Jim, The fact that someone shows up in a directory does not prove they are alive, although there is a good chance. One of my ancestors shows up in a city directory 3 or 4 years after his death! I believe it was circa 1920 in the East Bay. But did you check the free Calif Death Index at VitalSearch? It starts with 1905 listings! http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/cadeathm.htm On 9/12/08, James R. Smith <jim@historysmith.com> wrote: > The site is a treasure & is growing. I searched the 1908 SF directory > for my GG-Aunt Frances REUBEN GAGE who I thought died in the 1906 quake. > Guess what? She didn't! Now I need to learn when she died. > > Cheers, > Jim
I definitely concur that the deceased often continue to be listed in directories. This is particularly true of phone books. Usually the family phone is listed in the name of the husband. If he dies but the rest of the family remains in the home, the listing may remain in his name for 20 years or longer. City directories are usually a bit better. I have not seen erroneous listings persist for decades although I'm sure that it happens. But the mechanism for maintaining the listings is obviously different than for phone listings where all that matters is if the bill continues to be paid. Don Eve and Don Krieger Pittsburgh, PA http://www.evendon.com Everything on our site is free and permanent. Loading is very fast. Each page includes a highlighted copy/paste link which you can use for easy online citation. <snip> Jim, The fact that someone shows up in a directory does not prove they are alive, although there is a good chance. One of my ancestors shows up in a city directory 3 or 4 years after his death! I believe it was circa 1920 in the East Bay. But did you check the free Calif Death Index at VitalSearch? It starts with 1905 listings! http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/ca/_vitals/cadeathm.htm On 9/12/08, James R. Smith <jim@historysmith.com> wrote: > The site is a treasure & is growing. I searched the 1908 SF directory > for my GG-Aunt Frances REUBEN GAGE who I thought died in the 1906 quake. > Guess what? She didn't! Now I need to learn when she died. > > Cheers, > Jim ************************** Visit SFGenealogy.com! http://www.sfgenealogy.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message