Tuesday, March 1, 2011

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY LISTS AND DEATH REGISTERS, 1764-1999: PART IV

GENERAL

“Comprehensive Index.” St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly 28:3 (Fall 1995): 70-76. HG-P

Contents Note: A complete listing of the 150+ cemeteries indexed in the multi-volume cemetery book set (Old Cemeteries of St. Louis County, Mo.) published by the St. Louis Genealogical Society. Listings provide name of cemetery, location (if known), volume and beginning page number in the multi-volume book set where the index of that cemetery’s records appears, and sometimes miscellaneous information. A majority of the listings in the multi-volume book set cover the time period 1840-1920.

1764-1824

“Burial Records, St. Ferdinand de Florissant, 1790-1840.” St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly 14:4 (Winter 1981): 135. HG-P

Daughters of the American Revolution. Missouri Society. Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Missouri. Kansas City, MO: Daughters of the American Revolution, 1966. HG,ST-973.74

Daughters of the American Revolution. Missouri Society. Wills of Revolutionary Soldiers and Others. St. Louis, MO: Daughters of the American Revolution, 1960-1962. HG-929.3778

“Death and Estate Notices, Missouri Gazette, 1808-1816.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 65:3 (September 1977). HG-P

“Death and Estate Notices, Missouri Gazette, 1816-1822.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 67:3 (September 1979). HG-P

“Death and Estate Notices, Missouri Gazette, 1816-1822.” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 67:3 (September 1979). HG-P

Eddlemon, Sherida K. Missouri Genealogical Records and Abstracts. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1990-. HG-929.3778

Contents Note: Volume 1 (1766-1839) includes an index of wills and testaments executed under the Spanish government of St. Louis, 1776-1834, and a list of victims of the steamboat Tennessee disaster (March 23, 1823).

Eddlemon, Sherida K. Missouri Genealogical Records and Abstracts. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1990-. HG-929.3778

Contents Note: Volume 4 (1741-1839) includes listings for Fee Fee Cemetery, Bridgeton, Missouri, 1810-1892.

Old Cemeteries of St. Louis County, Missouri. St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1982-, 5 vols. HG-929.3778.

Contents Note: Volume 2 includes some early French burials.

St. Louis and St. Louis County, Missouri Probate Records: vol. 1-- 1804-1849. St. Louis, MO: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1985. HG-929.3778

Stanley, Lois, George F. Wilson, and Maryhelen Wilson. Death Records of Pioneer Missouri Women, 1808-1849. St. Louis, MO: L. Stanley, 1979. HG-929.3778

Stanley, Lois, George F. Wilson, and Maryhelen Wilson. More Death Records From Missouri Newspapers, 1810-1857. St. Louis, MO: L. Stanley, 1985. HG-929.3778

Wilson, George F., Maryhelen Wilson, and Lois Stanley. Death Records of Missouri Men from Newspapers, 1808-1854. St. Louis, MO: Anundsen Publishing Co., 1981. HG-929.3778

Copyright 2000 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

UPCOMING GENEALOGY/HISTORY CLASSES

Classes listed are all sponsored or co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library. All are free and open to the public. Please note that locations may vary.

Thurs, Feb 24, 7 PM-8 PM—Black Codes and Fugitive Slave Laws. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses the numerous restrictions placed on slaves and free black persons in the antebellum and post-Civil War periods. Buder Branch. Pre-registration recommended but not required.

To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Thurs, Mar 17, 10 AM-Noon--Citizen Soldiers: Researching Revolutionary War Ancestors. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses print, microfilm, manuscript, and Internet sources of info on our patriot ancestors. Buder Branch. Pre-registration recommended but not required.

To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Thurs, Mar 24, 7 PM-9 PM—Thirteen Dollars a Month: Civil War Recruitment, Enlistment, Conscription, and Desertion. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses how our ancestors were recruited by, enlisted in, drafted by, and deserted from Civil War armies. Highland Civil War Roundtable (meets at First Congregational Church), 801 Washington St., Highland, IL 62249. Pre-registration recommended but not required.

To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Click for SLPL branch library locations and hours

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY LISTS AND DEATH REGISTERS, 1764-1999: PART III

Patriotic Organizations: Some patriotic organizations and lineage societies, such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, require that their members prove their line of descent from a man who fought in one of America’s wars. Such proof can exist in the form of a lengthy application form and numerous supporting documents, one of which could contain notice of a person’s death.

Pension Records: If a person died while receiving a pension, a record of the person’s death may exist in the pension file, because any survivors would have been required to notify the pension issuer of the death of the pensioner. Pension files of Civil War soldiers often contain a copies of death certificates, or the death certificates of widows who could draw pensions based on the service of their husbands. If death certificates were not issued at that time, a file may contain a letter from the man’s widow or physician reporting the death.

Police Reports and Court Records: If a person was murdered, killed in a brawl, or otherwise died violently, there is probably a police record of the arrest and a court record of the trial of the perpetrator. There is probably also a record of a coroner’s inquest, and a prison or execution record for the guilty party.

Probate, Estate, and Will Records: There is a good chance that a well-to-do ancestor left a will or probate record (there may also be a will or probate proceeding for a soldier who died while in service). There is also a good chance that such a record exists even if that state did not require the keeping of vital records at that time. These records also are usually indexed. Such records can provide an exact (sometimes approximate) date of death.

Copyright 2000 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY LISTS AND DEATH REGISTERS, 1764-1999: PART II

Hospital Records: If your ancestor died in a hospital, there is a fairly good chance a record of the event still exists. This is especially true if the ancestor died in a city hospital, quarantine hospital, or other government-run health-care facility. Such a record may exist even if the state did not require the keeping of vital records at that time. A hospital that did not maintain a special register of deaths may have made note of patient fatalities in the its register of admissions and discharges.

Institution Records: If an ancestor was detained in an almshouse, old age home, soldiers’ home, insane asylum, prison or other criminal detention facility, a record of the ancestor’s death may exist in the records of that institution. This is true even if the state did not require the keeping of vital records at that time.

Military Records: If an ancestor died while in the military, it is possible that a record of the death exists, even if the keeping of vital records was not mandated at the time. Depending on the circumstances of your ancestor’s death, more than one record of death may actually exist. Your ancestor’s death could be recorded on the muster roll of his regiment, most of which have been microfilmed by the National Archives. If he was killed or wounded in action, or died while a prisoner, or died in a military hospital, or was executed by the enemy or by his own side, there may be a record of that event in addition to the muster roll.

Newspaper Obituaries, Death Notices, and Burial Permit Notices: Newspapers in the 19th century sometimes printed these notices, although the availability of these records will vary greatly by locality, as will the availability of indexing for these notices. A state historical society is often a good source of 19th century newspapers.

Organization Membership Lists: Nineteenth century people, male and female, were likely to be members of several organizations. Such memberships could provide amusement and companionship, and in some cases membership could provide medical care and burial privileges in the organization’s cemetery. Even if the organization did not provide burial services for its members, deaths of members were often recorded in the organization’s record books or in published annual reports. If an ancestor is buried in a cemetery such as an Odd Fellows or Masonic cemetery, then there could be some record of the person’s death in the organization’s archives.

Copyright 2000 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

ST. LOUIS CEMETERY LISTS AND DEATH REGISTERS, 1764-1999

St. Louis Cemetery Lists and Death Registers, 1764-1999: a Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Materials in the Collection of St. Louis Public Library

PART I

INTRODUCTION

Genealogists are often told that no death records exist for the date prior to which a state began the mandatory collection of such records. But all such a statement really means is that the keeping of death records by that state’s Office of Vital Records was not mandatory in that state prior to that date. Obtaining a death certificate from a state Office of Vital Records is certainly not the only way to determine when an ancestor died. Following are some other sources that can be used to determine dates of death.

Office of Vital Records: Before they elected to require statewide keeping of vital records, many states had a period when keeping of vital records (usually by county clerks) was discretionary. Compliance was often low, but some county clerks did keep vital records during this trial period. Sometimes copies of such records were sent to a state office; often, however, copies were kept only by the county office. You should check with the county clerk in the county where a person died to see if there is a death certificate, even if there are supposedly no death records for that period for that county (trial periods for vital record keeping often started ca. 1850 and continued for varying periods of time; mandatory keeping of vital records usually begins ca. 1900-1910).

Bible Records: Many families in the 19th and early 20th centuries kept records of births and deaths in the family’s Bible, usually in a section of blank pages that was located between the Old and New Testaments. For many years, courts were required to accept such records as proof of birth or death. If you or another person in your family has an older Bible, you might check to see if
it contains such a section.

Cemetery Records: Cemeteries in most cases were recording information on their occupants long before the states in which they are located mandated the keeping of vital records. If you know where an ancestor is buried, you may wish to check with the sexton of that cemetery or the denomination or organization that maintains it to see if it has burial records for the cemetery. It is also possible that the city or county where the cemetery is located required a burial permit.

Coroner Records: If an ancestor died an unnatural death, especially in a big city or well-established county, there is a chance that a city or county coroner held an inquest to determine cause of death. This may be so even if that state at that time did not mandate keeping of vital records. Coroner case files are usually well organized and indexed.

Funeral Homes: A funeral home (especially one that has been in business in one location for a long time) may have useful and informative records on past interments. They are sometimes willing to share information in their files with genealogists.

Copyright 2000 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 4, 2011

RESEARCHING YOUR REVOLUTIONARY WAR ANCESTOR, PT. V

The following is a selected bibliography of materials in the SLPL collection of interest to the Revolutionary War ancestor researcher. You can find many other items in our catalog by searching this subject entry:

United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Registers.

SLPL Catalog: http://www.slpl.org/

IV Casualty Lists and Burial Records

36. Daughters of the American Revolution. Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Missouri. Kansas City: DAR, 1966. (Central-HG 973.74)

37. Hatcher, Patricia Law. Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots. Dallas: Pioneer Heritage Press, 1987-1988. (Central-HG 973.74)

38. Illinois State Genealogical Society. Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois: a Bicentennial Project of the Illinois State Genealogical Society. Springfield: The Society, 1975. (Central-HG 929.3773)

39. Peterson, Clarence S. Known Military Dead During the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. Baltimore: C. S. Peterson, 1959. (Central-HG 973.74)

V Patriotic & Hereditary Organizations

40. Daughters of the American Revolution. Index of the Rolls of Honor (Ancestors Index) in the Lineage Books of the NSDAR. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1972. (Central-HG 929.373)

41. Daughters of the American Revolution. Lineage Books of the NSDAR. Washington, D.C: The Society, 1890-1939. (Central-HG, ST 929.373)

42. Daughters of the American Revolution. Directory of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Washington, D.C.: Memorial Continental Hall, 1911. (Central-ST 369)

43. Davies, Wallace Evan. Patriotism on Parade: the Story of Veterans’ and Heredity Organizations in America, 1783-1900. Cambridge, MS: Harvard University Press, 1955. (Central-ST 369)

44. Sons of the Revolution. Missouri Society. Register of the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of Missouri. n.p., 1910. (Central-HG 369)

45. Sons of the Revolution. New York. Year Book of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York. New York: Francis E. Fitch, 1896-1898. (Central-ST 369)

Tom Pearson
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
tpearson@slpl.org
We're on the Web at: http://www.slpl.org

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

RESEARCHING YOUR REVOLUTIONARY WAR ANCESTOR, PT. IV

The following is a selected bibliography of materials in the SLPL collection of interest to the Revolutionary War ancestor researcher. You can find many other items in our catalog by searching this subject entry:

United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Registers.

SLPL Catalog: http://www.slpl.org/

III Pension Records & Disability Payments

29. Clark, Murtie June. The Pension Lists of 1792-1795: with Other Revolutionary War Pension Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991. (Central-HG 973.34)

30. Dorman, John F. Virginia Revolutionary Pension Applications, Abstracted. Washington, D.C.: J. F. Dorman, 1958-1980, 35 vols. (Central-HG 975.5)

31. United States. Department of the Interior. Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969. (Central-HG, ST 929.373)

32. United States. Pension Bureau. Pensioners of Revolutionary War Struck Off the Roll. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969. (Central-HG 355.151)

33. United States. War Department. Revolutionary Pensioners: a Transcript of the United States for 1813. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1959. (Central-HG 929.373)

34. United States. War Department. Pension Roll of 1835. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968. (Central-ST 973.34)

35. White, Virgil D. Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files. Waynesboro, TN: National Historical Publishing Co., 1990-1992, 3 vols. (Central-HG 973.74)

Tom Pearson
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
tpearson@slpl.org
We're on the Web at: http://www.slpl.org

Friday, January 21, 2011

MEDIEVAL PHOTOS ON FLICKR

More than 9,000 photos on subjects medieval for persons enamored of that historical period:

LINK

PROGRAMS AT SLPL

I am planning to do my program tomorrow morning as scheduled, provided we get only the "dusting" tonight the weather guy mentioned during this morning's newscast. I hope to see two or three of your smiling faces!

Here's the latest list of upcoming programs I'll be doing now through February 2011. All are sponsored or co-sponsored by St. Louis Public Library. All are free and open to the public. Please note that locations vary.

Sat, Jan 22, 10 AM-Noon--Prairie State Patriots: Researching Illinois Civil War Soldiers & Regiments. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses print, microfilm, manuscript, and Internet sources of info on our Illinois soldier ancestors. Buder Branch. Pre-registration recommended but not required. To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Fri, Feb 4, 1 PM-2 PM-To Rally With the Hearts of Lions: the Story of the U.S. Colored Troops. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses print, microfilm, manuscript, and Internet sources of info on black Civil War soldiers. Carpenter Branch. Pre-registration recommended but not required. To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Fri, Feb 18, 1 PM-2 PM-The Crimes of This Guilty Land: Captain John Brown's Assault on Slavery. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses print, microfilm, manuscript, and Internet sources on John Brown, the man who led a war against pro-slavery men in Kansas, and then led an ill-fated assault on Harper's Ferry in Virginia (now West Virginia). Schlafly Branch. Pre-registration recommended but not required. To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Thurs, Feb 24, 7 PM-8 PM-Black Codes and Fugitive Slave Laws. Join us as Tom Pearson discusses the numerous restrictions placed on slaves and free black persons in the antebellum and post-Civil War periods. Buder Branch. Pre-registration recom-mended but not required. To register or for more information: tpearson@slpl.org.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

RESEARCHING YOUR REVOLUTIONARY WAR ANCESTOR, PT. III

The following is a selected bibliography of materials in the SLPL collection of interest to the Revolutionary War ancestor researcher. You can find numerous other items in our catalog by searching the following subject entry:

United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Registers.

SLPL Catalog: http://www.slpl.org/

II—Bounty Lands (continued)

21. A List of Officers of the Illinois Regiment, and of Crockett’s Regiment, Who Have Received Land for Their Services: a list of officers of the Illinois Regiment, who have not received lands, for revolutionary services. Anchorage, KY: Borderland Books, 1962. (Central-HG 973.34)

22. Mayo, Robert. Army and Navy Pension Laws, and Bounty Land Laws of the United States Including Sundry Resolutions of Congress from 1776-1852. Washington, D.C.: J. T. Towers, 1852. (Central-ST 355.115)

23. Newman, Harry Wright. Maryland Revolutionary Records; Data Obtained From 3,050 Pensions Claims and Bounty Land Applications, Including 1,000 Marriages of Maryland Soldiers and a List of 1,200 Proved Services of Soldiers and Patriots of Other States. Washington, D. C.: Published by the compiler, 1938. (Central-HG 975.2)

24. Riegel, Mayburt Stephenson. Early Ohioan’s Residences From Land Grant Records. Mansfield, OH: Ohio Genealogical Society, 1976. (Central-ST 977.1)

25. Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. Kaskaskia Land Warrants, Military Certificates, Randolph County, Illinois. Springfield, IL: W. W. Allersand, E. L. Goghanour, 1986. (Central-HG 929.3773 RANDOLPH)

26. Smith, Clifford N. Federal Land Series: a Calendar of Archival Materials on the Land-Patents Issued by the United States Government, with Subject, Tract, and Name Indexes. Chicago: American Library Association, 1972-1982, 4 vols. Vol. 1 covers 1788-1810; vol. 2 covers 1799-1835; vol. 3 covers 1810-1814; vol. 4 covers land grants in the Virginia District of Ohio. Includes name and tract indexes in each volume. (Central-HG 333.16)

27. West Virginia. Auditor’s Office. Sims Index to Land Grants in West Virginia. Charleston, WVA: State of West Virginia, 1952. (Central-HG, ST 975.4)

28. Wilson, Samuel M. Catalogue of Revolutionary Soldiers and Sailors of the Commonwealth of Virginia to Whom Land Bounty Warrants were Granted by Virginia for Military Services in the War for Independence. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967. (Central-HG, ST 973.34)

Tom Pearson
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
tpearson@slpl.org
We're on the Web at: http://www.slpl.org/