HUNGARY-L Archives

From: "magton" <>
Subject: [HUNGARY-L] Hungary-L@rootsweb.com;PAForest-l@rootsweb.com;GENPOL@PLEARN.EDU.PL;Ohio-Cleveland-Irish-L@rootsweb.com
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 14:35:59 -0400

> Overlooked Source: Coroner's Records
>
> As genealogists we are obsessed with the dead. Let's face it,
> the majority of the individuals we are searching for are in fact
> dead. And while we automatically look for death records, we
> seldom think to look for other records that may be generated
> by the death of our ancestor. One of the overlooked records is
> coroners' records.
>
> Perhaps it is because we hate to think of anything bad
> happening to our ancestors that overshadow our thoughts
> when it comes to these records. However, there are some
> cases where the cause of death of an ancestor may indeed have
> generated a coroner's inquest.
>
> We tend to assume that the coroner was involved only when
> the death was of a violent nature. However, this is a faulty
> assumption on our part. The coroner could also have been
> called in when the death was of a mysterious or accidental
> nature as well.
>
> Another faulty assumption on the part of us as present day
> researchers is to assume that these records are of a more recent
> invention. Coroners have existed for hundreds of years, and in
> some localities those records of long ago still exist.
>
> There are many different types of records that you are likely to
> find in a coroner's report, including:
>
> -- Pathology reports
> -- Necrology reports
> -- Toxicology reports
> -- Testimony offered at the inquest
> -- Police reports
> -- Jury reports
>
> Like other records, the coroner's records can be found at a
> variety of levels of jurisdiction including city, county, and
> state. Most places will have a county examiner, however
> larger cities will have medical examiner offices.
>
> While these records may not offer the place of burial for your
> ancestor, you may be able to determine where he was buried
> based on other clues included in the report.
>
> Finding these records requires that the researcher first
> determine the jurisdiction for the locality where the ancestor
> died. In some cases the death record may give you the clue
> that there is a coroner's investigation. I have seen death
> certificates that indicate they are temporary pending the results
> of the coroner's report. And usually attached to such a
> certificate is the final answer in a revised form from the
> coroner. This is especially true in Illinois.
>
> Some localities have allowed their coroner's records to be
> microfilmed by the Family History Library. This should be
> one of the first places you check unless the ancestors died
> locally in which case you can contact the local coroner's office
> to find out where those records are now housed.
>
> The next time you discover an ancestor who died under
> questionable circumstances, follow up by trying to track down
> coroner's records. Just remember though, that you may not
> always like the answer to the question.
>
>
>

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• [HUNGARY-L] Hungary-L@rootsweb.com;PAForest-l@rootsweb.com;GENPOL@PLEARN.EDU.PL;Ohio-Cleveland-Irish-L@rootsweb.com by "magton" <>