I think Philadelphia county or city were the only ones in the state of Pa. who did death records from 1850-1906 as was required by state law enacted in 1850? I checked Dauphin county and according to their records only five people died from 1850-1906. Not until 1906 did the state start enforcing the death record requirement. Nelson I have one ancestor who died in late 1859 in Philly. Philly didn't start the death registrations until 1860, so there was no death cert for him. However, he was located in the mortality schedule which provided all the same info that would have been on the death cert. Another, though she died when there were death certs, I've been unable to find a death cert for, but she was found in the mortality schedules, so I now have her date of death, age at death, cause, etc. Not all states have these, but PA does. You'll find these in the census listings on Ancestry. ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.