Funeral homes can serve as genealogical resources

By DONNA MURRAY ALLEN

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 31, 2001

"Dear Donna," he wrote on lined tablet paper, "please note that I have been retired from the funeral home for 10 years. My son by the same name handles it now. First I checked my records. I began July 1, 1934.

"You will note I have two sheets marked for Elizabeth Maceyko Carnock (1940) and John Carnock (1954). I then went to the cemetery. One grave was Mother Anna Carnock, born 1865, died Oct. 6, 1930. Father Joseph Carnock. Born 1867. Died 1951. Another grave on this lot was Michael Carnock, 1845, died 1918. Another grave was for Joseph, July 25, 1929. I am sure this was an infant. There was a lamb on the small stone.

On additional sheets of paper, Grimm neatly copied every iota of information he could find from among his records.

I've never met Luther Grimm. He was responding to a letter I wrote to the Grimm Funeral Home, requesting information about my Slovak ancestors, but I was so touched by his kindness that I keep his letter still, a decade later.

You may never be lucky enough to connect with a man like Luther Grimm who, by virtue of his profession, eventually touched the lives of most of the families in his small Pennsylvania town over the course of several generations. A descendant of some of the original settlers of the area, Grimm had roots that truly ran deep.

But you may encounter a man like Adolfo Gonzalez-Roel, who for five years has managed the Gonzalez Funeral Home on N Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. He shares Grimm's willingness to help people compile their family trees.

When asked how he handles requests from genealogists, he had a ready answer. "I give them everything I've got," he said. "The complete files. I do whatever I can."

True, his company has been around for only five years, but Gonzalez-Roel has contacts. "We help each other out," he said of his competitors. "Call it professional courtesy."

At a time when large corporations are routinely swallowing small, private funeral homes, such an informal network becomes even more important to researchers. If Gonzalez-Roel doesn't know where to find the records of a defunct funeral home, he probably knows someone who does, and he doesn't mind doing the legwork.

Based on my experience, Gonzalez-Roel's attitude is more the industry rule than the exception. True, most people won't trek out to the cemetery and transcribe epitaphs a la Luther Grimm. But all responded to my requests.

Sometimes you might get only a copy of a brief death notice published in the local newspaper, but you might get a list of survivors or find out who paid the tab, whether the body was transported to another state for burial and more. You should at least learn where your ancestor was buried.

You can determine which funeral home handled the arrangements by checking the death certificate and the obituary. Many small towns have only a couple of funeral homes, making the process of elimination quite simple. You can get the address from a city directory, your local library or online.

Whether you visit in person, call or write, make your request succinct. Name and date ought to do it. If writing, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Ask if there is a charge. There usually isn't (except for the thank-you note you should send to anyone who goes the extra mile).

In the midst of creating a family tree Web site? Check out Mark Miner's site at www.minerd.com for ideas on crafting an interesting site.

Donna Murray Allen welcomes your questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. Sorry, she can't take phone calls, but you can write to her c/o Home & Garden, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@aol.com.

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