{"id":18247,"date":"2016-12-05T11:46:03","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T16:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=18247"},"modified":"2022-01-03T13:49:27","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T18:49:27","slug":"genealogy-101-6-alternatives-to-death-certificates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-101-6-alternatives-to-death-certificates.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy 101: #6 Alternatives to Death Certificates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article \u2013 part of an ongoing \u201cIntroduction to Genealogy\u201d series \u2013 Gena Philibert-Ortega discusses alternatives to death certificates in order to find information about your ancestor\u2019s death. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

You want to confirm your ancestor\u2019s date of death \u2013 so the obvious answer would seem to be that you should order their death certificate. We discussed in the last article in this series (see: Genealogy 101: #5 Death Certificates<\/a>) how to find a death certificate, but what if the state that your ancestor died in wasn\u2019t yet issuing death certificates when your ancestor died? Now what?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to consider some death certificate alternatives.<\/p>\n

Death Certificate Alternatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alternatives to death certificates are numerous, depending on the time period and place you are researching. While a death certificate provides first-hand information on the death date, place, and cause of death, there are other resources that can also provide clues about death.<\/p>\n

To start with, make sure to thoroughly search the FamilySearch catalog<\/span>, your favorite genealogy websites such as GenealogyBank.com<\/a>, and library catalogs for records that document your ancestor\u2019s death. Documents that might provide detailed information on your ancestor\u2019s death include cemetery and funeral home records, wills and probates, and pensions. Or they might hint at a death because the person no longer appears in a record that you would expect to see them in, like a census or tax record (something genealogists refer to as \u201cnegative evidence\u201d).<\/p>\n

Cemeteries and Funeral Homes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Death results in a lot of paperwork. There\u2019s paperwork filled out at the hospital, funeral home, and cemetery. So, don\u2019t end your search with just looking for a death certificate. Unfortunately, depending on the type of cemetery (for example, a small family cemetery versus a city cemetery), there may be little to no paperwork. But it\u2019s worth learning more about the cemetery to make that determination.<\/p>\n

Funeral homes have existed since about the time of the Civil War. While today many smaller family-owned funeral homes have been purchased by larger funeral homes, it\u2019s worth it to inquire about older records. In some cases, they may be housed at the funeral home, been donated to an archive, filmed by FamilySearch, or destroyed.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of one type of document you want to search for: a burial permit.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: burial permit. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also, don\u2019t forget that families may have copies of this paperwork put away in a largely forgotten drawer or closet.<\/p>\n

Home Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Home sources are defined simply as genealogically relevant materials you have in your home, or in the home of a relative. Clues to a death date or death information may come from materials kept by family members, such as funeral or memorial cards, newspaper clippings, pension paperwork, photos of the funeral, a post-mortem photo with information written on the back, or a family Bible entry. It\u2019s always important to question family members about any information they may have tucked away in a forgotten box or file.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: funeral card. Credit: Gena Philibert-Ortega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wills\/Probate<\/strong><\/p>\n

What other types of records report a death? Well, one record that is often overlooked is a probate or will. Most people think \u201cmy ancestor wasn\u2019t rich so he\/she didn\u2019t have a will.\u201d But wealth is not a good indicator for the presence or absence of a will or probate proceeding. Even those who died without a will, called intestate, may have had subsequent probate proceedings to distribute land and possessions, or to pay creditors.<\/p>\n

An online collection of old newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, can be helpful in finding these court actions. Legal notices, typically found in the back of the newspaper, report on pending probate hearings as a notification to potential creditors.<\/p>\n

\"Probate<\/a>
Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho), 26 March 1916, page 13<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other types of probate articles may also be found in the newspaper, like this 1914 Michigan list of probate actions including guardianship matters.<\/p>\n

\"Probate<\/a>
Jackson Citizen Patriot (Jackson, Michigan), 6 March 1914, page 5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Keep Looking at the Newspaper<\/strong><\/p>\n

You already know that most (not all) deaths mean an accompanying obituary, right? Sure, but there are many other types of newspaper articles that document a death. Just a few to consider:<\/p>\n