Death Records Now

I’ve lost 3 people in my family to a disease. I’ve been told to get their medical records for screening purposes regarding my own health and the health of my children. I’ve been able to get the records of all but one. This is my brother whom died in Florida in 2007. We are told the only people that can get the records are the three listed on the death certificate. I had one of them do this. Now, we’re being told differently – that only the person who filled out the death certificate form (his wife) can access the records. Currently she is already remarried and wants no part in helping. What is the law? Who exactly can get the records and how do we go about this without getting help from the wife? We are out of state. We also were told my doctor could not request these records without a court order showing "just cause" – family history of a disease is not a reason… so we are told. Please help.

I would suggest you hire an attorney who specializes in health and/or family law. Good luck.

I’ve been doing genealogy for quite a while now, and I have the use of ancestry.com and have a lot of my genealogy listed out on Family Tree Maker. Well a certain part of my genealogy has had me stumped for a long while. My great, great grandfather, Sylvester Rufus Allen, I can find nothing on except that he married Faith Wilbur Ostrander in 1901 in Portsmouth, VA. She was born July 25, 1883 in Rensselaer County, New York and died June 01, 1960 in Portsmouth, VA. They had four kids. Ruth Louise Allen, my great grandmother (born October 30, 1903 in South Norfolk, VA (?)), Luther L. Allen (b. Abt. 1904 in Virginia), Richard Cline Allen (b. Abt. 1906 in Virginia) and Teresa Mae Allen (b. May 17, 1909 in Portsmouth, VA). I’ve looked at Ruth’s death certificate (she lived and died in Beaufort Co, NC) and it does confirm that her father was Rufus Allen (but it does not list where he was born). Aunt Tessie Roberts (Teresa Mae Allen) died in February 1997 in Troy, Rensselaer County, NY. My hope is that someday I can go to NY and find her death certificate and see if it tells something new about Rufus. (ancestry.com doesn’t have some death certificates on there, especially not new ones).

I have a hunch though, that there’s a possibility that Rufus Allen immigrated from either Ireland or England (or is the son or grandson of immigrants). I have no other relatively close ancestors that immigrated (closest would be like 7th great grandparents), so my question is, would a DNA blood test confirm that I have close Irish or English blood in me and kind of give me a hint as to where the Allen’s come from? I can find no records of a Rufus Allen in Virginia, North Carolina or New York and he died around 1916 or so (so I’m told) and he married in 1901 so the only census that I’d be able to find both Rufus and his wife, Faith in would be the 1910 census; which I conveniently can find no record of with them in it.

DNA tests themselves with not tell you from what countries your ancestors immigrated. They can be helpful in many cases in allowing you to match yourself with others’ family trees.

Y DNA is passed from father to son. In other words you get Y from your father, his father, his father and so on. If Sylvester Rufus Allen is in your direct paternal line you have a chance of making a match with other family trees that can help you discover his origins.

Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to both sons and daughters but only the daughters pass it on to their children. You got your Mitochondrial from your mother, her mother, her mother and so on.

Autosomal which you get 50-50 from both parents. However, when you get back to your grandparents it will not be 25-25-25-25. You got 50% from your paternal grandparents and 50% from your maternal grandparents but what you inherited will not be an even breakdown between grandmother and grandfather on both sides of your family. How you inherited this bias will not be how your siblings inherited it unless you have an identical twin.

Y & Mitochondrial are used in genealogy for people to match themselves to other family trees. However, they represent a very tiny part of your DNA and a very tiny part of your total ancestry. You have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, 16 great great grandparents and it doubles up each generation you go back. For instance if you get back to your 16 great great grandparents, having both Y & Mitochondrial tested would leave out 14 of them.

It is a more complicated to use Autosomal for genealogy purposes. Now, there is one company that will take your Autosomal DNA and match you with population groups throughout the world. But this will not prove the origin of your great great grandfather. The same DNA crosses racial, national and ethnic boundaries. There are no pure races, nationalities or ethnicities. DNATribes will give you your top 20 matches in descending order.

http://www.DNATribes.Com

Now another option for you is a copy of a social security number application for one of his children. The 2 I had ordered for someone had the names of both parents, including mother’s maiden name and their places of birth. Social Security didn’t start until January 1, 1935. The index begins for deaths around the mid 1950s. Now I have been told and I have found it to be true that if a person was not drawing social security at time of death and on their own social security number that they will not be on the index.
Two I found that this did not apply to were a couple of elderly people who had to get Medicaid. They had never put into Social Security or drew Social Security benefits but they had to get a Social Security number in order to get Medicaid. The dates of death on both were about a week off.

Rootsweb(free site) has the Social Security Death Index. Even though there is a space for the social security number, you don’t necessarily need it as long as you put the name in as they were on social security. Once you find a person if you click on SS-5 letter to the right it will pull up a letter that all you need to do is put your return address on it and attach a $27 check.

I believe a copy of a social security number application is more reliable. The applicant himself/herself gave the information on his/her parents. A death certificate often relies upon a widow or widower giving that info on their inlaws or one of the children giving the information on their grandparents under very stressful conditions.

Stephen P. Williamson was born in 1856 Arkansas. I found him in a census in 1860 with his family there. I found him in 1876 when he married in Texas. I found him in 1880 with his wife and some of his children in Texas Montague. I was told by my Father he died in Del Rio, Texas and then his wife, my GGGrandMother Betty (Welch)Williamson moved on to Bisbee, AZ. But I cannot find any record of his death. I believe he would have to have died after 1919 according my findings.

Since Val Verede County is on the Mexican border, do you suppose that he could have died over the border in Mexico?

Wow, this family really is a challenge.

The first thing I found was a death certificate for Fonc Williamson, son of Steve Williamson and Betty Welch. He was born feb 19, 1883 in Arkansas and died May 4, 1940 in Wellbon, Yuma County, Arizona. I thought that this was a unique name so i thought i would try to follow him through the census. Here is a link to his death certificate:

http://genealogy.az.gov/azdeath/063/10630535.pdf

His name is mistranscribed in the World War I draft cards. He is indexed as "Ford" rather than Fonc. The cards were completed in 1917-1918 and he was in Cochise county, Arizona proving that he was in the state before 1920.

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Ford Williamson
Name: Ford Williamson
City: Not Stated
County: Cochise
State: Arizona
Birth Date: 19 Feb 1882
Race: White
Roll: 1522348
DraftBoard: 0

I couldn’t find him in 1930, but I did find him living with his mother in 1920 in Cochise county, Arizona. Also in the house hold is his sister Maud. It clearly states that Mary E. (Betty a nickname for Elizabeth) is widowed.

Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: McNeal, Cochise, Arizona; Roll: T625_46; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 800.
Indexed as Fanc S Williamson

Williamson, Fanc head male white 37 years old single born in Arkansas
Williamson, Mary E mother female white 60 years old widowed born in Texas
Williamson, Maud L sister female white 28 years old.

From this census, we would have to surmise that the family was there before 1920 and that Stephen P Williamson died prior to that.

I can’t find the family in 1910. I do find his brother Noat in Menard county, Texas with wife Belle and two kids Steven L. and Olie. Steven was born in New mexico in 1904 creating yet another place to look for answers.

Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Justice Precinct 6, Menard, Texas; Roll: T624_1574; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 162; Image: 1331.

By the time of the World War I draft cards, Noat was in cochise county too with brother Lonc. His card was signed on September 12, 1918.

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Noat Arch Williamson
Name: Noat Arch Williamson
City: Not Stated
County: Cochise
State: Arizona
Birth Date: 5 Nov 1879
Race: White
Roll: 1522348
DraftBoard: 0

Virgil was also there in Coshise county according to his draft card completed on the same day, September 12, 1918.
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
about Virgil Mair Williamson
Name: Virgil Mair Williamson
City: Not Stated
County: Cochise
State: Arizona
Birth Date: 17 Jul 1884
Race: White
Roll: 1522348
DraftBoard: 0

As you can see, you have several different directions you can go in. I’m pretty well convinced that Stephen died before 1920 because it seems like his family was in Arizona by 1918.

I think that finding him in 1910 may be key. He is definitely in Val Verde in 1900. Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Justice Precinct 3, Val Verde, Texas; Roll: T623 1675; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 75.
He is not indexed by first name because it is illegible, but Noat for example is indexed as Notie A and Betty is indexed as Elizabeth.

I could send you any of the images listed above if you would like to have them. Just e-mail me through my profile.

As my grandmother used to say,"they are few and far between," but a few do exist. On the FamilySearch.org pilot site they have a few. I know they have some Texas death certificates. http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#start

Also, the state of Missouri has a wonderful website that includes:
Missouri Birth and Death Database pre 1910
Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1958
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/birthdeath/

Georgia’s Virtual Vault has a database of Death Certificates for 1919-1927. http://content.sos.state.ga.us/cdm4/gadeaths.php

So, if I were in need of a marriage or death certificate, I would always check any websites for the state that would have issued the certificate.

I am in a dead end situation…I need to get a copy of a death certificate for a person that I bought a home from. Her family is not cooperating wiht me and I need to submit it to my home insurance. Are these records public? I live in Houston, Texas.

~~They are public records. You can go to your state’s website and if allowed order it online, just look for Hall of Records or County Recorders offices.

If they do not allow you to order via the internet, then you can order in person. Just call the county where the deceased was living and order it in person.~~

He died 20 years ago and there are no other documents left in our possession.

In the US, unless you catch a flukey, darn lucky break, you aren’t going to be able to acquire that information.

Given this person died 20 years ago, blood typing of newborns just wasn’t done. So there would be no recording on the Birth Certificate (as you probably have already found).

Unless there was some reason to do an extensive autopsy (very rare) it is unlikely any death "record" would have this information either.

So this information would only be in medical records. In the US though, with the passage of HIPAA laws, you won’t be able to get those records unless maybe you are a direct descendant. Maybe.

A little know fact is that HIPAA extends to deceased persons as well as living persons. You can’t release medical information on a deceased individual (one argument, an insurance company could find your deceased parent died of ovarian cancer and thus bump up your rates because you now have a higher chance of getting this condition).

A consequence of HIPAA is that doctors and hospitals are purging old records. Technically, they can’t retain medical records without a medical reason – and clearly there is little medical reason to retain the medical records of a patient that died 20 years earlier.

So unless you catch a fluky, very unusual break somewhere, you aren’t going to be able to get this information (in the US anyway).

I am trying to located an obituary for my grandfather’s brother, who I believe to have died in 1980.
I am not sure if he was living in New York or Florida at the time of his death, but I do know that he was born in New York around 1911.
Does New York or Florida have free access to public records such as obituaries?

If you want his death certificate, look in the public records by going to the Vital Records Office of the town where he died. Obituaries, though, are not public records. They are newspaper items.

I’m not trying to quibble. I’m trying to point out the difference so that you don’t spend time going in the wrong direction.

Strep throat may have killed Mozart

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The death of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 35 may have been caused by complications stemming from strep throat, according to a Dutch study published on Monday. Since the composer’s death in 1791, there have been various theories about the cause of his untimely end, from intentional poisoning, to rheumatic fever, to trichinosis, a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork.

On his death certificate it was officially recorded that the cause of death was hitziges Frieselfieber, or "heated miliary fever," referring to a rash that looks like millet seeds.

But researchers from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands said studies on his death have generally been based on less-than-reliable evidence, like accounts from people who witnessed Mozart’s final days, written decades after his death.

Their new study, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, was based on information from official death registers for Vienna in the winter of 1791 that places Mozart’s death in a wider context. He died in Vienna.

"Our findings suggest that Mozart fell victim to an epidemic of strep throat infection that was contracted by many Viennese people in Mozart’s month of death, and that Mozart was one of several persons in that epidemic that developed a deadly kidney complication," researcher Richard Zegers, of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, told Reuters Health.

Zegers and his colleagues said this "minor epidemic" of step throat, or streptococcal pharyngitis, may have begun in the city’s military hospital.

According to witness accounts, Mozart fell ill with an "inflammatory fever," which is consistent with strep throat, Zegers and his colleagues wrote in their report.

The composer, who wrote more than 600 works during his life, eventually developed severe swelling, "malaise," back pain and a rash, consistent with a strep infection leading to kidney inflammation known as glomerulonephritis.

Zegers said it was also possible that Mozart had scarlet fever, which, like strep throat, can be caused by infection with streptococcal bacteria, but this was less likely because witnesses said Mozart developed a rash near the end of his illness and with scarlet fever, the rash appears early on.

Another theory, might be likely, might not be. Streptococcal infection, rheumatic fever, tuberculosis, rubella, smallpox…. among the many estimated variants. I’m much more interested in his music than his death!

I was born in Mexicali, Baja California Mex. in 47 but got my US citizenship through my father. In 1967 I received a US ID from the American Consulate here in Mexicali. Now they no long make them so I just pass the border saying US CITIZEN have been doing so for the past 43 years of have been living here in Mexicali and cross to Calexico, Ca. Where I use to work, took care of my parents till their death. Now that I need a US PASSPORT the American Consulate in Tijuana says I have to prove my dad’s citizenship through my grandmother who was born in the 1880’s and died in the 1950’s. I never new her but I found out while searching Ancestry my dad’s WW1 DRAFT REGISTRATION CARD OF 1918 where it has that my grandmother was in the STATE HOSPITAL PHOENIX, MARICOPA ARIZONA IN 1918. I called the hospital but all those records are long gone. Mr Wallace there told me to check with the VITAL RECORDS in PHOENIX to find her birth and death certificate. It’s been 6 months and so far they have found out nothing yet. I’m am very worried because a custom officer said my ID from the American Consulate will not be accepted in January 2009. I don’t know what to do next year I’ll be able to get my social security check but in november on my 62nd birthday what will happen with the money I worked hard for my old age.??????
Please a friend told me Don Francisco knows a Lawyer that could inform me what to do. They say (US CUSTOM) "That it’s a privilege to get a passport to cross the border". But I think "It’s more an HONOR being a US CITIZEN and having a US passport to prove it:"I am 61 year old and I am fighting for my right’s as a citizen which I believe to be. So please if I may have Don Francisco’s address or E-mail I will greatly appreciate it. Sincerely yours, Cecilia Cisneros Davis

You have the necessary US ID issued by an embassy to prove your citizenship. Nothing is more acceptable than that. You have worked and paid taxes (I presume) through all those years. You have an ssn card. What else do they need? Get an immigration lawyer to help you out.

The person has just disappeared & I do not need a death certificate or anything just want to know if something happened to this person.

Google the person’s name and the word "obituaries." If there was an obituary, then you’ll likely find a link to it. You can also try looking them up in the Social Security Death Index (address below), though if they died this year, it’s probably a little early for it to have been reported.

At least this is a start.