This won't help you with Maryland, but for anyone interested in Sussex County, DE, I have looked, without success, for a coroner's report for a Jonathan Short. His 1793 probate administration shows expenses paid both to the coroner, and also for witness fees at an inquest. I checked first with the DE Archives (the most likely repository), and they did not have anything about it. I also checked with the DE Historical Society and came up empty-handed. I then corresponded with Hal Brown, Deputy Director of the Delaware Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Mr. Brown went WAY above the call of duty, and sent me this response (within 3 days): I am sorry to report that we do not have a single record here prior to 1955. Delaware established a medical examiner system in 1955 to work alongside of the pre-existing coroner system. It was not until about a decade later in 1964 that the system became successful. In 1970, after 15 years of uphill battles with supporters of the antiquated coroner system, it was abolished, resulting in a statewide medical examiner system. Just to be positive, I personally visited our archives today and there is simply nothing in existence here, prior to 1955. Whereas the Delaware archives did not have the record you are seeking, I would next check with the Delaware Historical Society _http://delgensoc.org/dehisrec.html_ (http://delgensoc.org/dehisrec.html) and also see what they have. I'm sure you are probably already aware of Delaware Genealogical Abstracts from Newspapers. Volume 3: Delaware Marriages and Deaths from the Newspaper? Might be worth a peek, but who knows… (I do not have a copy or would check right now for you). If nothing else, it might serve as a guide to what newspapers were in existence at that time. _http://www.heritagebooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HBI&Affiliate=dkc&Product_C ode=R0030_ (http://www.heritagebooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HBI&Affiliate=dkc&Product_Code=R0030) I haven't been able to locate a newspaper based in Sussex around 1796, so I'm afraid this angle will be a dead-end as well. It's too bad; I think there are many interesting stories which have been lost with the coroners' records. Andrew Huston Folks: I am wondering if anyone is aware of the existence of any coroner's files for Somerset County, Maryland, for the pre-Civil War period. I would also like to know if there were any newspapers published in Princess Anne or elsewhere in the county for that period, and, if so, where any surviving copies might be located. I checked the Nabb Center for both these materials a couple of years ago without success. I'm attempting to verify the details of a bit of old family lore told to me by my grandmother, Mary Letitia Porter Carter (1887-1983), who was born and raised in Somerset and lived there until she moved with my grandfather to Sussex County, Delaware, in the 1930s. Thanks, Dick Carter

Andrew and Dick, I haven't been following your thread too closely, but it seems that Hal Brown, despite his thorough review, doesn't seem to have addressed whether the individual Delaware counties conceivably could have held on to any coroner records without them being passed on to the Delaware Archives, etc. Have you checked with the counties directly? I know that's a long shot, at best, for many reasons, but might be worth a check. Funeral homes sometimes retain broad records, I understand. Would there be some way to check for records you seek through them (if "lines of ownership succession" could be established)? As a side note, it appears that "antebellum" in the case of the transfer in authority from a coroner system to a medical examiner system in Delaware might mean, "prior to the end of the Vietnam War" given that the old system wasn't abolished until 1970 according to Hal Brown's review. :-) Dave Kearney ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2010 2:12 PM Subject: Re: [LDR] Somerset County,MD ante-bellum coroner's records and/or newspapers > This won't help you with Maryland, but for anyone interested in Sussex > County, DE, I have looked, without success, for a coroner's report for a > Jonathan Short. His 1793 probate administration shows expenses paid both > to the > coroner, and also for witness fees at an inquest. I checked first with > the DE Archives (the most likely repository), and they did not have > anything > about it. I also checked with the DE Historical Society and came up > empty-handed. > > I then corresponded with Hal Brown, Deputy Director of the Delaware > Office > of the Chief Medical Examiner. Mr. Brown went WAY above the call of > duty, > and sent me this response (within 3 days): > > I am sorry to report that we do not have a single record here prior to > 1955. Delaware established a medical examiner system in 1955 to work > alongside of the pre-existing coroner system. It was not until about a > decade later > in 1964 that the system became successful. In 1970, after 15 years of > uphill battles with supporters of the antiquated coroner system, it was > abolished, resulting in a statewide medical examiner system. Just to be > positive, I personally visited our archives today and there is simply > nothing in > existence here, prior to 1955. > Whereas the Delaware archives did not have the record you are seeking, I > would next check with the Delaware Historical Society > _http://delgensoc.org/dehisrec.html_ (http://delgensoc.org/dehisrec.html) > and also see what they > have. I'm sure you are probably already aware of Delaware Genealogical > Abstracts from Newspapers. Volume 3: Delaware Marriages and Deaths from > the > Newspaper? Might be worth a peek, but who knows… (I do not have a copy > or > would check right now for you). If nothing else, it might serve as a > guide to what newspapers were in existence at that time. > _http://www.heritagebooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HBI&Affiliate=dkc&Product_C > ode=R0030_ > (http://www.heritagebooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HBI&Affiliate=dkc&Product_Code=R0030) > I haven't been able to locate a newspaper based in Sussex around 1796, so > I'm afraid this angle will be a dead-end as well. > It's too bad; I think there are many interesting stories which have been > lost with the coroners' records. > Andrew Huston > > > > > Folks: > > I am wondering if anyone is aware of the existence of any coroner's files > for Somerset County, Maryland, for the pre-Civil War period. I would > also > like to know if there were any newspapers published in Princess Anne or > elsewhere in the county for that period, and, if so, where any surviving > copies might be located. I checked the Nabb Center for both these > materials a > couple of years ago without success. > I'm attempting to verify the details of a bit of old family lore told to > me by my grandmother, Mary Letitia Porter Carter (1887-1983), who was > born > and raised in Somerset and lived there until she moved with my > grandfather > to Sussex County, Delaware, in the 1930s. > > Thanks, > Dick Carter > > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message