IN THIS LESSON, YOU'LL
- LEARN interesting facts about vital records
- DISCOVER jurisdictions and how they affect record-keeping
- REQUEST by letter a copy of an ancestor's death certificate
- CREATE your own genetic pedigree chart
TEACHER
This lesson includes opportunities for class discussion and a video
presentation. Vocabulary words are included at the end of the lesson,
though not specifically brought into the lesson in the form of an
assignment. Resulting measurable assignments include a written letter
and genetic pedigree chart. While the lesson's main ideas logically
build on one another, the activities and assignments suggested can
be adapted or omitted according to your needs.
MAIN IDEA NO.1
I'VE HEARD OF A WORLD RECORD, BUT WHAT'S A VITAL RECORD?
Take a look at your pedigree chart. If you haven't filled out a
pedigree chart, you should do so now. It asks for information on
three major events in the life of each person: birth, marriage and
death. Birth, marriage or death certificates were usually kept by
government officials, and are called "vital" records.
In a way, world records are recorded kind of like vital records.
When a person sets a world's record, say for eating the most banana
cream pie in one sitting, a judge has to be there. This judge must
be someone who is recognized by the organization in charge of recording
world records. Not just anyone can approve of a world's record making
it into the books of history.
MAIN IDEA NO.2
JURISDICTIONS (or "how did that feller git to be a citizen
of Texas?") Vital records work the same way. If you were born in
New York, then no doctor or hospital in Texas has the right to say
you were born in New York. Only the New York hospital can issue
your birth certificate. Now, if you were to lose your birth certificate,
would you look for it in Texas? Of course not! You would request
it from the state in which the record was first created.
Now, the same thing applies to your ancestors. If your grandfather
was born in Orange County, California, chances are Orange County
still has a record of his birth. Now, the Orange County Historical
Department might have copied the record and then shipped it off
to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, but this would
be a duplicate. The original is still in Orange County.
What you're learning here is the concept of jurisdiction. A jurisdiction
is the territory within which authority may be exercised. The Orange
County Vital Records office is the first office that has the right
to record events that happen in Orange County, just as the officiator
from the World Records office is the only one who can approve when
new world records are achieved.
Now, some people choose to go to places like the Family History
Library to find vital records. To receive copies of their certificates
in the mail, others write the vital records offices in the states
in which their ancestors were born, married or died. Still others
take long journeys, preferring to see the original record, no matter
where that record may be kept.
REQUEST for a death certificate for an ancestor
If you know:
- an ancestors date of death (within 3 years)
- where the ancestor died
- the ancestor's parent's names, including the maiden name of
the mother
you can write to a county or state records office and get a copy
of the person's death certificate for about $5. This web site:
http://www.familysearch.org/sg/WheToWri.html
will tell you what to include in your letter, as well as give you
the address you need for the county or state courthouse for the
jurisdiction in which your ancestor died. Follow the guidelines
listed in this site, and within a few weeks, a copy of your ancestor's
death certificate will be mailed to you, if it is available. It's
best to choose an ancestor who is closer to you in time, such as
a grandparent, or a great-grandparent.
VIEW ANCESTORS EPISODE 205: "VITAL RECORDS"
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
When Jeff Gallup's grandparents died, he felt he had lost his only
connection to his Sicilian roots, until he took his mother back
to Italy. Searching for their ancestors' birth and marriage records
in their ancestral village of Piana, Jeff and his mother reconnect
with their Italian heritage. You'll also meet experts who will explain
how vital records create an important link between generations.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What is a primary source?
Why would a primary source be your best source of information?
What do you need to know about the state where your ancestors lived
or died before trying to find a vital record in that state?
Can you find vital records online?
Why would it be wise to find your ancestor's death certificate before
his birth certificate?
What information can be found on a death certificate? A marriage
certificate? A birth certificate?
What information could your ancestors' death certificate tell you
that might be important for your children to know?
If siblings are listed on a birth certificate, where would you record
this information?
ACTIVITY
Take a look at the death certificate
What was the person's full name?
What was her maiden name?
What was her husband's name?
Do you think that the person listed as the informant was a reliable
source of the information?
What was the immediate cause of her death?
Approximately how long after her exploratory surgery did she die?
How old was she when she died?
What was the name of the place where she died?
MAIN IDEA NO.3
VITAL HEALTH INFORMATION
As mentioned in the episode, death records are valuable sources
of information because they can give you clues that will lead to
other records, such as marriage and birth certificates. But they
also provide another valuable piece of information: a cause of death.
You are the sum of all your ancestors. Think about it. You received
half of your genes in your body from your father and half from your
mother. Sometimes the genes that a person receives from his or her
ancestors contain the code for producing certain diseases. Of course,
not all diseases are genetic, but if you discover that a certain
disease runs in your family, then you and the people you love can
often do things that will help you avoid developing the disease.
It is very helpful to know the events or circumstances of an ancestor's
death. For instance, if your ancestors tended to die of heart failure,
then, according to doctors, it would be very important for the members
of your immediate family to eat healthy foods, exercise, and avoid
stress as much as possible. Knowing these facts might save your
life.
ACTIVITY: CREATE A GENETIC PEDIGREE
You can record what you find about your ancestor's causes of death
on your standard pedigree chart, or create a genetic
pedigree. A sample genetic
pedigree will give you an idea of what yours may look like.
Note that boxes are used for males, circles for females. The information
for each person includes the illnesses from which they died, the
dates of onset of the illnesses, and the death dates.
Here are some tips to follow when creating your own genetic pedigree:
- Four generations of medical information is usually sufficient
for genetic counseling.
- Gather medical information on living as well as deceased members
of your family. Information from the horizontal line (brothers
and sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins) is as important as information
from the vertical line (parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents).
- Talk to your living relatives about what they remember the
causes of death to be for specific family members. Verify the
information they give you and find additional information for
your medical pedigree by gathering death certificates.
- Look around your house for other records that will help you
build a medical pedigree such as obituaries, insurance documents,
and hospital records.
- Treat the information that you gather with discretion.
- Consult a physician or a genetic counselor if you have questions
or concerns about the information you find in your family's medical
history.
