Friday, August 27, 2010

You've Got Mail!

On Monday, 23 Aug 2010, I ordered four death certificates from the Cascade County Clerk and Recorder. On Friday, 27 Aug 2010, I received four death certificates from the Cascade County Clerk and Recorder.
For the low, low price of .50 per copy, I now know exact death and burial dates for my four maternal great grandparents and the names of two of my great great grandparents. I also have a birth date for one great grandmother, instead of the ubiquitous "circa" [insert year here]. Granted, the death certificate serves as a secondary source for the birth date, but it's better than what I had before and really narrows down the search for a birth record. Also listed on the death record is the name of the mortuary and the cemetery, which means more records to request and pick apart. In addition to the personal information on the death record you find interesting medical history. It's good to track your medical history for patterns of disease that can be passed on from generation to generation. Word to the Johnstone progeny, better get your colonoscopy scheduled. Both William H. and Mary Alice Johnstone died of colon cancer.

Now that I have the certificates, the next step is to transcribe them and add the information I've found on them to my family group sheets. The certificates will be scanned and uploaded to Ancestry.com and the souce of the information will be cited for future reference. The fun never ends!

Johanna "Jennie" Felt Borgreen
John August Borgreen
Mary Alice Coleman Johnstone

William H. Johnstone

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