This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Davidson, 1806 and prior NY and Upper Canada Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/FNR.2ACEB/3253.1 Message Board Post: James, I noticed a reply has yet to be posted concerning your request and decided to search the California Death Index for Charles R. Davidson and Benjamin Davidson. Charles died in Los Angeles County (Code 19) on the date you provide without an entry for his mother's maiden name. Benjamin died in Los Angeles County (also Code 19) on the date you provide with Roth as his mother's maiden name. Searching further I found a Virginia Mae Guest born Illinois April 7, 1911, died in Los Angeles County (also Code 19) on October 12, 1997, with her father's surname Davidson and her mother's surname Roth. Perhaps she is a relative. If you have not previously done so, copies of the death certificates can be obtained from Vital Records, California Department of Health, located in Sacramento. The data would include place of residence, place of death, place of burial, as well as other information. It would then be possible to determine what LA County newspaper would be the best candidate for printing an obituary. The holdings of the California State Library in Sacramento include newspapers on microfilm printed in Los Angeles County during the years you are researching. The films are available on ILL. Records of births, deaths, and marriages recorded in California since July 1905 may be obtained from the Office of Vital Records, P.O. Box 730241, 304 S Street, Sacramento, CA 94244-0241; telephone recording 916-445-2684; fax 800-858-5553. For records of some earlier California births, marriages, and deaths, contact the county recorder of the county where the event occurred. I have found that the service and response time is better and faster by writing to the county where the event took place. Information about California vital records, including county recorder addresses, is available at http://vitalrec.com/ca.html. Death record indexes for California from 1940 to 1997 are available online at http://userdb.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi. The contact information for the California State Library is California Section, 900 N Street, Room 200, P.O. Box 942837, Sacramento, CA 94237-0001 telephone: 916-654-0176 http://www.library.ca.gov/ I hope these research tools and resources will assist you and good luck with your quest. John