Hello again tom3128-ga! I am very happy that I was able to provide
you with information that ultimately paid off!!
One way to obtain additional information re: his death is by obtaining
his death certificate. As a member of the general public, you can
simply request a copy for a small price. A death certificate lists
information such as date of death (but you already know that),
mother's and father's names, PLACE OF BURIAL, name of funeral
home/director, name of family contact, reason of death, etc.
In my own family research, I was able to find out where my Great &
Great-great grandparents were buried (San Fransisco) through their
death certificates and when I visited the cemetery, I was able to view
their burial index cards and got even more information. Genealogy is
a game of hide-n-seek. You just have to know where to look to get the
next piece of the puzzle!
The Office of Vital Records in the San Francisco Department of Public
Health maintains a continuous record of births and deaths, which have
occurred within the legal limits of the City and County of San
Francisco since April 1906.
To request a birth or death certificate by mail, send a completed,
notarized application form with your check or money order (DO NOT SEND
CASH). You may include a self-addressed return envelope with adequate
postage. Please include your phone number, with area code, and return
address. Your order will be shipped within 90 calendar days by 1st
class US mail. Send the required information to:
VITAL RECORDS
101 Grove St. Room 105
San Francisco, CA 94102
To download and print the application form, see the link below:
( http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/dphvital/appl4CertDeathRec11032003.pdf )
You will need to have the full name of deceased and date of death. Age
at the time of death and SSN are helpful but NOT REQUIRED. Costs to
obtain a copy is $13.00.
Effective July 1, 2003, the California Health and Safety Code, Section
103526, permits only authorized individuals to receive certified
copies of death records. Those who are not authorized by law to
receive a certified copy will receive a certified copy marked
?INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY.?
Typically when requesting a copy of a birth or death record, it is
courteous to identify yourself as a genealogical researcher who wishes
to obtain a copy of a death certificate, through a cover letter.
You can also do a search for death records online through Rootsweb:
( http://vitals.rootsweb.com/ca/death/search.cgi )
I cannot guarantee that you will find burial information on your
friend but it is worth a try. Most researchers are more than willing
to shareany information they have with others who are researching the
same names.
As far as obituaries, not everyone who dies has an obituary. It would
be very hard to find one on your own through typical Internet
research. However, if you are able to obtain the names of his parents
through his death certificate and are able to speak with them, they
may be able to tell you if he had an obituary and what paper it was
published in.
I hope this answers your question. Please do not hesitate to ask if
you need any more help and good luck!
Nenna-GA
Google Researcher |
