Can I Trust the Informant's Information When Only His/Her Last Name Is Given? -- Thomas H. Nelson's Death Certificate

Thomas H. Nelson, son of Robert and Jane (Watson) Nelson.  I searched for this death certificate knowing, or at least hoping, that it would name his parents, thereby confirming some already-collected information. 

This is the death certificate.

This is the transcription.

State of Ohio
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Certificate of Death
PLACE OF DEATH   County of Jefferson   Registration District No. 2698   File No. 43634
Village of Mingo Jct    Registered No. 45.
  2   FULL NAME   Thomas H. Nelson
PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
  3   SEX   Male
  4   COLOR OR RACE   White
  5   Widowed
  6   DATE OF BIRTH   Jan 31, 1842
  7   AGE   76 yrs.   5 mos.   27 da.
  8   OCCUPATION   Retired
  9   BIRTHPLACE   Ohio
PARENTS [lines 10-13]
10   NAME OF FATHER   Robert W. Nelson
11   BIRTHPLACE OF FATHER   England
12   MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER   Don’t Know
13   BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER   England
14   THE ABOVE IS TRUE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE
        (Informant)              Nelson
        (Address)    Steubenville O
15   Filed   July 30 , 1918      G. E. Fithen
                                                     Deputy Registrar
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
16   DATE OF DEATH   July 27, 1918
17   I HEREBY CERTIFY, That I attended deceased
from Dec. 20", 1917, to July 26, 1918
that I last saw him alive on July 26, 1918,
and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 10 34 a m.
The CAUSE OF DEATH was as follows:
Chronic Interstitial Nephritis
(Signed) Edward J. G. Sanders , M. D.
July 29" , 1918            (Address)   Steubenville, O....
18   [blank]
19   PLACE OF BURIAL OR REMOVAL  Union      DATE OF BURIAL  July 30, 1918
20   UNDERTAKER   D. F. Coe   Steubenville O

Comments
I was surprised to see Thomas H.'s father's name as "Robert W. Nelson" on this record.  To date, every document I've found (there are at least eight of them) with Robert Nelson's name on it gives his name as "Robert Nelson" or "Robert Nelson Sr."  Other than on FamilySearch Family Tree (where another researcher chose to include the W.), this is the first time I find "my" Robert Nelson identified as "Robert W. Nelson," and the first record in which I see him with that middle initial.  Can it be accurate?  Should the number of documents I have indicate whether to include that middle initial?

The informant's last name is the only one given.  Who might it be?  Thomas H.'s son?  Robert's brother?  Or possibly a grandson of Thomas H.?  Can I trust the information from an unknown informant?  How well did he/she know the family?  Where did the information of Robert's name come from?  I understand that any informant can give the wrong information, including a close relative, one who doesn't really know the family, or one who assumes information.  And I realize that no informants were alive at the birth of their parents.  But I'm really hesitant to accept this informant's information, especially because it is the only time I've seen Robert Nelson with the middle initial of W.

I had so hoped this record would settle that problem of the "W" middle initial.  Not yet, I guess.  And does it really matter in the long run?

I did not expect to see Jane Watson's name on this record.  The moms and their maiden names usually seem to be forgotten, or not known.

How much weight do you put on information given by an informant, whether or not you know who it is?

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2025 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

A Reliable Informant for Mary A. Nelson's Death Certificate

I particularly love my ancestors who shared their family history, or at least their parents' names, with their children and spouses.  Since the early 1900s, Ohio death certificates ask for the first and last names of the deceased's parents and the mother's maiden name, as well as where they were born (though I have yet to learn a hometown from a death certificate).  Knowing parents' names makes finding the next previous generation so much easier.

My pursuit of Robert Nelson and his family led me to a record for one of his daughters, Mary A. Nelson.  Mary married William Watters in Steubenville, Ohio, in August, 1867.  Without the fact of their marriage I would be less certain this death certificate was for Robert and Jane Nelson's daughter.    

Below is Mary A. (Nelson) Watters's death certificate (viewable at FamilySearch with a free account) followed by an extraction of information from the document.

Extracted Information

Ohio Death Certificate for Mary A. Watters
White, female, widow
of 137 Wildon, Steubenville, Ohio
Died Oct 12, 1923, in Steubenville, Ohio, of cerebr[al] hemmorhage [sic]
Born February 4, 1849, in Steubenville, Ohio
Father:  Robt Nelson, born England
Mother:  Jane Watson, born England
Informant:  George Watters
Burial October 15, 1923, at Union Cemetery, Steubenville, Ohio 

A Thought
The informant, George Watters, is likely Mary's son who was born ~1884.  He appears in the 1910 census with his parents, Mary and William, and two other children.  I think it's important to know the identity of the informant.  A reliable informant who is a family member or close friend can provide the golden hint:  the deceased person's parents' names, including the mother's maiden name.  Without that name, it's hard to continue searching for ancestors.  If it happens that I know the informant's name but not the relationship, or don't recognize the name at all, I spend time trying to learn more about the person. 

Now I can more confidently search for a marriage record for Robert Nelson and Jane Watson.

And a Note
Concerning the word "reliable," it's often hard to know when an informant is reliable, and for me, reliability is on a continuum.  A person whose name I don't recognized and is not a family member I would consider unreliable until I researched the person.  I would consider a family member more reliable, but I would still research the individual to ascertain his or her relationship.  And, of course, even a "reliable" informant can give inaccurate information.  A daughter of one of my ancestors gave the information for her father and answered the questions as if for herself instead of her father's information.  The grief of death can rattle a person.  

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2025 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner.  .

Robert Laws's 1881 Death Certificate

Robert Laws is my third great-grandfather.  He died in 1881, five years before his wife Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws.  Family information and this death certificate state that he was a coal miner but I have no way of knowing whether he was still working as a miner in 1881 when he was 71.  I hope he wasn't!

My line from Robert is this:  Robert Laws -->  Elizabeth Jane Laws Doyle -->  William Doyle -->  Gust Doyle -->  Lee Doyle -->  me.

This record comes from the U.K. GRO (General Register Office) in Southport, Merseyside.  I found it it their collection of death certificates, Year 1881, Quarter June, District Morpeth, Volume 10B, Page 200, and purchased it as a PDF copy.

This is a transcription of Robert's death certificate.

Superintendent Registrar’s District   Morpeth
Registrar’s Sub-District   Bedlington.
1881.    DEATHS in the Sub-District of Bedlington  in the County of Northumberland
No.   131
Columns
1.  When and Where Died.   Twenty-seventh June.  1881  Cambois, Bedlington
     N.S.D.
2.  Name and Surname.   Robert Laws
3.  Sex.   Male
4.  Age.   71 years
5.  Rank or Profession.   Coalminer
6.  Cause of Death.   Died suddenly from Natural Causes   (No Inquest held)
7.  Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant.   John Laws.  Son.
     Cambois, Bedlington
8.  When Registered.   Twenty-eight June 1881
9.  Signature of Registrar.  Geo. S. Waterson, Registrar

Comment
I always wish British death certificates gave more information:  birth date, parents' names, time of death, etc.  Maybe their modern ones do....  Still, I'm grateful to know Robert's date and place of death, his occupation, and where he lived.  Sometimes we find little or no information at all.

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 

Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws's 1886 Death Certificate

Elizabeth (Thompson) Laws is my third great-grandmother and wife of Robert Laws.  My father's half-sister, Tressa (Doyle) Wilson told me her name but had little other information. 

My line from Elizabeth is this:  Elizabeth Thompson Laws -->  Elizabeth Jane Laws Doyle -->  William Doyle -->  Gust Doyle -->  Lee Doyle -->  me.

This record comes from the U.K. GRO (General Register Office) in Southport, Merseyside.  I found it it their collection of death certificates, Year 1886, Quarter March, District Morpeth, Volume 10B, Page 218, and purchased it as a PDF copy.

This is a transcription of the record.

Superintendent Registrar’s District   Morpeth
Registrar’s Sub-District   Bedlington.
1886.    DEATHS in the Sub-District of Bedlington  in the County of Northumberland
No.   56
Columns
1.  When and Where Died.   Eighth March 1886.  Cambois, Bedlington, N. S. D.
2.  Name and Surname.   Elizabeth Laws
3.  Sex.   Female
4.  Age.   69 years
5.  Rank or Profession.   Widow of Robert Laws, a Coal miner
6.  Cause of Death.   Hemiplegia 3 months.  3 [causes of death?]  Old age. 
     Hematemesis.  Certified by R. Laing, M. R. C. E.
7.  Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant.   John Laws.  Son. 
     Present at the death.  Cambois, Bedlington
8.  When Registered.   Eighth March 1886
9.  Signature of Registrar.  G. S. Waterson, Registrar

Notes.

• I have been unable to determine the meaning of M.R.C.E after the doctor's name.
• Hemiplegia is paralysis of one side of the body.  Stroke is one cause of hemiplegia
• Hematemesis is vomiting of blood.  Likely causes are a stomach ulcer or severe gastritis (severe inflammation of the stomach lining).
• Elizabeth's son Robert was very prompt in registering her death!
  

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2023 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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Raymond Doyle, Again

Do you have a relative who won't leave you alone, who keeps coming to mind, wanting his or her information to be found?  Raymond is one of those people in my family.  Every few years he gives me a nudge, just about the time some new record set where he might be found becomes available online; or sometimes when I haven't given him a thought for a year or so.  Finding information and records for Raymond, an adopted son, have been a challenge.  In truth, the only information I have comes from family and census records.

Raymond was born between 1904 and 1905.  He was adopted by my great-grandparents, William and Tressa (Froman) Doyle before 1910.  Census records provide the following information.

• 1910:  age  6, adopted son, living with William and Tressa Doyle in Stoneboro, Mercer County, Penna
• 1920:  age 14, inmate living at the State Institution for the Feeble-minded in Polk, Venango County, Penna
• 1930:  age 25, inmate living at the Polk State School for the Feeble-minded, Venango County, Penna
  
• 1940:  age 35, inmate living at the Polk State School (Feeble-minded), Venango County, Penna
  
• 1950:  age 45, inmate living at Mercer County Home, Coolspring Township, Mercer County, Penna  (Image below.)
  

This 1950 census (Penna, Mercer, Coolspring Twp., E.D. 43-3, Sheet 5, Line 3) is my newest record for Raymond.  My memory of meeting him between 1958 and 1960 at the Mercer County home is partially supported by this 1950 U.S. Census.  In the 1920-1940 census records he was living at Polk.  It's possible he was moved to Polk again after 1950 but I doubt it.

Two factors complicate finding what I'd most like to know about Raymond:  his birth records, an adoption record, and his death record.

Factor #1.  Adoption records are sealed in Mercer County Pennsylvania, no matter the date of the adoption.  It might be possible to petition a judge to open Raymond's file but, in fact, I don't know that there was a legal adoption.  Neither do I know his birth surname.  An older family member suggested that he may have been born to the Page family but I could not find evidence to support that idea.

Factor #2.  Raymond likely died in the county home.  I cannot find a burial record, nor even a death record (yet), let alone an obituary.  Pennsylvania death records are available through 1971 but checking the Penna Death Indexes from 1954 through 1971, I did not find a likely candidate for my Raymond Doyle.  A death certificate would probably give a burial location and date--if I had a death certificate.  And finding an obituary seems unlikely for a man who lived in the county home, especially considering that most family members had already died (assuming he died after 1971).  Which also means that no one would have been available to buy a gravestone.

Edited to add:  At the date of this post, Pennsylvania death certificates created after those published online at Ancestry, hence from 1972 to the present, are available for purchase at the Pennsylvania Department of Health.  However, they limit those who may purchase certificates to close family members and some legal representatives.  See the application here.

Once again, I'll put this search to rest for a while and return when other records become available or when a new search strategy comes to mind.  I'm sure Raymond will give me a nudge if I wait too long.

Have you ever petitioned a judge to open an adoption record?  If so, how did it go?  I can't imagine success for that effort without any record that there was, in fact, a legal adoption.

 Previous posts about Raymond

• Raymond  - An Unusual Christmas Memory
• Raymond Doyle, the Adopted Son
• What to Do About Raymond   I decided to add Raymond to my family tree in RootsMagic.
  

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2022 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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When Someone Makes an Inaccurate Change on FamilySearch...

...the only thing to do is prove the point.  People often make changes to some of my ancestors in FamilySearch.  It's the changes to my near relatives that are most frustrating.  (Yes, I do have a touch of Mytreeitis.)   I'm sure they others good intentions but I have a hard time when their changes aren't backed up with documents.   Below is my father's death certificate and a transcription.  I'm posting it here so I can use it as a source on FamilySearch because it's not yet available online anywhere else.

Transcription:

Ohio Department of Health     Division of Vital Statistics     Certificate of Death
Reg. Dist. No. 78      Primary Reg. Dist. No. 7801 
File No. 03937     Registrar's No. 706
  1.    Decedent-Name   Lee Doyle
  2.    Sex   Male
  3.    Date of Death (Mo., Day, Year)   May 19, 1987
  4.    Race   white
  5a.  Age - Last Birthday   74
  6.    Date of Birth   Feb 27, 1913
  7a.  County of Death  Trumbull
  7b.  City, Village...   Warren
  7c.   Hospital...   Trumbull Memorial Hosp.
  7d.   If Hosp... Indicate DOA (etc.)   Inpatient
  8a.   State of Birth   Pennsylvania
  8b.  Citizen of What Country   U S A
  9.    Origin or Descent   American
10.    Social Security Number   XXX-XX-XXXX
11.    Was Deceased Ever in U.S. Armed Forces?   No
12a.   Married....   Married
12b.   Surviving Spouse   Audrey Meinzen
13a.   Normal Occupation   foreman - ret.
13b.   Kind of Busines s or Industry   Copperweld Steel
14a.   Residence-State   OH
14b.   County   Trumbull
14c.   City, Village...   Mineral Ridge
14d.  Street and Number   1431 Furnace St.
14e.  Inside City Limits   No
15.    Father-Name   Gust Doyle
16.    Mother-Maiden Name   Beulah Gerner
17a.  Informant   Audrey Doyle
17b.  Mailing Address   1431 Furnace St. Mineral Ridge Oh 44440
DEATH WAS CAUSED BY:
Immediate Cause / Approximate Interval Between Onset and Death
18a.  Cardiac Arrest / Sudden
18b.  Malignant Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia / 4 days
18c.  Acute Myocardial Infarction / 5 days
19a.  Other Significant Conditions    Ventricular Aneurysm
19b.  Autopsy   No
19c.  Was Case Referred to Coroner   No
20.    [blank]
To Be Completed by Attending Physician
21a.  Nazir Ahmed, MD [signature]
21b.  Date Signed   May 20, 87
21c.   Hour of Death   8:26 AM
21d.  [Physician]   Dr. Nazir Ahmed
22.    [blank]
23.    Name and Address of Certifier    307 Homewood Ave., SE Warren OH 44483
24a.  Burial, Cremation...   Burial
24b.  Date   May 22, 87
24c.  Name of Cemetery...   Kerr Cem.
24d.  Location   Mineral Ridge  Oh
25.    Name of Emblamer  /  ILIC No.   Robert L. Burkhart  / 6782-A
26.    Funeral Director's Signature   Joseph O. Lane [signature]
27.    Funeral Firm and Address   Lane Funeral Home  1350 Canfield-Niles Rd.   Mineral Ridge Oh  44440
28.    Date Rec'd   5/26/87
29.    Registrar's Signature  R V Gracille  M D [signature)
30.    Date Permit Issued  [blank]
31.    Signature of Person Issuing Permit   [blank]

Information of Genealogical Interest
> Name
> Date and Place of Birth
> Date and Place of Death
> Name of Spouse
> Parents' Names
> Name and Location of Cemetery
> Burial Date

Of Interest for Social History
> Where employed and kind of business
> Last address

Of Interest For Medical Purposes
> Cause of death
> Contributing Conditions

Would use more information than I've suggested for genealogical purposes?  Have you ever used a blog post as a source on FamilySearch?  Have you ever seen one used?

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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Frank B. Riss: from Horse Thief to Justice of the Peace?

Like a dog with a bone, I couldn't give up the search for Leota Gerner's first husband, Frank B. Riss, especially when I realized I already had some information about him in RootsMagic.

I was surprised to find this snippet, below, in The Virden (Illinois) Recorder at Old Fulton New York Postcards.  It was published sometime between February, 1909, and September, 1910.  (I've been unsuccessful in maneuvering the Old Fulton website to get more details about the exact date of this article and its specific location in the newspaper.) 

          Girl Betrays Fugitive.
    Betrayed by his sweetheart, who
gave his photograph to the police,
Frank B. Riss, was arrested near
Streator and taken back to Calgary,
Canada, to answer to the charge of
horse stealing.

To be accurate, I have no way of knowing that this is Leota's husband.  The name, Frank B. Riss, is the same as Leota's Frank, who was born in Streator, Illinois.  They could the be same person, or not.  The distance between Streator and Calgary, Canada, is about 1,616 miles by today's highways, but no doubt further in 1909-1910.  This article leaves me with the questions of how many horses were stolen and whether it was worth the expense to transport Frank that long distance.  And, of course, the question of whether this is Leota's Frank or not. 

Ancestry.com shows Frank B. Riss in the 1917, 1918, 1920, and 1921 Youngstown City Directories as an engineer and in 1926 he appears as a Justice of the Peace with the following description.

RISS Frank B.  [Leota]  Justice of The Peace Berlin township, 13 Central Square, 3d floor Diamond Block, Phone 4-1504 h Berlin Center O

 
Next I find him on his 1930 Ohio Death Certificate from FamilySearch with excerpted information below.  (Click on the death certificate to see it full size in a new tab.)

Name.  Frank B. Riss
Place of Death.  South Side Youngstown Hospital,
      Youngstown, Mahoning County
Residence.  1635 South heights, Youngstown
Husband of Mrs. Leota Riss
Date of Birth.  June 6, 1882
Name of employer.   John Gerner
Birthplace.   Streator, Ill.
Date of Death.   Jan 3, 1930
The Cause of Death was Ac. Gangrenous Pancreatitis
Contributory.   Cholelithiasis (a form of gallstones)
Place of Burial.    Lake Park Cemetery
Date of Burial.   6 Jan 1930

And finally, Frank's death certificate led me to his obituary published in The Youngstown Daily Vindicator on Saturday, Jan. 4, 1930, p. 3, col. 5.  (Image from microfilm at Archives Library of the State of Ohio, no online link available.)

      FRANK B. RISS
             TAKEN BY DEATH
               ---------------
  Former Justice of Peace, One-
     Time Sheriff Candidate,
           Dies in Hospital
               ---------------
   Frank B. Riss, aged 47, of 1635
South Heights Ave., prominently
known in Youngstown in the days
of the “raiding” justices of peace,
died of complications at four p.m.
Friday at Youngstown Hospital after
an illness of three weeks.
   Riss was justice of the peace of
Berlin Township for a number of
years and maintained an office in
Youngstown at Boardman and Mar-
ket Sts.  His constables were active
for several years in liquor raids.
   He was born June 6, 1882, at
Streator, Ill., and had lived in
Youngstown for about 15 years.
   He leaves his widow, Mrs. Leota
Riss, and a daughter, Evelyn Riss.
   He also leaves his mother and
father, Mrs. and Mrs. Fred Riss of
Streator; two sisters, Mrs. Henry
Bollmer, Streator, and Mrs. Lester
Kernan, Chicago, and five brothers,
Edward, Albert, Lafe, Jess and Otto
Riss, all of Streator.
   He was married 14 years ago to
Miss Leota Gerner of Youngstown.
He was a member of the M. E.
Church.
   Mr. Riss has lately been in the
trucking business.
   Funeral services will be held at
2:30 p.m. Monday at the home.  The
Rev. N. B. Mathes will be in charge.
Burial will be in Lake Park Cemetery.

Notes and Comments

Based on the information in the obituary

• Frank moved to Youngstown in about 1915.
• He married Leota in about 1916. 
  
• His daughter became Evelyn Riss instead of Beulah E. Riss from previous records.
• He was "prominently known" when he served as Justice of the Peace and was involved in liquor raids.
  

I have lots of questions about the liquor raids, the danger involved for Frank and his deputies, and how Leota felt about that.  This obituary conjures images of smoky speak easies filled with people on the alert for raids.  If Frank was as well-known as the obituary suggests he is probably in new articles in The Vindicator during the 1920s.  What a lot of searching it would require to find him!

I don't know, and my never know, whether the Frank B. Riss, horse thief, is the same person that Leota Gerner married and who became a Justice of the Peace in Mahoning County, Ohio.  What evidence shows me is that Leota Gerner was married to Frank B. Riss, engineer, Justice of the Peace, and truck driver who died on January 3, 1930.  How I wish I could connect the dots--if there are any--through the years between horse thief and Justice of the Peace.

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Susan (Bickerstaff) Curry's 1933 Ohio Death Certificate

Susan (Bickerstaff) Curry is my great-grandfather Edward Jesse Bickerstaff's sister.  Both the children of Ellis and Emma (Nelson) Bickerstaff.  Susan is my grandmother Emma (Bickerstaff) Meinzen's aunt. 

Below is a transcription of Susan's death certificate.

State of Ohio, Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death
1.  PLACE OF DEATH
Stark County, Perry Township, Registration District NO. 1212,  File No. 53108, Primary Registration District No. 5852, Registered No. 442
No.   Massillon State Hospital
2.  Full Name   Susan Curry
(a) Residence  Steubenville, O.
PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
3.  Sex   Female
4.  Color   White
5.  Single, Married, Widowed....  Widowed
5a.  Husband   George Curry
6.  Date of Birth   Dec. 4, 1862
7.  Age   70 years, 9 months, 13 days
8.  Occupation   Housework
9. through 11. [blank]
12.  Birthplace   Steubenville, Ohio
13.  Father's Name   Ellis Bickerstaff
14.  Father's Birthplace   Steubenville, Ohio
15.  Mother's Name   Emma Nelson
16.  Mother's Birthplace   Steubenville, Ohio
17.  Informant   Massillon State Hospital, Massillon, Ohio
18.  Burial, Cremation, or Removal   Place.   Steubenville, Ohio    Date  Sept 19, 1933
19.  Undertaker   J. C. McClave,   Steubenville, Ohio
19a.  Was body embalmed   yes    Embalmer's No.  3788A
20.  Filed   9-18-1933   Registrar  J. H. Williams [signature]
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
21.  Date of Death   Sept. 17, 1933
22.  I hereby certify, That I attended deceased from Sept. 9, 1933 to Sept. 17, 1933.  I last saw her alive on Sept. 17, 1933, death is said to have occurred on the date stated above at 6:50 Am.
The principle cause of death and related causes of importance in order of onset were as follows:
Attack of Epilepsy   Date of onset  3 days ago
Bronchopneumonia    Date of onset 2 days ago
Contributory Causes   Cerebral arteriosclerosis
23.  Was there an autopsy?   No
24.  Was disease or injury in any way related to occupation of deceased?  no
(Signed)   William W. Corwin, M.D. [signature]
Date   Sept 17, 1933
Address   Massillon State Hosp.

Notes and Observations

• My grandmother Emma's daughter, Doris (we called her Aunt Dot), remembered visiting an aunt on her mother's side of the family at an institution that was several hours' drive west from Mineral Ridge (which was in Trumbull County), Ohio.  She couldn't remember the aunt's name but remembered her mother saying that she thought this aunt didn't really need to be in an institution but was there because no one in the family wanted to care for her.  So sad.
  Susan's death certificate says she died at Massillon State Hospital in September, 1933.  I can't help but think Susan is the aunt my grandmother and aunt visited for two reasons:  she is the only relative I've found on my grandmother's side of the family who was in an institution and Massillon was several hours' drive west from Mineral Ridge in the 1930s.
• Lest you think I'm being hard-hearted because of my response that no one wanted to care for Susan at home, I truly can imagine how difficult the situation of a care-giver and family of an epileptic might have been in 1930.  I was unable to find simple, specific information to include here about diagnosis and treatment or whether medication was available at that time but I suspect that there were few preventive measures for seizures in the 1930s.  It would have been hard for Susan and hard for those caring for her.
  
• I wondered how long Susan had been at the Massillon State Hospital.  I found her there in the 1930 U.S. Census but did not find her in any 1920 U.S. Census (at least not yet), which means she was there at least three years before her death.
• I found some great information about the Massillon State Hospital including some beautiful photos.  It was built in 1898, based on the "cottage plan" in which there were multiple buildings used for various purposes.  The grounds were reputed to be beautiful and people picnicked there on Sundays.
  
  
  
  You can read more about the Massillon State Hospital at these websites:
  > Massillon History: State Hospital 
  > Massillon State Hospital for the Insane 
  > Massillon State Hospital (with great photos and a link to more photos and comments from people who lived or worked at the Hospital)
• In FamilySearch's Family Tree someone had attached Susan (Bickerstaff) Curry's death certificate to Susan (Mallernee) Curry despite the difference in maiden names.  Other pieces of information didn't fit, either--parents' names, children's names, birth date, death date, etc.  Only the spouses' names--George Curry--were the same.  I unattached the death certificate.
  

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
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Laura (Bell) Moses - a Deadly Fall

A dozen or so years ago I spent time at the Ohio Archives Library at what was then called the Ohio Historical Society searching their microfilmed Ohio Death Certificate collection to find relatives of ancestors and their newspaper collection for obituaries.  These two documents come from that time.

Whenever I think of ancestors/relatives and accidents, I think of Laura.  She died from a fall off her porch.  Below are her death certificate and extracted information and her obituary and a transcription. 

Laura Bell is my great-grandmother Lydia Bell's sister.  This is our connection, a purely maternal line:  me -> Audrey (Meinzen) Doyle -> Emma (Bickerstaff) Meinzen ->
Mary (Thompson) Bickerstaff -> Lydia (Bell) Thompson. 

Name:  Laura Moses
Place of Death:  Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio
Address:  803 Prospect
PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULARS
Sex, color, etc:  Female, white, married, wife of Theodore Moses
Birth date:  June 20, 1862
Age:   79 years  27 days
Occupation:   Housewife
Birthplace:  Salt Run, Ohio
Father:  Jacob Bell, born Ohio
Mother:  Lydia Fithen, born Ohio
Informant and Address:  Theodore Moses, 803 Prospect Steubenville O
Burial Information:  Murphy Funeral Home, Mingo Jct., Ohio
Filed:  July 25, 1941
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
Date of Death:   July 17, 1941
Doctor's Statement:  He attended deceased from July 14 to July 17, 1941, and last saw her alive on July 16, 1941.
Principle Cause of Death:
    Cerebral Hemorrhage on July 13, 1941, from a fall off of porch
Death Caused by accident:
    Date of injury   July 13, 1941.
    Where did injury occur?  803 Prospect, Steubenville, O
    Specify [where injury occurred]   fall off porch at home
    Manner of injury   Struck side of head & shoulder
    Nature of injury   fall from porch
Doctor:  S. F. Paul, M.D., Steubenville, Ohio     July 21, 1941

The obituary below was published in The Steubenville Herald-Star on Thursday, July 17, 1941, on page 14, column 4.

Injuries Fatal to Mrs. Laura Moses
               ---------------
   Mrs. Laura Moses, 79, died at
her home 803 Prospect avenue at
8:10 a.m. today of injuries re-
ceived in a fall from the porch
at the home on Sunday.
   She is survived by her husband
Theodore Moses and a sister Mrs.
Binnie [sic] Roe.
  The body is at the Murphy
Funeral home in Mingo Junction
and will be taken to the residence
Friday noon. Funeral services will
be held Sunday 2 p.m. at the
home.  Interment will be in the
New Alexander cemetery.

Comments and Observations

• Laura's sister is name "Mrs. Binnie Roe" in the obituary.  I have no doubt this obituary is naming her oldest sister, Lavinia, also known as Vinnie and Viney.  Lavinia married (Wesley) Scott Roe and did not die until 1943. 
• The cemetery in the obituary is recorded as New Alexander Cemetery.  The nearby town was actually New Alexandria.  I'm surprised a local newspaper would make such a mistake.
• The cause of Laura's death reminds me how easy it is for a person to misstep and lose his or her balance.  I find older people, including me, are more susceptible to losing their balance and that, in general, the consequences for them are more dire than for younger people.  A few years ago my foot slipped out from under me at the top of our steps.  I flew down the steps, my bottom bouncing on each one of them.  (I can laugh now.)  At the bottom, I was stunned into stillness for a moment or two.  When I collected my wits, I realized that I had absolutely no damage to any body part.  What a blessing!
• I wonder about Laura's fall.  How high was her porch?  How did her fall happen--down the steps, over the side?  The lot where her home once stood looks like a wooded field on Google maps so I can't learn anything about her porch.  I doubt I'll ever learn more. 
  
• It's amazing the changes to research opportunities over time.  FamilySearch was fairly new when I began research and offered primarily census records.  At the Archives Library it was thrilling to look at an index for Ohio Death Certificates, find a name, look at the film, and learn so much information and, then, be able to find a film with a local newspaper with the same death date and find an obituary, too.  I always felt like I'd hit the jackpot after those research trips.  Of course, it's wonderful to have 24-hour access to records at FamilySearch, Ancestry, and the other resources currently available online.

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner.  .

Jane (Barron) Doyle's 1860 U.K. GRO Death Certificate

Jane Barron was the first wife of my great-great-grandfather, Andrew Doyle.  Since I'm not related to her I wasn't going to write about her again after posting their marriage.  But as I reviewed her death certificate I realized there's an interesting bit of information that relates to Andrew. 

This record comes from UK GRO Death Certificates, Year 1860, Quarter D, Volume 10B, Page 197, Line  2.  Below are her death certificate and its transcription.    

Superintendent Registrar's District  Morpeth
Registrar's District  Bedlington
1860.  Deaths in the District of  Bedlington in the County of Northumberland
No.  154
When Died   Fourteenth October 1860   Guide Post  Bedlington
Name and Surname   Jane Doyle
Sex   Female
Age   23 Years
Rank or Profession   Wife of Andrew Doyle   Coal Miner
Cause of Death   Phthisis Pulmonalis   Certified
Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant   Andrew Doyle   Present at the Death   Guide Post   Bedlington
When Registered   Sixteenth of October 1860
Signature of Registrar   Robert Harbottle  Registrar

Comments and Observations

• Phthisis Pulmonalis is what we now call tuberculosis.  In the 1800s there was no treatment and  those who had it slowly wasted away.  Today it can be treated with antibiotics.
• Based on her age at death, Jane was born in about 1837.
  
• "Guide Post" was mentioned twice in this document, first in response to  "When Died" and again in "Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant."  I wondered what Guide Post could be -- a post in a village (Bedlington?), a road sign, or...?  Research tells me that Guide Post is (and probably also was at the time Jane died) a village located about 17 miles north of Newcastle and about halfway between Ashington and Morpeth.  It's a minor fact but one that could be helpful in researching more about Andrew and the collieries where he worked.  It's a place I would definitely add to a list of locations where he lived.   
  

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Gust Doyle's 1933 Pennsylvania Death Certificate

Gust is my paternal grandfather, the grandfather I never met.  In fact, he is the grandfather I didn't know I had until I was at least 12 or 14.  My father never spoke about his childhood or his family, possibly because the experience was too painful:  he had an unloving stepmother and his father died when he was just becoming an adult.

Below is the transcription of Gust's death certificate, a certificate I purchased from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Health many years ago.  Words in uppercase indicate words filling the blanks in the form.

Certificate of Death, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics
1.  Place of Death     County of   MERCER     Registration District No.  400     File No.  89562
Township of  LAKE     Registered No.   30
2.  Full Name   GUST DOYLE
Personal and Statistical Particulars
3.  Sex   MALE
4.  Color or Race   WHITE
5.  Single, Married, Widowed or Divorced   MARRIED
5a.  If married ... husband of   TWILA DOYLE
6.  Date of Birth  NOV. 17, 1888
7.  Age   44 years  10 months  17 days
8.  Occupation of Deceased   FARMER
9.  Birthplace   STONEBORO, PA
10.  Name of Father   WM DOYLE
11.  Birthplace of Father   ENGLAND
12.  Maiden Name of Mother   TRESSA FROMAN
13.  Birthplace of Mother   ORANGEVILLE PA
14.  Informant   MRS GUST DOYLE     Address   STONEBORO PA
15. Filed   OCT 5, 1933     Registrar   E. Ferringer [signature]
Medical Certificate of Death
16.  Date of Death   OCT. 4, 1933
17.  I hereby certify that I attended deceased from   5 -- 18 -- 1933 to OCT  4  1933, that I last saw him alive on OCT  2d, 1933 and that death occurred, on the date stated above, at 7:10 A.m.
The Cause of Death was as follows:   CARCINOMA OF THE SIGMOID....  I attended deceased from 5 - 18 1933 to Oct 4, 1933... last saw him alive on OCT  2d, 1933 ... death occurred at 7:10 a.m.     (duration) 1 yrs.
Contributory   46
18.  Did an operation precede death?   YES     Date of   MAY 18--1933    Was there an autopsy?   NO
Signed G W KAHLE, M.D.     10--5  1933     (Address)   HADLEY PA
19.  Place of Burial     OAK HILL     Date of Burial   OCT 6  1933
20.  Undertaker   A. M. YEAGER [signature]     Address   STONEBORO PA

Comments and Observations

• Gust's wife, the informant, gave his occupation as farmer.  He had also been a coal miner while farming.  Both of them must have identified his primary work as farmer.
  
• The term "sigmoid" here refers to the part of the colon just before the rectum.  Gust died from colon cancer, but he'd had several surgeries including a colonscopy, which may or may not have hastened his death.  A cousin referred to the doctor who did the surgeries as a "butcher," a term probably heard from her mother, my father's half-sister.  Who knows but whether Gust may have survived the cancer, or at least survived longer than a year, if he'd been alive now
• There are several numbers on this certificate that seem out of place:  "400" near the top of the page; "45-12-81" just below that, and "46" on the line for contributory cause of death.  I wondered if they were cause of death codes (ICD), so did some research.  I found that the codes were and continue to be updated every few years.  The 1929 version tells me that code 46 is "Cancer of the digestive organs and peritoneum."  That doesn't seem quite right but the next revision of the ICD is 1938, five years after Gust's death.  None of the other numbers are anywhere close to colon cancer.
  
• The International Codes on Death (or International Causes of Death, I've seen if referred to as both) can be found here at Wolfbane (http://www.wolfbane.com/icd/index.html), where you can find the codes for these years:  1893, 1900, 1909, 1920, 1929, 1938, 1948, 1955, 1965, 1975, and 1990.  The codes are changed or updated about every 10 years or so.
• See Ancestry.com for Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1967.   You'll need to either have a subscription or have access through a public library.
  

As is true whenever a person dies, many people are affected.  Gust's death was devastating for my father.   His widow was left with five young children and a farm.  And his parents had lost their only son who had been farming the land they purchased to begin farming. 

-–Nancy.

Copyright ©2021 by Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Alexander Bell's 1922 Ohio Death Certificate

Alexander Bell is my great-great-grandmother Lydia (Bell) Thompson's older brother.  Their parents were Jacob and Lydia (Fithen) Bell.

This is a transcription of this death certificate.  Words in all uppercase are the responses.

State of Ohio, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Certificate of Death
1  Place of Death
County COLUMBIANA, Registration District No. 227, File No. [blank]
Township HANOVER  Primary Registration District No. 4338  Registered No. 36842
or Village KENSINGTON
2  Full Name  ALEXANDER BELL
Residence [blank]
Personal and Statistical Particulars
3  Sex  MALE
4  Color or Race  WHITE
5  Single....  MARRIED
6   Date of Birth  MARCH 6th 1848
7  Age  74 years, 4 months, 2 days
8  Occupation of Deceased  FARMER   General nature of industry  FARMING
9  Birthplace  OHIO
10  Name of Father  JACOB BELL
11  Birthplace of Father  OHIO
12  Maiden Name of Mother  LYDIA FITHIAN [sic]
13  Birthplace of Mother  OHIO
14  Informant  MARY C BEALL   Address  KENSINGTON
15  Filed  7/10, 1927  J. N. Sinclair, Registrar
Medical Certificate of Death
16  Date of Death  July 8th 1922
17  I hereby certify that I attended deceased from JULY 1ST, 1922 to JULY 8, 1922, that I last saw hIM alive on JULY 7, 1922 and that the death occurred, on the date stated above, at 1:20 AM.
The Cause of Death was as follows:  ARTERISCLEROSIS [sic], duration 2 yrs.
Contributory MITRAL HEART INSUFFICIENCY (duration) 1 yrs.
18  Where was disease contracted if not at place of death?  [check mark]
Did an operation precede death?  NO
Was there an autopsy?  NO
What test confirmed diagnosis?  [indecipherable]
Signed  Dr. C. C. [indecipherable]
JULY 8, 1922   (Address) E. ROCHESTER
19  Place of Burial  GROVE HILL CEMETERY, HANOVERTON
Date of Burial  JULY 10, 1922
20  Undertaker, License No. 26190  WM C. MAPLE   Address  KENSINGTON O.

This certificate is from FamilySearch's collection of Ohio death certificates.  This certificate can be viewed and downloaded here (with a free FamilySearch account).

Observations

• The 1900 U.S. Census names Alexander's wife as Mary C. Beall who is probably the informant for the information on this certificate.   I notice that Mary spelled her name "Beall" unless that's how she pronounced it and the registrar wrote it as it sounded.  On the other hand, this may not be Alexander's wife at all, something I'll never know for sure since a relationship was not stated.
  
• I am always amazed when the occupation of men in their 70s is listed as farmer.  People probably didn't retire in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  I suppose a farmer kept working until his health prevented it or until he died.  Sturdy people, those farmers of that time.
• Edited to add:  I asked my daughter (who is a nurse) about the inconsistency of the doctor certifying the death at 1:30 a.m. on July 8 when the last time he saw Alexander alive was on July 7.  How would he know the time of death of he wasn't there?  My daughter said that the time of death is not necessarily the exact time a patient dies but the time the doctor arrives to certify the death.  If the doctor is at the patient's bedside when he dies, the time would be more accurate.  Interesting information to me.   
  

–Nancy.

Copyright ©2021, Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Warren Franklin Gerner's 1957 Death Certificate

Warren Franklin Gerner is the man on the right, sitting on the running board of this 1941 or 1942 Chevrolet Business Coupe in a park in Niles, Ohio, for a family reunion.  He is with his brothers, John, standing, and Alfonzo (aka Fon or Fawn), sitting beside him.  He is the son of Fredrick and Elvira (Bartley) Gerner, brother to my paternal grandmother, Beulah (Gerner) Doyle.

I have very little documentation about Warren.  In fact, I think this death certificate is the first document I've found for him.  Most of the information I have comes from family sources.  Several of his great-grandchildren have contacted me as well as a few other Gerner descendants. 

I understand that Warren was married at least twice but I have the name of only one of his wives, Leila Davis. 

Below is his 1957 California death certificate which I found at FamilySearch's California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994, and a transcription  You can see this record here with a free FamilySearch account.

Certificate of Death, State of California--Department of Public Health
Registration District No. 7097, Registrar's Number 1164
Decedent Personal Data
Name of Deceased--First/Middle/Last  WARREN FRANKLIN GERNER
Date of Death  JAN. 24, 1957  Hour 3:00 AM
Sex:  MALE
Color or Race:  CAUC
Specify [marital status]:  DIVORCED
Date of Birth:  JULY 10, 1890
Age (last birthday):  66 years
Usual Occupation:  JIG BUILDER
Kind of Business or Industry:  AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
Birthplace:  PENNSYLVANIA
Citizen of What Country:  U.S.A.
Name and Birthplace of Gather:  FREDRICH GERNER, GERMANY
Maiden Name and Birthplace of Mother:  ELVIRA BARTLEY, W. VA.
Was Deceased Ever in U.S. Armed Forces?  NO
Social Security Number:  292-10-8270
Informant:  TEDDY MAX GERNER
Place of Death
County:  LOS ANGELES
City or Town:  BELLFLOWER
Length of Stay in This City or Town:  6 MOS.
Last Usual Residence:  State:  CALIF.  County:  LOS ANGELES:  City or Town:  BELLFLOWER
Street or Rural Address:  9141 E. CENTER ST.
Coroner's Certification
Coroner:  ...INVESTIGATION
Signature:   E. A. WINSTANLEY, CORONER [rubber stamped]
BY ELDON BOYD, M.D. [signature]
Address:  HALL OF JUSTICE, LOS ANGELES
Date Signed:  1-25-57
Funeral Director and Registrar
Specify...  BURIAL
Date:  1-29-57
Cemetery:  ARTESIA CEMETERY
Signature of Embalmer & License Number:  WILLIAM F. HAND, 4230
Funeral Director:  BELLFLOWER MORTUARY
Date Received by Local Registrar:  JAN 28 1957
Signature of Local Registrar:  ROSEMARY STEPHENSON
Filed:  MAR 1 1957  Ray E. Lee, Country Recorder   2050

Observations
This certificate of death gives no information about the cause of death.  Because there was a coroner's investigation I wonder if Warren's death was the result of an accident. 

–Nancy.

Copyright ©2021, Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Eliza (Hartley) Armitage - Death Certificate

When I first began research on my mother's paternal side of the family I was told by another researcher that Elizabeth Armitage Meinzen's mother was Ann Bell.  Comparing Elizabeth's and her siblings' death certificates, it did not make sense to me that the informant for Elizabeth's certificate, one of her daughters, knew only Elizabeth's father's name while several of Elizabeth's siblings' children knew both parents' names.

I pondered that while I searched for Elizabeth and her parents in census records.  Elizabeth was born in 1852 and her older sister, Ann, in 1850.  Their younger siblings were born between 1859 and 1872.  I began to make sense of the situation when I found the 1851 census with Ann Armitage with her parents, Abel and Eliza.  When I searched the 1861 census I found Elizabeth and Ann with parents Abel and Ann, and another son, Peter.  I finally understood that something had happened to Eliza before about 1859 -- possibly a death or a divorce.

Further searches revealed that Abel Armitage and Eliza Hartley were married in 1847.  Looking at the death indexes for England I found more than a few Eliza Armitages.  A few months ago, when the U.K. GRO began offering PDF versions of death certificates at a reduced cost, I made an educated guess about which Eliza was probably mine based on where Elizabeth and Ann lived in the 1861 census.

When the certificate arrived there was no doubt it was the Eliza of my search.  It's so satisfying to learn what happened to an ancestor and put her to rest, so to speak.

This certificate is from U.K. GRO Year 1856, Volume 10A, Page 54.

This is the transcription.

Superintendent Registrar's District  Stockton
Registrar's District  Sedgefield
1856.  Deaths in the District of Sedgefield in the County of Durham
No. 167
When Died.  Twenty-second October 1856  Trimdon Colliery  Trimdon
Name and Surname.  Eliza Armitage
Sex.  Female
Age.  44 Years
Rank or Profession.  Wife of Able [sic] Armitage Coalminer
Cause of Death.  Consumption  Not Certified
Registrar's Description and Residence of Informant.  X the mark of Jane Jackson Present at the death Trimdon Colliery Trimdon
When Registered.  Thirtieth October 1856
Signature of Registrar.  William Sowes Registrar

It's easy to understand why Elizabeth didn't know her mother's name to tell her children:  she was only four when her mother died.  In fact, she probably had few, if any, memories of her mother.  It's also likely that after Abel remarried there was little talk of his first wife, the mother of his two oldest daughters.

I'm grateful to learn the sad end of Eliza Hartley Armitage's life.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2018, Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.

Sophia (Meinzen) Kropp's 1920 Ohio Death Certificate

Sophia (Meinzen) Kropp was a surprise when I found her obituary at MyHeritage, naming my great-grandfather, Henry Meinzen, as her brother.  I'll continue to research her and her family to confirm the relationship.  My first step was to find and transcribe her death certificate.  At the end of this transcription are comments and thoughts about what I found.
Below is the information I extracted from Sophia's 1920 Ohio Certificate of Death.

  1  Place of Death:     Cross Creek Township, Jefferson County
  2  Full name:     Sophia Kropp
      Residence:     West Market Rd.
  3  Sex:     Female
  4  Color or race:     White
  5  Marital status:     Widowed
      Husband:     Carl Kropp
  6  Date of birth:     Sept. 4, 1842
  7  Age     78 Years  2 Days
  8  Occupation:      Housekeeper
  9  Birthplace     Germany
10  Name of father:     Deidrick Meinzen
11  Birthplace of father:     Germany
12  Maiden name of mother:     Don't Know
13  Birthplace of mother:     [blank]
14  Informant     Mrs. John Spahn, Steubenville, O.
15  Filed     9/7, 1920      Registrar  Chas T. Beans
16  Date of death:     Sept 6, 1920
17  Cause of death:     apoplexy
18  Signed:  Thos. M. Kirk, Coroner, M.D. on Sept. 27, 1920, Steubenville, O.
19  Burial:     Union [Cemetery],  September 8, 1920
20  Undertaker:     D. F. Coe, Steubenville, O.


Comments, Thoughts, Observations

Sophia's father's surname was transcribed as Munzen at FamilySearch.  When I looked closely at the image this is what I saw:

I believe I clearly see a dotted "i" and "Meinzen."

As for Sophia's father's given name:  Henry Carl Meinzen's father's name was recorded as "Carl" (probably spelled Karl in German) in various records, including family records.  I know that in the German naming system it was not uncommon to give male children in the family the same first name and a different middle name and use the middle name as a call name.   Is it possible that Sophia and Henry are siblings and their father's given names were Carl Deidrick or Deidrick Carl?  If I depend on their fathers' names declared in various records in the U.S. I may never find enough information to solve this mystery.

I think it's interesting that the coroner signed the death certificate.  I have heard that when he does it often suggests that an autopsy was performed.  Some later death certificates have autopsy as a box to check but that was not a question in 1920.

Henry Carl Meinzen was born in 1837, Sophia in 1842.  Those dates align for them to be siblings, with another one or two between them.

I am very hopeful that Sophia is Henry's sister and that this information leads me to their parents and siblings.  My next searches will include:

• Census records for Sophia and her family to see what information I can find.  Perhaps they lived near Henry and Elizabeth.
• Naturalization records for Carl Kropp.  They may show Henry Meinzen as a witness to Carl's having living in the U.S. the required number of years.
• Immigration information, including passenger lists
• Newspaper articles.  They may show Carl and Sophia Kropp as guests at weddings and other family events.  Online searches may also reveal news articles about the Kropps.
• Other resources?

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2016 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.

.

William Doyle - 52 Ancestors, Amenuensis Monday

William Doyle was my father's paternal grandfather.  Family legend has it that he was born in Bedlinton, Northumberland, England.  I've been unable to find "Bedlinton" but there is a "Bedlington" in that county.  I hope further research will reveal more details about the location of his birth.  In fact, several of the locations seem to be written-as-pronounced, making it harder to tell exactly where the location is. "Wallend" could be "Wallsend" but searches for "Yousin Square" have led nowhere.

Neither William nor his parents, Andrew and Elizabeth (Laws) Doyle, appear in a British census as a couple or as a family.  Andrew and Elizabeth married in November, 1861, thereby missing the census by a few months.  William was born in 1863 and the family emigrated to the United States in 1869, thereby missing the 1871 census by a few years.  I hope church records will help me confirm the place of birth and/or baptism.

This comes from the Pennsylvania Death Certificate collection on Ancestry.com.

_______________________________________________________________

Commonwealth of Pennyslvania
Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
File No. 40086

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH.
1. Place of Death:  Mercer Cottage Hospital, Findley Township, Mercer County; length of stay 20 days
2. Full Name:  William Doyle
3. No Social Security
4. Male
5. White
6. Widowed, wife was Rose Thressa [sic]
7. Born March 3, 1863
8. Age:  78 years, 1 month, 25 days
9. Born England - Bedlinton [sic]
10. Retired
11. Farmer
12: Father:  Andrew Doyle
13. Father born Wallend, England
14. Mother:  Elizabeth Laws
15: Mother born Yousin Square, England
16. Informant:   Evelyn McClelland, Lyle Drive, Sharon, PA.
17. Burial April 30, 1941, Oak Hill Cemetery
18. Funeral Director Yeager & Taylor, Stoneboro, Pa.
19. Date & Registrar:  April 29, 1941, Lola C. Eastlick
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE
20. Date of Death:  April 28, 1941, 2:25 A.M.
21. Physician attended deceased from April 8, 1941 to April 29, 1941 and last saw him alive on April 28, 1941. Immediate cause of death: chronic valvular heart disease with decompensation.
22. [blank]
23. L. M. English, house doctor, Mercer Cottage Hospital. 4-28-1941

_______________________________________________________________

This is a post for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, created and hosted by Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small.  Thanks, Amy.

--Nancy.

Copyright © 2015 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.

The Informant

Are you like me and wonder how the informant on a death certificate learned the information?  In particular I'm thinking of the names and birth places of parents of the deceased.  Informants are often (though not always) children of the deceased.  How did those children learn the names of their deceased grandparents?  Did they personally know them and hear it from them?  Did they hear stories from their parents?  Was the family Bible a source of knowledge of genealogy?  How?

I've been thinking about this lately because on the death certificates of all except one of Christian Gerner's children, both he and his wife are named as parents. 

• On daughter Emma's death certificate both parents are named.  Emma's daughter, Christian's granddaughter, provided the names of both of her grandparents.  (Further research is needed to determine which daughter.) 
• On son Fred's death certificate his father is named but not his mother.  His wife, Elvira, was the informant.  Fred and Elvira had been married close to 25 years when Fred's father died, perhaps less time when his mother died.  Fred and Elvira had been married about 50 years when Fred died and the information would have been asked.  What happened?  (Wouldn't you know, this son is my great-grandfather!)
• On son Charles's death certificate both parents are named (though with a misspelling). The informant was his oldest son who was about 12 when his grandfather Christian died; about 40 when the information for his father's death certificate was requested.
• On junior Christian's death certificate both parents are named.  The informant was junior Christian's son, Lawrence.  Lawrence was 9 when his grandfather died, 45 when his father died and the information would have been asked.  Yet he knew the names of both of his grandparents. 

This happens again and again in my ancestral families:  some informants who are family members know the names of the deceased's parents and some don't.  It would be interesting to learn how they gained their information.  (If this were a Wishful Wednesday post, I would include:  I wish I could go back in time to see how children learned about families, family relationships, and ancestors.)

I think there's absolutely no chance that my daughters will be unable to give the names of my parents when I die.  If they don't remember they will be recorded and written down in several places.

--Nancy.

Copyright © 2014 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.

Update on Ordering Pennsylvania Death Certificates

Last week I ordered six non-certified death certificates from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.  Today, my requests and check were returned to me with this notice. . .

. . . telling me that I need to reorder the death certificates from the Pennsylvania State Archives.  This seems to be a retroactive statement because I've been ordering certificates from the Department of Health since they first became available a year or so ago.

It's true that Ancestry.com has Pennsylvania death certificates but as of the date of this post their collection goes from 1906 to 1924.  No doubt they'll be adding more but I haven't heard the timeline for those additions and I'm impatient.

Until Ancestry has the 1925-1963 death certificates online, this is what you need to know to order Pennsylvania death certificates.

1. Print a mail order form for non-certified copies of death certificates from the Pennsylvania State Archives.  You can order up to 5 certificates with one form.
2. Use the Death Index at the Pennsylvania Department of Health website to find the death date and certificate number.  (You'll need to know the year unless you want to search through several years.)
3. Fill out the form with the name of the individual as it appears in the index, the date of death, and the certificate number.
4. Write a check or money order for $5.00 per certificate, made payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
5. Send the envelope with the completed request form and check to Pennsylvania State Archives, ATTN:  Vital Statistics, 350 North Street, Harrisburg, PA  17120-0090.

I don't know about you but I love using death certificates in my research.  While not primary source documents for most of the information, they often contain plenty of accurate information and at the very least give hints or suggestions for further research.

--Nancy.

© 2014 Copyright by Nancy Messier. All rights reserved.

The Surprise in Fred Gerner's Death Certificate

Below is an image of the death certificate of my father's maternal grandfather, Frederick K. Gerner.  Below that is a transcription.  Fred has been an elusive character for more than a few years.  I kept finding leads, only to realize they were dead ends.  And now, finally, this.

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
File No. 29357 [stamped numbers]
Registration District No. 279, Primary Registration District No. 1110
1. Place of Death
County of Butler
Borough of Bruin

2. Full Name  Fredrick K. Gerner

PERSONAL AND STATISTICAL PARTICULAR
3.  Sex  Male
4.  Color  White
5.  Single, Married....   Married
6.  Date of Birth  Sept. 28, 1847
7.  Age   78 years  2 mos.  27 da
8.  Occupation
(a)  Trade, profession or particular kind of work   Farmer
(b)  General nature of industry, business....    Oil producer
9.  Birthplace   Germany
10.  Name of Father   Christian Gerner
11.  Birthplace of Father   Germany
12.  Maiden Name of Mother   Don't know
13.  Birthplace of Mother   Germany
14.  The above is true to the best of my knowledge.
(Informant)   Mrs. Fred K. Gerner [signature]
(Address)   Bruin, Pa
15.  Filed  [illegible]

MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH
16.  Date of Death   March 26, 1926
17.  I Hereby Certify, That I attended deceased from March 5, 1926 to Mar 26, 1926 and that death occurred on the date stated above, at 5 P.M.
The Cause of Death was as follows: 
Chronic Interstitial Hepatitis
129 [written before (Duration)....]
Signed   R. L. Sheets M.D. [signature]
March 27, 1926   (Address)  Bruin, Pa
18.  Length of Residence [blank]
19.  Place of Burial or Removal   Bear Creek
Date of Burial   Mar 29, 1926
20.  Undertaker   J. W. Knox
Address   Bruin Pa

Observations and Comments

• Fred's given name is spelled inconsistently from record to record.  Sometimes it is Fredrick, other times it's Frederick.  But most often his name appears as just plain Fred.
• Fred's birth year still seems uncertain.  This record gives 1847.  A photocopy of a page from a family Bible gives the date as 1848.  Birth year calculated from census records would indicate that either 1848 or 1849 could be his year of birth.  Is it possible that a some future date a birth record may be found?  I can only hope.
• The surprise for me in this death certificate is Fred's cause of death:  chronic interstitial hepatitis.  It is now known as cirrhosis of the liver.  When I mentioned that to my family their immediate response was, "Maybe he was an alcoholic."  It's possible but if so, he was a very productive one.

Further research about cirrhosis of the liver tells me it is a disease that progresses slowly by replacing healthy liver tissue with scar tissue.  The scar tissue eventually prevents the liver from functioning as it should.  "The scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and naturally produced toxins.  It also slows the production of proteins and other substances made by the liver."

Common causes of cirrhosis of the liver include:

• fatty liver associated with obesity and/or diabetes.  I have only several photos of Fred but in all of them he is a very thin man.  Diabetes is a possibility.
• hepatitis or some other chronic viral infection of the liver
• blockage of a bile duct causing bile to back up in the liver
• alcohol abuse

Unless Dr. J. W. Knox's records are preserved somewhere and are available for viewing and research, I'll never know details of how Fred came to have cirrhosis of the liver.

--Nancy.
.