New Album Will Celebrate Chicago's Musical Heritage

Chicago has a rich musical history and On Big Shoulders, "an Americana album featuring 12 of Chicago's best musicians collaborating on 10 songs linked to The Windy City," [1] will celebrate it. Funded, in part, by a grant from the City of Chicago, the release is scheduled for 2018, and there's a Kickstarter campaign in place to raise funds for the final steps in the production process.

It may not seem like this is related to genealogy, but I think there's a lot to be said about tapping into the culture of the places where our ancestors lived. 

If you love Chicago ... love music ... love supporting projects of long-lasting value ... then, check it out!

I'm acquainted with Matt Brown, the producer (I took banjo and fiddle lessons from him when I lived in Chicago) and I am confident that every aspect of this album, from the recording quality to the liner notes, will be top-notch. He just wouldn't have it any other way.

1. Matt Brown, "Debut 'On Big Shoulders' album celebrates Chicago's music," Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mattbrownsdream/debut-on-big-shoulders-album-celebrates-chicagos-m : accessed 21 February 2017).

Lucy Theodate Holmes' Christmas Sorrow

Kalamazoo County death register showing entry for Baby Boy Holmes

Some years ago, I spent many hours researching Lucy Theodate Holmes, the daughter of Myrta Z. Belknap and H. H. Holmes, and one of the things I learned was that she gave birth to a son who died on Christmas--a son whose earthly life lasted but 45 minutes.

Baby Boy Hunter died on 25 December 1919. His death was reported to the Kalamazoo County Clerk where he was recorded as the son of "Lucy T. Holmes," born in Illinois, and "James Douglas Hunter," born in Minnesota. [1] The death record for Baby Boy Hunter can be viewed on FamilySearch but you will need to be logged in to access it:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS36-C7P5

The cause of death is difficult to read, but it appears to be "Asphyxia due to prolapsed cord and difficult breech extraction following version."

I cannot imagine the pain that Lucy must have endured on that day--and on the many Christmases that followed.

There's a gravestone in the Wildey Cemetery in Paw Paw, Van Buren County, Michigan near the stone for Lucy's mother that reads "Ronald Douglas Hunter." [2] There are no dates on the stone, but he is almost certainly the infant that died in 1919, perhaps named for his paternal grandfather, Ronald Hunter, and his father. [3]

I visited the cemetery once, to take photographs and pay my respects. It's out in the country on a quiet road, not too far from a farm that has ties to the family (but that's a story for another day). The thing I remember very clearly is how parched and brown the grass was the time that I was there.

I've misplaced my images of the stones, but there are pictures available on Find A Grave which can be easily found by following these links: Myrta Belknap Holmes | Ronald Douglas Hunter.

I think of Lucy when the holiday season comes around. And I think of her husband and her mother and her infant son. And I think about how this was just one of the many sorrows that she endured.

As far as research stories go, it isn't a happy one to tell, but maybe it's an important one to share.

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     1. "[Kalamazoo County, Michigan] Death records, 1867-1933; index to deaths, 1867-1997," FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHSL-JHJ : accessed 16 December 2017) > “Deaths, 1918 (Townships Oshtemo p. 21-end; Villages; Cities) Deaths, 1919 Deaths, 1920 (Townships; Villages; Cities A-Kalamazoo, p. 134),” film 2074997 > image 682, entry for Baby Boy Hunter.

     2. Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 16 December 2017), memorial page for Ronald Douglas Hunter, Find A Grave Memorial no. 133906544, citing Wildey Cemetery, Paw Paw, Van Buren County, Michigan; accompanying photograph added by Linda Chowns (Johnson). Also Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 16 December 2017), memorial page for Myrta Belknap Holmes, Find A Grave Memorial no. 133906380 citing Wildey Cemetery, Paw Paw, Van Buren County, Michigan; accompanying photograph added by Linda Chowns (Johnson).

     3. For James Douglas Hunter's parents, see, for example, 1905 Minnesota State Census, St. Louis County, population schedule, Duluth, Hunters Park, ED 2, sheet 7 (penned), "Consecutive Number of Enumeration" entry 266 for Ronald M. Hunter and entry 269 for Douglas J. Hunter; digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YSBQ-FSR : accessed 16 December 2017), citing

Asking for Films to be Added to FamilySearch's Digital Collection

I've been working on some Ohio research lately and yesterday's finds led me to Knox County deed book films that haven't been made available online yet.

I recalled reading something about asking FamilySearch to add films to a wish list and a bit of online searching took me to a FamilySearch article titled "UPDATE: FamilySearch Digital Records Access Replacing Microfilm." It says "if customers need access to a particular film yet to be digitized, they can express interest to have it added to the priority digitization by contacting FamilySearch Support." [1]

So, I called the number (1-866-406-1830) and inquired.

The short of it is, I was allowed to ask for up to five films and so I did.

This morning I received an email telling me three things:

• My request was submitted.

• They might not be able to put a film online; it depends on permission from the record owner.

• They can't tell me when the films might be available and can't notify me if/when it happens, so I should just keep checking back. [2] 

Fair enough! I'm not in a hurry and I appreciate having a chance to make the suggestions.

Some of the other films in the same catalog entry are available online, so I'm hopeful this will work out. If you want to follow the progress with me, here are the films I requested:

"Deeds (Knox County, Ohio), 1808-1901"

https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/200861

Films: 314030, 314031, 314032, 314056, 314059

Have you had experience requesting access this way? If so, please share your experience in a comment.

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     1. "UPDATE: FamilySearch Digital Records Access Replacing Microfilm," FamilySearch Newsroom, 30 August 2017 (https://media.familysearch.org/update-familysearch-digital-records-access-replacing-microfilm/ : accessed 5 December 2017).

     2. FamilySearch Support, Salt Lake City,  to Cynthia Richardson, e-mail, 6 December 2017, "Digitization Acknowledgement," privately held.

Update: How to Find Cook County Marriage Licenses

Access to Chicago and Cook County records has changed a number of times in the 10+ years I've been doing research in the city and sometimes it's hard to keep up.

This is the first in a series of three posts aimed at answering the question, "Where should I look for vital records?"

For marriages, in short, (no matter what an index search may tell you about availability), you can get licenses from 1871 to 1941 online through FamilySearch by visiting a Family History Center or an affiliate library. After that, you'll need to contact the Cook County Clerk's Office for the records.

Unlike birth and death records, marriage licenses were numbered consecutively without starting over. So, if you have a license number, you can easily pick a "film" from the record groups linked below and play the high/low number game to zero in on the right image. If you have a film number and an image number, you can go right to the document. And, if you have neither, all is not lost. If you have a marriage date, browse to find the licenses issued on that day and then work backwards from there. Generally, couples married the same day or a few days after getting the license.

Record Groups Accessible from the FamilySearch Catalog	Indexes to these Records
Marriage licenses, 1871-1920; index, 1871-1916 https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/43803 All images, 1871-1920, available online at FamilySearch by visiting at FHC or an affiliate library.	Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 http://www.ilsos.gov/isavital/marriagesrch.jsp Results provide license number Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920 (FamilySearch) https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1463145 Results provide film number and image number Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920 (Ancestry) Results provide film number
Illinois, Cook County, marriage records, 1920-1950 https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2620697 Images, 1920-1941, available online at FamilySearch by visiting at FHC or an affiliate library.  Obtain licenses from 1942-1950 from the Cook County Clerk’s Office. See https://chicagogenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/cook-county-marriage-licenses-creative.html for information on how record groups are arranged in the Family History Library catalog entry.	Cook County, Illinois Marriage Indexes, 1912-1942 https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2273 Results provide license number; index is not complete (no “Smith” entries beyond 1933 in search results, for example)
Illinois, Cook County, marriage records, 1950-1964 https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2820233 Obtain licenses from 1950-1964 from the Cook County Clerk’s Office.	Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1500 Results provide “file” number (license number)

Cook County Marriage Licenses: Creative Sorting in Family Search Catalog

One of the things on my to-do list is to wrap my mind around which Chicago and Cook County vital records are available online at FamilySearch and which are only available on film at the Wilmette Family History Center and at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and which are only available from the Cook County Clerk's Office.

So, this morning I took a good look at the catalog entry for Illinois, Cook County, Marriage Records, 1920-1950.

Scrolling down quickly, looking for camera icons, it looked like all the licenses from 1920 to 1941 were accessible and that a few after that date had also been put online. But, taking a closer look, I realized that the available "later" records are actually from 1941.

Here's what's up:

The "film" notes begin with descriptions that include series, license numbers, and years, and--really important--the entries are sorted by that information. (See images example below.)

It works great for series 1 which covers 1920 to part of 1923. 

Then the fun begins. 

Series 2-1, 2-10, and 2-100 sort before 2-1000 which means they're out of place. Then the order is consistent until it reaches 2-1009 where it jumps to 2-101, putting a 1924 group in the middle of 1936. Then the pattern resumes.

So, why is this a big deal? 

Well, actually, it's not a big deal. But, if you're searching for a license and it looks like there's a gap where it should be, it doesn't mean it wasn't digitized. It just means that you need to look for it in another place. One easy way to do that is to use Ctrl-F or Command-F ("F" is for "find") to quickly search for a year.

Knowing what's up, I can feel confident in making a mental note that Cook County marriage licenses, 1920-1941, are available on FamilySearch and can be accessed from a Family History Center or an affiliate library.

Onward!

Celebrating Digital Access: Cook County Out-of-town Death Certificates

Today's post focuses on Out of Town Deaths, 1909-1915, a unique set of Cook County death records that are available on FamilySearch from a Family History Center or an affiliate library.

Here is an example of an out-of-town death certificate for Flora Smith who died in Kansas City, Missouri. Notice that it's neatly written on a City of Chicago death certificate form. And notice that it only includes basic information: name, sex, color, age, death date, place of death, place of burial, undertaker, cause of death, and a physician’s name and address.



"Out of town deaths, 1909-1915," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/280109 : accessed 22 October 2017) > series 4, nos. 1-1490, Jan.-Sept. 1912, microfilm 1298897 > digital folder 004005117 > image 51, Flora Smith, no. 45 (11 January 1912).

Now compare the death certificate that was created for Flora in Missouri. The information on this record was recorded in two or more hands and it is more extensive, including an occupation, birth place, parent names, what looks to be the signature of the physician, and the name of an informant who lived in Okla[homa].



"Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1966," Missouri Digital Heritage https://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh : accessed 21 October 2017) > Missouri Digital Heritage > Quick Links > Missouri Birth > Death Records Database, Pre-1910 > Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1966 > entry for Flora Smith, file no. 1241 (11 January 1912).

I don’t know how the Chicago record was created but my guess is that the information was copied from the Missouri death certificate, a burial permit, and/or a transport document. Compare the physician’s signatures, though. Clearly, the Chicago certificate is a derivative record.

I’m not sure why the Chicago record was created, but because it has minimal information, my sense is that it was intended to document the burial.

Notice how the two records work together to tell the story of Flora’s life, death, and burial. The Missouri death certificate tells us her occupation, lists her parents, provides an exact place of death, indicates the coroner was called, and gives her place of burial or removal as “Chicago Ill.” The Chicago record leaves off many of those details, but it adds an important piece of information—the cemetery name.

How to Locate the Out-of-town Death Certificates

The approach to locating these certificates depends on what you know.

Browse

If you have a death certificate from somewhere other than Chicago for a death that occurred between 1909 and August 1915, then you can go directly to the FamilySearch catalog entry for Out of Town Deaths, 1909-1915 and pick the correct film based on the death date. The records are grouped by death date and it shouldn't be too hard to browse the images to see if there's a matching record there.

Locate the Certificate Number
A more direct way to access these records is to locate the matching entry in the Chicago Death Index, 1871-1933 that I discussed in a previous blog post. (The images are available online at FamilySearch if you visit a Family History Center or affiliate library.) These certificates are listed in this index as "OT" (for out-of-town) and the register number matches the records on the films.

Here is the entry for Flora. Note the register number, "45" in the next-to-last column, is the same as the number on the top right corner of her Chicago certificate. The records are arranged in numerical order on the film (or the images created from the film) and this can save time in finding the correct record.



"Indexes to deaths in the city of Chicago during the years 1871 to 1933 : showing name, address and date of death," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/293534 : accessed 22 October 2017) > Deaths, Sik-Ste 1871-1933, microfilm 1295974 > digital folder 004261177 > image 51, Flora Smith (11 January 1912).

Celebrating Digital Access: Coroners' Inquest Records, 1872-1911

Yesterday I wrote about coroners' death certificates. Today I'll focus on a related source—the Cook County, Illinois coroners' inquest records, Dec. 1872-Nov. 1911.

Background

As I mentioned in the coroners' death certificate post, a coroner was called to investigate deaths that occurred under unusual circumstances. A jury was assembled, witnesses were interviewed, and, together, they tried to determine the cause of death. The findings were recorded as inquest records—short entries in bound volumes—and as the verdict on the coroners' death certificates.

To see a list of situations where today's medical examiner would be called in (Cook County changed from coroner to medical examiner in 1976), visit the Medical Examiner page on the Cook County Government website.

What Information Do the Inquest Records Include?

The format of the records changed over time. The first few volumes contain formulaic paragraph-style reports written in a blank ledger. Later volumes contained printed forms. However, the information included seems to be fairly consistent. Entries generally include the name of the deceased, the place of death, the verdict (cause of death), and the names of those who served on the jury. They may also include the names, addresses, and/or occupations of witnesses.

Most volumes are very readable, although the handwriting can be challenging. Some volumes are damaged and some images are of poor quality. For a quick overview of what's available, go to the catalog entry and navigate to > Coroners' inquest records, v. 1-2, case #s 753-3821, Dec. 1872-June 1878, film 2132248 > images 7-10. (Note: These guide sheets suggest the first two volumes are not indexed. It's true—there are no indexes in the books—but the names are included in the Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index, 1872-1911.)

The easiest way to get a feel for the inquest records is to read through example pages. I'll post an image below, but you can also view full-size examples by following these links: 1872 | 1890 | 1910

“Cook County, Illinois coroners' inquest records, Dec. 1872-Nov. 1911,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/833825 : accessed 19 October 2017) > Coroners' inquest records, v. 21-22, case #s 6536-7975, Nov. 1889-Oct. 1890 > film 2132256 > image 544.

How Can these Inquest Records Help in Your Research?

Here are two ideas and, of course, there are others:

First, note that the inquests date back to 1872. It's possible to get death information from 1871-1877 through the Cook County Clerk's Office (but that's a topic for another blog post), but, to the best of my knowledge, this information isn't available online or at an alternate repository. Easy access to an  inquest record can give you quick, inexpensive access to important information about a some early deaths.

And second, notice that some inquest records provide witness names, addresses, and occupations. These people may be family members, co-workers, friends and/or neighbors and the information may suggest productive follow-up research.

Obtaining Copies of Early Inquest Records

Digital copies of the early inquest records can be found on FamilySearch if you visit a Family History Center or an affiliate library and I will explain how to do that below. But, if you can't get to a Family History Center, you can get paper copies through the mail for $1.00 by calling the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU).

How to Find the Inquest Records on FamilySearch

These records are easy to find. Here's how:

1) Search the Cook County Coroner's Inquest Record Index, 1872-1911.

2) Find the match and note the name, the volume, and the page. Let's say we're looking for Nikola Vojvodic, volume 86, page 27.

3. Go to the catalog entry for the Cook County, Illinois coroners' inquest records, Dec. 1872-Nov. 1911.

4) Select the correct film based on the volume number and note the icon at the right.

If it's a camera icon, like the one next to 2132288, click through to view the images. (You will need to be at a Family History Center or an affiliate library to do this. From a FHC, you will see the camera icons above; from home, you will see camera icon with keys above them.) If it's a film icon, the films hasn't been made available online in digital format yet. No worries! If you bump into that glitch—or if it isn't convenient for you to go to a Family History Center—just call IRAD at NEIU. (See the information at the top of the post.)

5) Browse to find the correct page. Just be careful. Notice how film 2132288 includes two volumes? Make sure you're in the right book before you begin looking for the correct page.

Where to Find Later Records

If you are in need of inquest records after November 1911, contact the Cook County Office of the Medical Examiner.
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Note: I see both coroners' and coroner's used to refer to the inquest records and death certificates. I guess it just depends how one thinks about it. I've tried to be consistent in keeping whatever spellings I see in the various titles.