Death registration in 1890s

PMBC

I understand registration was introduced mid 1800s. For deaths what detail was recorded apart from name and address. Was date of birth/age? Name of parents of deceased. Did all registry districts use the same form? Was there a national master register i.e. aggregating details for all counties? Thanks. Trying to find both parent names of great grandfather and place of birth in midlands counties. Failing registration, did local newspapers record local deaths in those years?

Hermy

Here's a copy a death cert. They provide fewer clues than a birth or marriage record but sometimes the informant's relationship to the deceased is mentioned which can be a great help.

PMBC

Thanks Hermy for speedy post. Could you repost the image or link as the site is saying its an invalid attachment - whatever that is

Hermy

Working now?

mickmackey1

Yep

PMBC

Great. So age and possibly next of kin, cause of death.

Hermy

Newspapers, headstones and wills are other likely sources when searching for a death although the lower down the economic spectrum one goes the less likely it is that any of the above would be relevant.

pinkypinky

If you have read of our sticky at the top of the forum, that has a good run down of all the different types of records that might be of use. Often I find that's merging details from multiple sources that give a complete picture. For example, I was recently trying to confirm someone's relationship and had exhausted all options, but then discovered that the first person had actually registered the death of the second, and his name/address on the death cert made the definitive link.

tabbey

Quite often reported age at death was way out, especially for older people. Younger people were more likely to be accurately reported, as family members remembered when they were born, went to school etc.

Until the early twentieth century, very few people had death notices published.
In the mid 1800s, local newspapers were more likely to print the death of someone in England, than a local, unless the deceased was comfortably off, or was prominent in the community.

The golden era for newspaper reports of deaths and funerals was the mid 20th century, between the wars.

Headstones were also largely the preserve of the rich until a hundred years ago, indeed many people who could well afford a monument did not erect one for a variety of reasons.

KildareFan

I've found some good information from reports on funerals. Not always prominent people, for example, a daughter of a great aunt, who worked in the post office, died in the 1930s. One of the newspapers reported on her funeral and listed those in attendance, including the relationship to the deceased. So I was happy to see my grandparents, and various other rellies listed in attendance.

tabbey

Yes, newspapers were great in the 1930s, but a hundred years earlier, they were less generous, especially to the poorer members of society.

About 1820, seven men were sentenced to death at Louth Assizes, a news report gave the details of two cases, a few more condemned men were named, but two did not even get their names in the paper.

The editor said the remaining details would be printed the following week, but they must have forgotten.

When my paternal grandfather died in 1939, about 250 names were in the newspapers, the same report (apart from typographical errors) was in the Evening Herald, Evening Mail, Irish Times and Irish Independent. When his father died in 1916, there was zilch except for the death notice, stating funeral private.

VirginiaB

The NYC Irish, poor or not, often placed death notices in the paper, almost always the NY Herald. Many times these include place of origin in Ireland and/or relatives' names. Women are sometimes listed under their birth names, ie, Mary Riley, wife of John Murphy. If you know of relatives who emigrated, these NY death notices might be useful to you.

The catch is that the only online source I know of for the NY Herald is a pay site, GenealogyBank. The Brooklyn Eagle is free online thru the Brooklyn Public Library and that has many 19c & 20c Irish death notices with similar info. I have found place of origin in Ireland for at least three of my gt gt grandparents in the Bklyn Eagle. One was printed the day before the date on the death cert--you never know, do you?

Hermy

VirginiaB wrote: »

The Brooklyn Eagle is free online thru the Brooklyn Public Library...

Just had a quick browse of their archive and found nothing of relevance but what a pleasure to use.
An example to others in how to present an on line newspaper archive!

KildareFan

a great free resource for New York newspapers is http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html

VirginiaB

Glad you mentioned fultonhistory.com, a great site, if not as easy to search. But it covers all of NY state, not just NYC and Brooklyn (separate til 1898). Lift a glass to the indomitable Tom Tryniski who created and maintains it at his own expense. Don't be put off by the whimsical home page. You might search your townland or parish and find something good--or relatives you didn't know you had.

Jellybaby1

VirginiaB wrote: »

The NYC Irish, poor or not, often placed death notices in the paper, almost always the NY Herald. Many times these include place of origin in Ireland and/or relatives' names. Women are sometimes listed under their birth names, ie, Mary Riley, wife of John Murphy. If you know of relatives who emigrated, these NY death notices might be useful to you.

The catch is that the only online source I know of for the NY Herald is a pay site, GenealogyBank. The Brooklyn Eagle is free online thru the Brooklyn Public Library and that has many 19c & 20c Irish death notices with similar info. I have found place of origin in Ireland for at least three of my gt gt grandparents in the Bklyn Eagle. One was printed the day before the date on the death cert--you never know, do you?

KildareFan wrote: »

a great free resource for New York newspapers is http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html

I think it would be worth popping this information over on the U.S. geanealogy Sticky.