Genealogy: Funeral records turn up lost ancestors

Funeral home records are often full of valuable information, but even experienced researchers sometimes dismiss their importance as a genealogical tool.

Three months ago, I didn't even know William J. Coleman existed. Thanks to Page Funeral Home of Burlington, N.J., I now know he worked for the railroad, died March 23, 1951, of heart disease and was buried in a gray suit. His parents were Thomas and Ellen McGeary Coleman.

William's mother died Dec. 24, 1932. She was buried in St. Paul's Church Cemetery. By the time William died, St. Paul's, an old Irish-Catholic cemetery, was filled to capacity, so he was buried at Laurel Hill, the church's new burial grounds.

Page also handled funeral arrangements for Francis Aloysius Shelley, who was related to William by marriage. William's aunt, Annie McGeary, married Frank's stepbrother, Harry.

Frank was born Dec. 5, 1884, in New Jersey and died Feb. 27, 1945, of heart disease. He was the son of John Shelley, who was born in New Jersey, and Ellen Brogan Shelley, who was born in Ireland. Frank made his living as a machine blacksmith.

He was buried at St. Paul's in a copper casket. A wreath was placed upon the door of his residence at 402 Lawrence St., where he lived with his brother and sister. In addition to obituaries, cards of thanks were placed in the Bristol Courier and Daily News. His sister, Anna Shelley, paid the funeral bill.

Every bit of this information -- except for the relationship between William and Frank -- came to me courtesy of Page Funeral Home, which should lay to rest any doubts anyone has as to the value of obtaining funeral home records.

Bill Slimm, a funeral director, mailed me copies of records for 13 of my ancestors. I hadn't even asked for some of them. My original request was for three or four relatives whose funerals were handled by Page, based on St. Paul's Cemetery records. Having hit pay dirt, I shamelessly wrote another letter to Slimm asking if he would check his records for any McGeary or Shelley funeral that his firm might have handled prior to 1970.

He could have told me to buzz off. Instead, he copied more records. As he combed through them, he noticed the Coleman-McGeary connection, threw the Coleman records in for good measure and he didn't charge me a dime.

Information in the records helped confirm maiden names and family ties. Knowing the death dates made it possible to get obituaries. (At the time I wrote to Page's, I didn't know the death dates for many of these people.) Occasionally the names of the newspapers publishing the obits were part of the record. One record listed names of survivors.

Virtually all my experiences with funeral homes have been positive. Interviews with local establishments indicate that this spirit of cooperation is the rule, not the exception.

Funeral records do not replace death certificates in terms of documentation -- the death certificate constitutes the official record -- but, if you already know who handled the burial, whip out your pen and paper. Chances are you'll get a response from the funeral home long before a state department of vital statistics fulfills your request for a death certificate.

You'll probably get more information, too. Death certificates don't always tell you things like the decedent's occupation, where he or she died and who picked up the tab for the funeral, and one record is as accurate as the other since the same informant usually provides information for both.

If you are unsure who buried your ancestor, check out cemetery and church records and obituaries or wait for the death certificate, which will name the funeral home and the cemetery.

If the company is out of business, an existing firm may have inherited the records. Ask around. The local historical society may also be of assistance.

- 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 Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@aol.com.

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