

 

The web site
You can visit the web site of the Family History Library to get information about the library’s location and its history. You will find that this website has one of the richest sets of online sources available, and can be very helpful in preparing for your search.

http://www.familysearch.org/

Preparing for your visit
By clicking the “library” tab at the top of their web page, you can locate directions to the library, information about hotel accommodations, and a layout of the library records.

The library is located at 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It will probably require a bit of planning to travel there, so set a date for yourself (even if it’s a year or more away) and start saving your pennies.

Note the library’s hours. With the exception of Sundays and seven other days each year, the library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The library is 142,000 square feet and covers 5 floors. You’ll want to plan ahead.

LDS orientation
Upon entering the library, stop by the orientation center. You will want to attend the orientation session to become familiar with this sizable library. Four of the five floors are open to the public. Make sure you get a guidebook, which can help you use almost every system in the library.

You might want to check out the schedule of the various classes that are available throughout the day. Look for any classes focused on death records and how to manage obituary searches. These classes are free and given by volunteers and staff members to aid in your use of the databases and resource information. Plan your day around the classes. Like the orientation, these classes are extremely valuable.

Doing death record research and obituary searches
Take advantage of the more than 70 computer research terminals available at the library. Use a stand-up computer for quick searches. (Use is limited to about 15 minutes; utilize a sit-down computer for up to one hour.) If they’re all full, you’ll find more computers one block away in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The computers there also have access to the library indexes and are recommended for beginners.

You can check out up to five films or five books at a time. Don’t forget that these are available for use in the library only. Don’t let yourself get stuck for too long. Your visit is too costly and valuable to waste being lost. Don’t forget there are assistants there to help patrons learn how to search, but not to find the information for you.

Print out information from a computer costs about a nickel per page, and photocopies are about the same price. You can also get microfiche printouts for about 20 cents a page. If you want, you can also download data onto your own disks or purchase disks from the library. (Be prepared to wait in line to make copies.)

You’ll want to plan to spend at least half a day getting oriented and another two days on research. Keep in mind that research can be quite exhausting. Plan ahead by creating a schedule for yourself. The LDS Family History Library is the single best source of death records under one roof. Their resources for obituary searches are bar none.

 

 

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