I read a lot and a lot of my reading is about genealogy and the research tool available and one tool that is over looked in almost every publication I read is the Funeral Record. I am amazed that this tool is not being praised as probably one of the greatest tools there is for a "true genealogist". Here are just a few of the items that one funeral record may contain. See for yourself and then you be the judge. a.. Name of the deceased b.. Husband-wife-widow-er-son- daughter of c.. Charged to d.. Address e.. Order given by f.. How secured g.. Date of Funeral h.. Place of death i.. Residence j.. Funeral service where k.. Time of the funeral l.. Clergyman m.. Certifying Physician n.. His residence o.. Cause of death p.. Date of death q.. Occupation of deceased r.. Single or married s.. Date of birth t.. age in years, months and days u.. Name of Father v.. place of birth of Father w.. Name of Mother x.. Place of Birth of Mother y.. Place of Birth of Deceased z.. Body shipped (if applicable) aa.. Interment at Then it has about 50 lines in reference to the funeral itself, like type of casket, pallbears (some) shaving, haircuts, hose or socks. And lastly, some of the folks who helped pay for the funeral. The reason, I am writing is not to sell funeral records. The reason for writing is I need help in gathering these wonderful tools. Please get out and visit the funeral homes and ask to see these records before, God forbid, they are destroyed by fire, rain or any other disaster. Thanks Marty Crull

I agree with Marty but some caution is advised. I've made contact with numerous funeral homes during my 20-plus years of research. The problem that I encounter is that most will not let you actually see the records as the financial part of the records is considered private as relating to the business. Most will gladly look at the records and give you the information you specifically request, but ask for time to do so as the various families needing their assistance at the present time come first and foremost. However, once in a while you'll find a secretary who is not aware of the owners' guidelines and will give out the entire record of an individual including funeral expenses and payments. Also you may get lucky and be able to view the older records yourself but this may be a rare instance. My suggestion is to approach the funeral home owners with caution and 200% courtesy. Let them know that you are only after the genealogical data. Don't overload them at one time with numerous requests. Ask for only your direct ancestors rather than aunts/uncles/cousins unless you have some problem with a direct ancestor for which you hope that aunt/uncle's records will solve. In the end you may end up with more information than you requested. If they don't charge for the copies, give them something for at least the supply costs. The employee is being paid anyway, but even some additional funding will be appreciated and may later help you if you have to request for other records. And above all don't forget to thank the owner and employees for their time, efforts and consideration of your request(s). Sometimes you may get more cooperation if you mention you're related to someone in the community who might be well-known or that you're a member of a family who has used that particular funeral home many times for the family needs. I've found that this usually will let me get into records or at least obtain them with full cooperation especially if you don't live in the area. It helps when they know one of your relatives personally and can verify the relationship if needed. My parents, great-aunts/uncles and even my husband's aunts/uncles have opened doors in places where I probably wouldn't have even got a toe in. The deceased members of your family can still be an aid years after their deaths. Also, if you happen to know that some relative didn't have any children, contact the funeral home to find out who had made the arrangements for the funeral services. A personal possession such as a family bible may still be in that person's possession. I was able to obtain my gr-gr-gr-aunt's family bible this way. She had only one child. This child (a daughter) did marry but did not have any children and died before her husband. The husband had a friend take care of his arrangements. I visited the friend who said he had a bible but didn't know if there was any family information in it. I was able to view it and wrote down the information for fear that asking for the bible would end up in a negative situation. After I had written down all the family data, the gentleman noted that I really did have an interest in that family and asked if I would like the bible. I jumped at the chance immediately. Debbi Geer __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo http://search.yahoo.com