I rarely consider that "sensitive" information must be published, causes of death certainly could be sensitive. There is, however, another point to consider: when I first started researching some thirty-plus years ago (and no doubt some of the list will have been at it longer still) one was told to look at the source of the information, and not rely on a transcription or (heaven forfend) just an index entry. Whilst appreciating that death certificate information is still a transcription, is it wise to depend on yet another version (even if for free)? Surely one's research should be as accurate as possible, and this does include purchasing a certified copy of a death entry, doesn't it? JK

I think that we would all want a copy of the certificate, but if someone has published here the details of, for example, the birth of Henry Smith in 1863 in Braintree district, then those looking for Henry Smith would know if that particular one was appropriate to purchase or not. And when researching families with common names any clue can help in the saving of wasted purchases. On the sidetracked subject of sensitivity over cause of death, what about DOB of first children? My grandmother always used to be very against the thought of sex before marriage, back in the 60s, saying how wrong it was and how things like that never happened in her day. Since doing family history I have found that her first born arrived 3 days after the marriage! So I suspect that she would not have wanted that made public, even though all of her contemporaries would have known. Unless she had been living with Granda as husband a wife for some time before. Would I publish details of the birth and marriage certificates? Probably as all from those generations are no longer with us. But if it was a generation later? Thoughtfully Steve J K gen wrote: > I rarely consider that "sensitive" information must be published, causes of > death certainly could be sensitive. There is, however, another point to > consider: > > when I first started researching some thirty-plus years ago (and no doubt > some of the list will have been at it longer still) one was told to look at > the source of the information, and not rely on a transcription or (heaven > forfend) just an index entry. > > Whilst appreciating that death certificate information is still a > transcription, is it wise to depend on yet another version (even if for > free)? Surely one's research should be as accurate as possible, and this > does include purchasing a certified copy of a death entry, doesn't it? > > JK > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Any problems, please contact the List Admin: Essex-UK-admin@rootsweb.com > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ESSEX-UK-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >