Death Certificates: An Ancestral Treasure Trove

 

As I indicated last week, when I first began this genealogy adventure, my sole purpose was to discover my country of origin. I cared nothing about extended family or historical timelines. I simply wanted to follow parental lineage. 

I started with little information. I knew the names of my parents, grandparents, and maternal great-parents.

However, I knew even less about my dad's side of the family. In fact, I never met either one of his parents. Dad's mother died when he was just thirteen years old, and I never met his father. Dad had no respect for the man.

Occasionally I tried to talk about my grandfather, but Dad would either evade the question or indicate he was a no-good drunk. I distinctly remember Dad telling me the man died of cirrhosis of the liver. 

Despite their contentious relationship, I wanted to learn more about this side of the family. However, this proved more difficult than I anticipated. Coleman is a fairly common surname. And even though the 1910 census indicated my great-grandfather was born in Tennesse, that did little to narrow the field of possibilities.

Then one of Ancestry's green shaky leaves suggested I look at a particular death certificate.

EUREKA!!

 This one-sheet document told me far more than the date and cause of death. For example, I learned:

• My grandfather's date of birth (17 MAY 1909)
• The exact time of his death (18 FEB 1964 at 9:30 pm)
• My great-grandfather's full name (William L Coleman - new information to me)
• My great-grandmother's maiden name (Lillian G Johnson - new information to me)
• How long my grandfather lived in Corpus Christi (16 years -- I always thought he resided in Houston) and the exact address: 4602 Calvin)
• The name of the informant (in this case his wife signed her name Mrs. Walter A Coleman - but often a new ancestral relation is revealed)
• The burial date, cemetery name, and location (21 FEB 1964 - Mission Burial Park - San Antonio, TX)

Of course, the certificate also detailed his cause of death: lung cancer which metastasized to the esophagus and led to starvation. 

Interestingly, there is no mention of liver disease. 

I don't deny my father's story. I'm sure the man drank. Since Dad felt neglected his entire childhood, cirrhosis of the liver better fit Dad's narrative. 

But the facts indicate Walter died of lung cancer because he smoked. Dad smoked too.

Perhaps they were more alike than either wanted to admit.