Obituaries and family members can easily hide a key detail in a person's life. According to family members, my great-grandfather died at home. His obituary in the paper indicated he died at home. He did not. After suffering from a series of strokes, the family could no longer take care of him and he was put in a state hospital several counties away where he died a few weeks later. They cared for him at home for years, but were no longer able to towards the end of his life.
That's why it took me forever to locate his death certificate--I was looking in the wrong place.
Absolutely true tip. Frustrates me!
ReplyDeleteThis also happened with my great grandmother. When I found her death certificate several counties away, my mother said I had to be wrong!
ReplyDeleteI could have written this a cousin who died in 1914. Same situation. Death certificate read: "Found dead in her room." But obit read "...at the home of her daughter..."
ReplyDeleteFamilies didn't want others to know that their relative was in an institution. I've run into this several times. From working with copies of death certificates in the early 1900's from my state's insane asylum, many people died (and buried in the hospital cemetery) after a very short stay. Some individuals died on the same day of admission. Back in the olden days there were no nursing homes and I assume that many families had reached their "wit's end" with an elderly family member.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that people who died elsewhere can appear in the death certificate index in Winnebago Co., IL, if the body is returned there for burial.
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