We are going to see if it will copy into this email. AN ANCESTORS DEATH - A TIME OF "REAPING" Notes from the meeting by Curt Witcher , Manager of the Allen County Genealogy Department on Wednesday, November 3, 1999 At the Eckhart Public Library As a true Historical Researcher, we must be DETECTIVES, ANALYZE, utilize METHODOLOGY and always asking WHY? The most record generating event in a person's life is their death. After the emotional period of a death has occurred, we need the methodology to analyze the records left to us. Be observant to details. a. At death-the Body, Undertaker/burial b. Soul- Church or spiritual services. c. Personal Property/Real Property records. At time of death, the first record is the obituary or death notice. Know the difference between a notice of death and the obituary. The death notice usually states name of individual, date of death and possibly the place of death.* The obituary gives more details, where the individual was born, spouse, where death occurred, siblings, children, church affiliation, etc. Think through the statements in the records. Question WHY?, WHY?, WHY? Be a good detective. Each detail in an obituary can be a source of more records such as cemetery records, church records, funeral records and marriage records. If a person was born in another area or lived in another area, check the papers for that area for a death notice or obituary. Small town newspapers may have more of a history on the individual and the family. What was the religious affiliation. Check for church records, religious newspapers or religious magazines for the period. What professional groups did they belong to? Check records of all groups and private organizations. Check with Libraries and Historical Groups for information about the groups and organizations. Analyze the Obituary it can be a springboard to small town papers that are a rich source of genealogical data. The BODY- Check burial customs of that period. Was it before the time of undertakers? If so, check hardware store records, or other business records. Material needed to be purchased to make a box for burial. Undertaker records. Know the difference between burial records and Funeral Records. The burial records are the cost incurred (Business records). If not a prepaid funeral, they were records of payments for burial from the estate or people who are still living. The Funeral records show date of birth, date of death, informant, lot number, Pall Barers (usually relatives or friends), and may show where individual was born, and possible personal information. If searching in an area out of your locality, check The National Yellow Book of Funeral Directors (if not in your local library, check with your local funeral home for the names of out of town funeral parlors). Funeral Home Directors can be one of your most helpful sources of information, you'll find about 85% of them will be willing to assist you. Remember, most funeral homes are willing to assist, they want your future business. Other records to check: casket company records, Monument company records, Funeral Home Register, Memorial cards, Permits for burial, Always asking Why in analyzing these records. The Soul What was the Church affiliation? Why did they use the service of the Priest or Minister? Was there more than one person officiating at the service? If so, WHY? Question everything and analyze. Play detective. Check the records of the church. Some churches have detailed records showing if the individual transferred from another area, or transferred to another church, baptism records, marriage records, etc. There are some churches where records are sparse, This depends on the church officer. Cemeteries. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION important to check tombstone location. Where are they buried, why buried there? Other relatives in the area? Close friends? Check the cemetery (tombstone) records and the sexton (business) records. On old tombstones, before monument makers, the stone carver may have carved his name on the lower part of the stone, Look carefully at the tombstone front and back for clues, if there are symbols or art work, ask WHY and analyze. Some monument makers puts out a temporary monument, if so, check for possible clues. One must have an inquisitive mind to be a good historical researcher. CIVIL Records-Find out when death records were first required in the state, then focus on towns. They may have recorded deaths before the state. Death registration was first required in Indiana in 1882. A source often overlooked, prior to official death records is the publication of the annual reports of the town. This is especially true in small towns where they often recorded who was born, married or died during the year. Wills and Probate records are essential tools of the researcher. Wills may give clues to the living relatives, disposal of assets, type of assets, clues to the individual's life style, etc. Ask yourself WHY on each part of the record. Analyze, tear it apart, and do not read over important details. When a courthouse makes the statement, Oh that was destroyed in the fire of such and such a time check for other records. If the will was destroyed, check for probate, if they were destroyed check for land records, keep looking and asking yourself How can I find this information in another area. If you go to a cemetery and find flowers or other articles that have been left at a gravesite, that's a clue that there are probably descendents still in the area. It will help to know the information hierarchy in an area. The local library will have published information. The local historical society may have unpublished material. Use each record as a springboard to another record. Never say NEVER. Be a good detective, analyze and ask WHY Notes were taken and compiled by Ruth Camarata and Lucy Funk *On the DeKalb GenWeb Page, we will be adding death Notices in a separate file from the Obituaries for the 1860-1869 era. This will be online in the near future. ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com