A morbid title? Not to this chica! Death certificates offer clues to those lost pieces in the ancestor puzzle game I play. Mother's maiden names, parents' birthplaces, burial locations, full legal names instead of "go-by" names--these are so often missing from a family's history.
Other than a cause of death, information provided on a death certificate comes from an INFORMANT. That may be a relative, close family friend, or a coroner (if no known family is at hand). Informants often give incorrect answers to questions posted on certificates. But their replies can and very often lead to better sources to those with hunting dog instincts. Or not. Only a physician's replies to the "Primary Cause of Death" and "Secondary Cause" questions are considered primary source. (Filed Under Splitting Hairs: Unless the rural doctor took brief notes that long night he tended to the deceased and only prepared/submitted the formal certificate weeks later when he rode his buggy to the county seat)
GEMS OF INFO, I tell you! Let's say you've been searching for your ancestor's children. Informants to a death record are often a son or daughter. If you're lucky, their address will also be given. Census and court papers can then lead to other family names. You strike gold if a will is found. Alas, search engines are confused by keywords involving initials. It drives me NUTS when initials are used in names, as was common 100+ years ago for adult males. Here's an example of an informant I've not yet identified who was likely a family friend. I have collected other info regarding my great-grand-aunt, born Rosa Theresa Leeper, that this informant didn't know at the time of Rosa's death:
Texas, Arizona, Missouri, and other states have uploaded death certificates for FREE viewing online. (See links below) But today's post was prompted by the news that Missouri's wonderful volunteer researchers have uploaded another year's worth (1965!) of death records:
http://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/deathcertificates/
And the home page to the Missouri Secretary of State's vital records is:
http://s1.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/bdrecords.asp
FREE DEATH RECORDS FROM A FEW OTHER STATES HANDY TO MY RESEARCH:
West Virginia -- http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_select.aspx
Arizona -- http://genealogy.az.gov/
Texas -- Joe Beine has THE BEST links: http://www.deathindexes.com/texas/
Here's hoping your name isn't found in a death index any time soon!