We just posted about finding additional information, like date and place of death, in the newspaper when traditional records like death certificates cannot be found. But the best thing about a full obituary is that often we can find so much more than just this data!
Remember Martha Crakes from our last post? This is her obituary in full. What additional information can you find?
Just from this document, we know that Martha:
- Was born in Yorkshire County, England on 15 August 1786
- Emigrated to the United States in 1828, first setting up home in New York
- Moved to Huntington County, Indiana in 1830
- Moved to Madison Township, Indiana (near South Bend) in 1876
- Died on 15 September 1878 in Madison Township, Indiana
- Had a son named Thomas
What next steps could we take?
- Check Yorkshire birth records for any Marthas with this date of birth, or close to it
- Check marriage records in Yorkshire for a woman named Martha marrying a Crakes…perhaps finding one that matches a Martha with the birth of 15 August 1786
- Check ship records for 1828
- Check the 1830 census for both New York and Huntington County, Indiana
- Check subsequent census records through 1870 in Huntington County
- Look for a headstone matching her information in the Madison Township area
- Follow up on her son Thomas
All this data and steps for following up, just from one obituary! Unfortunately, a published obituary isn’t as common as we would like it to be, but it is often a very useful tool when it can be found.
Weaving the Tapestry 