FOLLOW UP TO PHOTO DUPLICATION REQUESTS FROM FAMILY SEARCH

Hi everyone.  On 7/13/14 I wrote about submitting photo duplication requests to familysearch.org.  You can read that post here PHOTO DUPLICATION REQUESTS ON FAMILY SEARCH PLUS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LEGACY & EVERNOTE

On July 12th, I submitted five requests to Family Search for death certificates.  All five deaths occurred in the state of Michigan.

GILLESPIE, Mary Eva - 1949 - Eloise, Wayne, Michigan
GILLESPIE, Susan - 1933 - Detroit, Michigan
PICKARD, Ellen  - 1927 - Detroit, Michigan
THORNTON, Mary - 1929 - Muskegon, Michigan
THORPE, Catherine  - 1941 - Detroit, Michigan
 
Based on the timeline given on the familysearch website, I didn’t expect to receive these records, if I did receive them at all, until 4-6 weeks after my request was submitted.
 
SURPRISE!
 
On July 16, just four (4) days after my requests, I received four of the death certificates. Oh my gosh!  Was I every surprised to get that email.  Of course I was away from home and saw the email on my phone.  I didn’t get home for several hours, but couldn’t wait to download and view those certificates.
 
The only certificate I didn’t receive was the 1927 death of Ellen Pickard.  As of this date, I have still not received that one.  I sure hope I do because she is my grand aunt and my grandmother talked about her all the time.
 
But, the four others have been enough to keep me quite busy and have led to the discovery of a set of 4th great grandparents and other data.  
 
And to answer the question about whether I would receive the two certificates for the deaths that occurred after 1938.  The answer is YES.
 
Here are the certificates I received.
 
(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)





Unfortunately, I have only had the time to actually “work” on the certificate for my 2nd Great Grandmother, Susan Gillespie.  It’s just been one of those busy weeks.  I’m sure you can all relate.  

However, that one certificate has led me to the following information, some of it I already had, some of it was new.

• Her name
• Her date of birth
• Her husband’s name
• Her place of birth (I believe it should say Tiverton, England and not Twerton)
• Her father’s name
• Her mother’s maiden name (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her cause of death (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her place of death (NEW INFORMATION)
• The informant on her death certificate (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her place of burial
• The funeral home that handled the arrangements for the family (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her residence at the time of her death (NEW INFORMATION)
• How long she had been in the U.S. (NEW INFORMATION)
• Her length of residence in Detroit, Michigan (NEW INFORMATION)

I’d say that is quite a list, wouldn’t you?  Including 8 pieces of NEW INFORMATION.
I definitely did my genealogy happy dance
Thanks to finding that maiden name for Susan Gillespie’s mother, Elizabeth Gaden, I have used the website FindMyPast to locate more information about the Gaden/Gaydon/Gayden family from Devonshire, England.  

NOTE:  On my very first genealogy trip back in 2007, I went to Detroit, Michigan.  My birthplace and the birthplace for many of my family members.  On that trip I was able to go to several cemeteries in Detroit and photograph headstones.  It was an absolutely wonderful trip.  One of the headstones I photographed was for Elizabeth Gaden who’s married name was Burgess.  I have wanted to learn more about her ever since that time.

Here I am in 2007 at the headstone for my 3rd great grandmother Elizabeth Gaden Burgess

Here is the back of her headstone naming her husband, her date of death and her age

  

I can’t wait to explore the other three certificates I received and see what they will reveal.

TIP:  Even though I have looked over the information on this certificate and gleaned every possible piece of data that I could.  I will still go back another time or two as I am citing this source and making those entries in Legacy.  We often miss things when we first see a document and another look or three or four, never hurts.

This has been a very good experience and I am counting the days until I can submit 5 more requests to Family Search.  Until then, I have plenty to do.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PHOTO DUPLICATION SERVICE WAS DISCONTINUED BY FAMILY SEARCH - EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 5, 2014.  YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT IN THIS POST 

 http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2014/11/photo-duplication-service-to-be.html

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION