Genealogy Chat

Tonight I've ordered 2 death certificates. I've not ordered death certificates before so am quite excited about what information they may have on them, though also I know I'm an emotional twit so I'm apprehensive as I'll probably get upset reading them!!!!!!!

The first death cert that I obtained was of my Great Great Grandad Richard Leivers who died in 1882. I wanted to see what he had died from at such an early age of 28 and was also eager . It was sad to discover from the certificate that the cause of death was dysentary/exhaustion ,....that dont sound too nice!! Simon

It IS exciting Laura + YES also a bit upsetting. But well worth waiting for, I had butterflies in my stomach + shaky hands when the first certs I sent for arrived.

where can i go to order death certs i know i can do it online but i dont really want to do it that way and how long do i have to wait to recieve it sj

Don't apologise for being an 'emotional twit'; enjoy reading the certificates and have a good blub... there's no better medicine.

Thanks Ken :) I'm one of those people who enjoys a good cry occasionally - but I actually see nothing wrong with that..... I think it can help the grieving process, know you're still human etc etc! Mind you, I even cry at Neighbours!!!!! x

My Saddest was a man who had survived the Indian Mutiny only to come home, get married and be killed in what I think may have been the first lift accident - crushed to death. The cert mantioned an inquest and i managed to find and send for the notes - fascinating. Then i managed to find a report in 2 papers. I never expected all that ! You never know what you may discover, so good luck with yours Enjoy a good cry too if you want!! Alice x

my grandads certificate recorded his death as heart failure, which to me seems a bit obvious, but it failed to mention the TB that I know was present. We all had to be tested for it, as soon as he was diagnosed with it.

Hi Laura I totally understand how you feel. The first death certificate I sent for was for a relative of my husbands who had died whilst at work as a porter on Ipswich railway station. My imagination was in overdrive until it arrived, and when it did, it was fascinating. Can I just give you a word of advice. Have a magnifying glass ready when you read it for the first time. There isn't a lot of room in the column which records the details and so the handwriting can be quite small. Take care Half Pint

Today I received the death cert of my 2nd cousin twice removed and it has left me feeling really really sad in away that none of the others that I have received have. She died in 1986 aged 93 of colon and breast cancer in St Barnabas Hospice in Worthing. What has really upset me is the qualification of the person registering her death 'causing the body to be buried'. I know that her elder sister was still alive (admittedly aged 102) but she had children (late in life) and grandchildren who were born in the 1950s/60s so surely they must have known about their Aunt/Gt Aunt? I only have the names of the aforementioned and have not yet managed to make contact with them so until then I wont know. However it has left me feeling horrid thinking that she died 'alone' and so I have made a donation to the Hospice in her memory despite never knowing her. Sorry just wanted to share as certificates can have a funny effect on people...... Bo

We all feel as tho' we have got know our distant relatives with this 'hobby' and take it to heart when we hear of a particularly sad death. My saddest was when I received the marriage cert of a couple and at the same time the death cert of their first born dated two years later, the occupation recorded as 'son of.... deceased' I cried for the wife/mother. Sue

I received the death certificate for my gggg grandfather. The casue of death was 'phthisis'. I had to look it up. It means TB.

Death certificates can sometimes reveal surprises. I ordered one for an Emma, who seemed to fit with name and dates but was not in the expected area. We knew she was a widow and they had had no children, so it was a great surprise to see that the informant was her daughter!. A bit of digging produced a good possibility of an illegitimate child born many years before Emma married in her 30s. Gwyn

Hi Laura, My earliest death cert is in the 1860's, my gggg grandfather, I absolutely broke my heart, he died from bowl cancer. It is amazing how 'protective' you feel although it was roughly 150 years ago!

I cried my eyes out for days when I read on death certs that 3 sisters aged 1, 2 and 3 died of convulsions (scarlatina maligna). I also had a good chuckle over a male rellie who choked on a fish bone. I know I'm dreadful....but it tickled my funnybone. Have a good blub if you want to. We all do!!! Deb:)

The death cert of my great x 3 grandma and her infant choked me the most. Great x 3 Emma died aged 31 due to problems in pregnancy/labour. Her child also named Emma died two days later of premature birth. Both were burried together. The whole thing really got me. Especially as the father went on to marry a not particularly nice lady who was awful to my great x 2 grandma who was only 2 when her mum died. Regards, Matt

sj, If you don't want to order a death certificate online from the GRO, you will need to know which register office the death was registered at and apply to them. Register offices usually only take a couple of days to send out certificates. Kath. x

A few months back i ordered the death cert of my ggreatgrandma just out of curiosity really, i wanted to know why she died at a relativley young age leaving a husband and 4 young children, well i regretted it when it arrived as it upset me for weeks It said she died age 39 of a ruptured vein in her womb, i now believe that she had a miscarriage and basically bled to death and this was at her home and over a few days her poor husband and children must have been heartbroken so sad. The only good info i got was from another death cert as it gave the adress of death and it helped to confirm that he died at his premises in 1860, so now i know he had his own tailors shop which we always believed he did, but wasnt sure were it was, the shop is still there now but its empty and being done up ready for selling if only i had the money! it still has its date stone on from 1837.

To add to Kath's advice- Liverpool and the Wirral are taking 1-3 weeks! But Wokingham are very helpful, and quick too. To add to the thread- My saddest was the first one I sent for - my Dad's mother, who was said to have died in the 1918 'flu epidemic. She did die in 1918- but of septicemia following an abortion. So sad, that social constraints forced women into that decision, and put them at such risk. Bee.

Death certs can be so upsetting. My Grandmother born 1912 died aged 23yrs. She had my Aunt, then had her first son the following year, while pregnant the following year with my father her first son died aged less than one year. My dad was 1yr and 2 wks old when his mum passed away. When I got the copy of her death cert, she had died at home from pulmonary TB. Imagine how unwell she would have been the first year of my dad's life and still grieving over the loss of her second child. I can tell you it brought more than a tear to my eyes. Bless my lovely grandmother that I nor my dad ever knew. Lyn x