More Death Certificates

I was thrilled to finally receive two death certificates that I had ordered from Colorado, after a little back and forth that required me to send them a family tree. Strange, I know, but whatever it takes right? Anyway, one thrilling fact was that neither of these two ancestors died from cancer. It seems lately I've been making the grim discovery of an increasingly large amount of cancer related deaths in my heritage. Which reminds me, I need to make that doctor's appointment (I'm a little paranoid now).

Tiery/Tirey Curtis FRY was my great great grandfather. In most documents I find he usually goes by the name Curt or Curtis, hardly ever Tiery/Tirey. He was born in Missouri on 18 November 1870, and died in Paonia, Delta County, Colorado on 10 May 1949 from chronic congestive heart failure. All of the information on the death certificate matched with the information I already had, which is great. I thought that was curious though. Why? Well Tiery's mother, Anna (Berryman) FRY died when he was about 3 years old. So who was this informant that supplied the correct name of a mother for him? The informant (person who supplies the personal details for the death certificate) was listed as Mrs. Jess BARROW. Don't you just love that women are identified by their husband's name (argh)?! After a little searching of census records I determine it is his daughter Marguerite, and (bonus!) I now have her husband's name!

The other death certificate is of my ggg grandmother, Mary Caroline (Risenhoover) Alderson. She was born in Arkansas on 17 September 1855, and died in Paonia, Delta County, Colorado on 7 November 1933 from cerebral hemiplegia. Again the information matched with what I had and I was struck by the accuracy of it. Mary's father, Asa Risenhoover, died about 1855 or 1856. The informant this time was Mrs. Gus W. Roeber (again with the man's name!). So back to the census search and my lineage software to determine that it is her daughter Fannie. In my notes (taken from a cousin's information) I had recorded that she had died many years before 1933, so I was thrilled to discover proof of her still alive. Yay!

I never know what to expect when I receive death certificates and tend to keep my expectations low. How thrilling to make these discoveries! I'm also deeply impressed that two children of the deceased were able to provide accurate information, especially on people that their parents most likely had no memory of to pass on.