Video: Death Certificate Details

Today Jen shares tips on how to evaluate death certificate details.

Below is a snippet of a death certificate which includes the maiden name of the deceased's mother. Her name has been interpreted by many people as Rosann Summers. However, her name was actually Rosanna Inman. Once you know that information, it's easy to see how the strokes of the pen align with 'Inman'. But it's also easy to see how the name could be misread. In this case, the informant--her son Frank--knew the correct details. It's just the penmanship that causes the confusion.

In the example below, A.J. Martin was the informant after the death of his widowed mother Phebe. He stated that his mother's mother was Sarah Summers. Her name was really Elizabeth Somer. Elizabeth died when A.J. was about two years old, so it's understandable how he would not have known all of the details about her. However, as Phebe's eldest son, A.J. may have been the child expected to know the most about his mother.