In a message dated 4/13/2007 10:16:04 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, hnunnie@frontiernet.net writes: How do I go about getting an "Inquest" or "Coroners Report", as both deaths required an "inquest is pending" on their death certificates. One shot himself - the other died with a blow to the head - fractured skull. I ordered one from Buffalo, NY a few years ago. I wanted more detail than was on the death cert, since all it said was my great grandfather died from scalding. I wrote to City Hall and asked how to get it, they came thru rather quickly with it and did not charge me, which I thought interesting. My guess is what you are looking for is at the Archives. You might want to be patient and wait for the index to be completed. _http://www.westchestergov.com/wcarchives/_ (http://www.westchestergov.com/wcarchives/) Series 74 Coroner's Inquests Index. 1886-1925. 2 v. Alphabetical. The records which these volumes index are not in the Archives. Each entry includes the name of the deceased (if known), date of the inquest, date of filing in the County Clerk's office, and the name of the Coroner. Cause of death is not noted in this index. Series 266 Coroners' Inquest Records, 1800-1911 (bulk 1805-1843, 1905) 3 cubic ft. Chronological in two subseries Inquests, also referred to as inquisitions, by the coroner into causes of death. For the most part, the inquests from the 19th century include the name of the deceased (when known), gender, and presumed cause of death; many note the condition and position of the body when found; and some the date of death. The towns where the deceased were found are noted, but the towns where they lived are not recorded. Each inquest is signed and sealed by the coroner, the foreman, and a panel of witnesses or jurors. The records also include one coroner’s warrant and one ante-mortem inquisition. A significant percentage of the deceased covered by these records were discovered on the side of a road, lying on a beach, or floating in a body of water, often in an advanced state of decay. Many of the deaths were witnessed, however, and took place in houses, barns, or off of boats. Between ten and fifteen percent of the deceased were not identified. The Coroners’ Inquests are largely devoted to violent, sudden, or unusual deaths. Drowning, accidents and misfortune, suicide, and “the visitation of God” are the four most frequent causes of death. Others include intoxication, syphilis, lightning, and murder. Cases of suicide are usually attributed to bouts of insanity or seduction by the Devil. For ten percent of the legible cases, the cause of death was officially declared unknown. It seems that the determination of cause of death was typically made through visual observation alone; there are only a few inquests that describe autopsies. Due to water damage suffered by the records from the 19th century, part of the page is illegible or nonextant on many of the documents, consequently the cause of death cannot be discerned on about twenty percent of the inquests. The records available for 1905-1911 are fully intact and in fairly standard format. They include testimony of witnesses who either knew the deceased and/or witnessed the death, the report on the body by the examining physician, and the concluding pronouncement of the coroner as to the cause of death. Sometimes the testimony recounts the lineage of the deceased -- where he/she was born and the names and places of birth of his/her parents. One of the primary causes of death for the records available for this period was being struck by a train. Other causes of death included accidental drowning and disease. These records are currently being indexed. Once the index is completed, it will be made available on this website. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.