Death Certificates

[Meriel]

I was wondering what do you think is the biggest benefit of obtaining a death certificate? I have to say I rarely order them although I have lots of birth and marriage certificates. I would also say I am slightly supersticious of getting them...not sure I want to know what my ancestors died of...

But am I missing out on something. Has anyone found something really useful from a death cert they wouldnt have found elsewhere?

Meriel

[Boongie Pam]

If it is UK and England then I don't thing they are of great use in themselves if you are at the stage of finding people.  They have a bit of use with who registered them or where they are living. 

If you are broadening your family tree to find how your relatives lived and the social history around them then how they died is important.

If you are looking at Scotland then they are the best thing since sliced bread!  As it names parents including maiden name.

Pam
 

[suey]

Not at the top of my wish list I have to say - but I have ordered death certs a) to confirm that one poor fellow had actually passed on. b) because I wanted to confirm a home address.

Also I think it does round things off nicely
Suey

[Jacquie]

Hello Meriel,

I like to get the death certificates.  I have got some useful information off them. 

Their is a risk in getting a death certificates especially for a male member of the family because his wife or children may not have been the informant.
On married females death certificate under occupation it usually says wife of or widow of and then the husband name and occupation. 

The first death certificate I ordered was for my great grandmother x3.  I found the death of her husband first but was not sure if it was him as his last name was Fisher and it was very common in the area I was looking.  I then found the death of my great grandmother x3 in the same area so I ordered this and put down on the order form only send if husband's name is David Fisher.  Anyway when I received it, it was the right one and I was able to order David's.  His wife died 6 months after so I was lucky they died at the same address. 
Anyway from these death certificates I was able to get the name of two of their children that I did not have. 

I have other death certificates where I can not fit the name of the informant in to my tree.

I have been lucky so far and have not received one that does not belong to me.

I also like to get the certificate because to me I have completed that person life from birth to death.

regards Jacquie.

[Little Nell]

Since the cost of certificates can mount up rapidly, I pay for as few as possible.  In 11 years, I have only obtained 11 death certificates, although I have acquired others from various sources.  I ordered one specifically in order to find out the informant - I wanted it to be the widow so that I could confirm I had the right man.  Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the coroner!  This particular 3xgt grandpa broke his neck when he fell off a load of hay.  My mother (whose ancestor it was) reckoned that figured, maybe after one or two too many!!  Still need to find an inquest report on that one.

Another one showed the daughter of 2xgt grandpa as the informant - it gave me her married name, which was a bonus.

And although I knew in advance about the tragic end met by another 3x gt grandfather, it was worth getting the certificate to go with the newspaper reports: he died when he tried to stop a runaway cart in Lewes in Sussex.

So I choose carefully before I spend a few pennies, trying to be as sure as I can that I have identified the correct person.

But Scotland - well worth the money, but I still have to  find the correct Margaret Russell in the index between 1869 and 1876, and there are an awful lot of them!

Nell

[Boongie Pam]

I have other death certificates where I can not fit the name of the informant in to my tree.

I have the same situation in Cumbria.  It is a puzzler, hopefully with time it will fit.

Death Certs are useful if you are really stuck on a brickwall and have nothing else.  But information is less likely to be accurate than other sources as the person isn't there to provide it    Age is the most obvious one to be dodgy.

Pam
 

[Jacquie]

Your right Nell the cost can mount up especially when you have to buy pounds like I do.  I am lucky I have a cousin who I wire money to and she orders them for me.

She had a surprise on one she order and the informant was the coroner.  It turned out that our poor relative was murdered for being a witch.

Would you believe it is cheaper for me to get a certificate from England than from Western Australia where I live.  I just ordered my sons full birth certificate and it cost me heap.  Then again my husband ordered his from the state of Victoria Australia and it was half the cost of our sons.  My husband said it cost so much in Western Australia because we don't have a big population so the state has to make money some how.

Jacquie

[geniedi]

I only have a few death certificates. You do not gain much from them.

But it would be nice sometimes to actually find a date of birth.

That's the hardest part to me.

I probably would get more, if I could find them

Diane

[Meriel]

Thanks for all your replies! Its been interesting to hear other people's opinions on whether it is worth getting death certificates.

For those who have found out that their ancestor didnt die of 'natural' causes as it was signed by the coroner I bet that has lead to some interesting lines of enquiry that otherwise might have remained unknown.

And I agree with the idea that its nice to 'round off' an ancestors life with all details.

I think I have 2 death certificates (and one of them turned out not to be mine  ) but I have a mother who died young so that might be interesting to find out why...think I will have to look into death certificates a bit more.

Meriel