Worth Your Salt: March/April 2008
QUESTION: My grandfather, John Charles Izard, died July 18, 1954, near Wellington, Kansas, while on vacation. He was returning to his home in Santa Rosa, California. I need a death certificate for him to obtain a Certificate of Blood from the Choctaw Nation, but I’ve not been able to find one. Neither the state of Kansas nor the state of California has a record of his death. His body was embalmed and shipped to the Welti Funeral Parlors in Santa Rosa by Fisher Mortuary of Wellington, Kansas. Neither of these funeral homes still exists. I have a copy of the internment records from the cemetery with all of this information, but still no death certificate. And his name is not recorded in the SSDI. Can anyone help?
Trueman Hight
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When was he born?
Have you tried the county records, either Kansas or California?
Have you tried the County Records for Kansas and California?
in search of family archuleta ,s of colorado ive, bought ancestry.com can find this family in census only 1900 and 1910 >?? juan fransico archuleta born dec, 1865 new mexico he was married two time to virginia chavez secound wife was to josepha lopez /archuleta , as to what evere happedn to his children just know of my grand fathere macario archuleta born 1896 pueblo colorado bensrod@aol.com how will your magazine help me in our family search ,?
how will your maginez help in our family search of archuleta ,s of colorado,
I am looking for my grandmother roots
her name is quilla brooks, maiden name is
quilla sallis.. i cant find anything about
her..other than she died in shreveport louisana
in 1955.. she has no ss# there is no death certif
how do I go about finding where and when she was
born..
I am looking for my grandmother roots
her name is quilla brooks, maiden name is
quilla jackson. i cant find anything about
her..other than she died in shreveport louisana
in 1955.. she has no ss# there is no death certif
how do I go about finding where and when she was
born..
I WOULD LIKE TO START MY FAMILY TREE AND NEED SOME INFORMATION AS TO WHAT OR HOW I GO ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I WANT TO TELL MY CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR RELATIVES. ALSO, THE COST THAT WOULD BE EXPECTED FOR THIS SERVICE. THANK YOU. BJLS. MY MAIDEN NAME WAS LAY FROM HARLAN, KY. AND MY MOTHER’S MAIDEN NAME WAS ELLIOTT.
Casual death records may have existed in the 19th century but it would not have been possible to embalm and ship a body in 1954 without leaving a written record SOMEWHERE!
Death realted laws would have been very clear and strictly enforced. Since he died in Kansas that is where the need for death documentation started and where it will ultimately be found.
“Near” Wellington Kansas? Dig into the records at this county AND the ajoining counties. His body may have crossed county lines because of the need for an autopsy.
Because you can’t find him in the indexes, this research will most likely require travel to that area and contact with local archivists.
Contacting the funeral homes is an excellent idea. Along these lines try sending a letter of explaination to all the existing funeral homes in/near Wellington KS today asking who might have the records for the closed business.
Funeral homes rarely close, rather they are bought out and change names. Funeral directors are a tight bunch and someone will likely remember who bought out who and where the records went. Do include a self addressed stamped envelope to make it easy for them to reply.
QUILLA BROOKS age 31 is listed in 1930 Louisana, Caddo County, Police Jury Ward 3 with husband Jesse, 31, and son Jessie Jr. 6. Try looking for
the marriage license about 1924 (before or after)
This may have her parents names. All are listed as having been born in Louisana.
Before you start researching your family tree, you have to know HOW to do it. Start by going to Cyndi’s List (use google to find it) and start by reading the Beginning Genealogy lessons. You might as well start enjoying the reading because doing genealogy, you will be doing lots of reading. Unless you hire a genealogist who costs hundreds of dollars, you will be doing the research yourself so don’t go places like this and ask for someone to do it for you. Its not going to happen that way. You start with what you know about yourself and go backwards to your parent and your grandparents. Gather up all of the info and papers, pictures, etc. you can find. Ask relatives for what they know and what they can help you with. At Cyndi’s List, there are genealogy forms you can print out. Print out many Family Group sheets, the various research logs and use them. Get file folders and assign one to each family last name at first. Start a notebook and get some dividers and keep your papers in you notebook. Get another notebook and keep this one for any correspondence. If you can afford it, join Ancestry.com AFTER you have read through Cyndi’s List Beginning Genealogy and feel comfortable with the processes of beginning research. Its not a inexpensive hobby and no one will do it for you unless you pay them big bucks. Decide now if you want to learn about your family. If you do, you will learn to love doing research and with so much online now, you will have an easier time than I did when I started 30 yrs. ago. There will be many disappointments, but when you start to find out things about your ancestors, there isn’t a bigger high on the planet. You learn WHO you are from who you came from. Its hard work, but your children and grandchildren will thank you when they get older. Find out where your nearest Mormon Library is. You don’t have to be Mormon to use the libraries. They are usually at a larger Mormon church. You won’t believe the amount of records they have there and can order what they don’t have. Also remember the National Archives. Go to their site and find out where your nearest National Archives is located and what holdings they have. You will be filling out forms and writing to gov’t agencies and to people. Learn how to write a genealogy inquiry and how much money to send them (as well as a self-addressed stamped envelope). Cyndi’s List will probably be able to show you how to write a proper inquiry. Develop lots of patience, too. If all of this sounds like too much, it really isn’t. Your family history is worth it and its scattered everywhere waiting for you to bring it together. If you can, check out a beginning genealogy book or books from you library and read them. Its not hard. You can take your time. Like I said, I’ve been researching for 30 years on 9 family lines. I’m not in a hurry, but if you are, start now and stay with it. Good luck!