Filling in Family Details with Undertakers' Records

Home Blogs Roots & Branches: Genealogy at HSP Filling in Family Details with Undertakers' Records

Filling in Family Details with Undertakers' Records

2012-10-31 15:13

Following up on Sarah's post about cemetery records last month, I thought I'd highlight another helpful source for family history research: undertakers' records.

Undertakers and the companies that manage funerals compile a variety of information about each deceased person whose burial they arrange. Sometimes this information can help fill in gaps in family trees, provide more information about occupations or residences, and generally provide brief glimpses into a person's life.

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has a variety of undertakers’ records, including records from Philadelphia-area undertakers Andrew J. Bair & Son (1901-1919, call # Ph 53A:1-15), David H. Bowen & Son (1845-1918, call # Ph 60A:1-46), and Kirk and Nice (1874-1918, call # Ph 51A:1-46).

Our largest collection of undertaker records – 991 boxes! – is the Oliver H. Bair Company records (collection #3338), which includes burial information from 1920-1980.

The vast majority of the collection is records from the Oliver H. Bair Company, but it also includes burial records from the 1960s-1980s from five other Philly-area funeral homes purchased by Bair: William Rowan Grant, Inc.; David G. Frankenfield & Sons, Inc.; William F. Cushing, Inc.; Davies Funeral Chapel; and Evoy & Sons, Inc.

Most of the Oliver H. Bair Company burial records include an information sheet compiled by staff at the funeral home, usually with some biographical information and notes about the planned service.

Oliver Bair Company information sheet for Edgar Moore

An Oliver H. Bair Company information sheet for Edgar Moore, who was buried June 24, 1921. The form is two-sided, and in this case, two additional notes are attached.

You may also find copies of bills from the funeral home, or brief correspondence between the staff and the family of the deceased person. If a death notice appeared in a newspaper, a clipping of that may also be saved in the file. In rare cases, you may find hidden treasures: lengthier correspondence (expecially if bills went unpaid), small coin purses, documentation about the deceased's military service, and more. Once, I even found a photograph of the person whose burial file I was reviewing.

Letter from Oliver H. Bair Company to Mrs. Mary Moore

Another document in Edgar Moore's file in the Oliver H. Bair Company records confirms his connection with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.

The burial records are arranged by date, but if you don't know the exact date of the person's burial, you can also consult our index to the Oliver H. Bair records, available in our reading room (call # Index F 158.1 O45 2008).

Once you know that a record exists in the Oliver H. Bair collection, you can come in and view the records in person, or you can order a photocopy of the file here.

Earlier this year, we partnered with Ancestry.com to digitize the index. If you're a member of HSP, you can access that digitized index through our web site. We also re-housed the original records to better preserve them for years to come. You can read more about the re-housing work and some interesting discoveries in the collection over on our archives and conservation blog, "Fondly, Pennsylvania."

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

I am reseaching my Fathers family on Ancestry.com. It shows another birth next to my fathers in the same box. How could I find out if this is a mistake or what. My father was born 12/06/1926.We have never knew of any twins in the family.

Submitted by Dana Dorman on

Hi,

You don't mention what type of record you found on Ancestry.com that shows this info, but in general, your best bet is to search for corroborating sources either for or against the existence of the twin. Mistakes most definitely exist in paper records, so it will take some digging to determine if this is an error or a new branch on the family tree.

If you're interested in getting more in-depth help, you may be interested in our Research by Mail service:
http://hsp.org/collections/library-services/research-by-mail

Good luck,
Dana Dorman
Researcher

Submitted by Maureen Spamer (not verified) on

<p>I am researching a family member of Mary Collins Pedley. Buried in Holy Cross Cemetery lot 39 range 7. &nbsp;Mary was born 1857 England, died Nov 16, 1916, Philadelphia. &nbsp;Her husband was John Pedley. &nbsp;I have found information through Oliver Bair for other family members and hoping to find information on Mary&#39;s parents through these records. I greatly appreciated and help given.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Maureen Spamer</p><p>dspamer@msn.com</p>

Submitted by Tim Hoinkis (not verified) on

Does anyone know who is in possession and care of John J. Ferry, of Norristown? I don't know when they went out of business, but they buried my great-grand uncle in 1936, from Norristown State Hospital.

Submitted by Kelly Bayles (not verified) on

I am trying to find out the records for a Edward Flood d. 25 April 1854. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My email is kellybayles@yahoo.com Thank you for your time.      Kelly Bayles

 

Submitted by John R Jones (not verified) on

Do you have records for an undertaker named C.A. Quinby?   

He was the undertaker for Alvah R Jones in 1886.

 

 

Submitted by Kat MacMurray (not verified) on

I am researching the writer Josephine Chase...there is one item at the HSP regarding her, and it's in the Oliver Bair records. She died in Feb 1931. Is it possibet obtain a photocopy of this record?

Add comment

Current state: Published

Rich-Text Editor

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.