Genealogy Resources: Death Certificates

Ancestry.com occasionally adds a whole new database to their vast collection of sources. When this happens it is like Christmas for a genealogy hound!  About a year ago, the entire collection of Virginia death certificates was added. I attached as many as I could find to my family tree.

Death certificates list the official cause of death and contributing factors. They also name the parents and birthplaces (though sometimes the informant gets this information wrong). Though it might seem morbid, I scrutinized every one of these certificates looking for individuals' "stories," and I was certainly not disappointed. I found out how my Uncle Jimmy supposedly killed himself ... he shot himself in the abdomen with a shotgun. What on earth!? That just doesn't make sense to me. How does one even accomplish something like that? Pull the trigger with your big toe? My imagination was busy coming up with alternate theories; for instance, I know from firsthand experience that his 2nd wife, Margaret, was crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if she shot him.

Today, I discovered that all the death certificates for that state of Missouri from 1910-1965 have been released. My great grandfather's certificate was in that database. According to his death certificate, the cause of death was "shock due to prostectomy." So sad! Such a terrible way for a strong, healthy, handsome 69-year old man to go.

Note how much personal information can be obtained from a document like this. It is a real treasure!