Index To McHenry County Death Certificates, Book I – Dec 1877- 16 Apr 1909
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | XY | Z |
This index was originally printed in the MCIGS Connection Quarterly with permission from Katherine C. Schultz, County Clerk, McHenry County, IL
Reporting the death of an individual in Illinois was not legally required until 1916. However, some County Clerks kept a record of reported deaths for many years prior to the state’s registration law. Early McHenry County death records begin in December 1877 (reported in 1878), but are incomplete and do not include all persons who died in the county during that time frame. The original death index is alphabetized by the first letter of the surname only and certificates are not listed in strict order by day, month, and year of death, but are recorded on the date the death was reported, which may have varied by as much as a year or more after the actual death. Spelling and handwriting are very poor. The names of several of the deceased were omitted from the index entirely.
In checking the original death certificates against the original index, many transcription errors were discovered.
Examples:
ANDREWS, Geo. B. is listed as the deceased in the index, but the actual death record states that the deceased was a child of Geo. B. and Julia A.
ANDERSON, Violet is listed as the deceased, but the actually death record lists the unnamed boy and girl of Violet.
Certificate #1157 was assigned to both Mrs. Ester L. CRANDALL and Mrs. Caroline FINCH.
This index corrects the discrepancies and lists the name of the deceased as it appears on the original death certificate in Book I. Be sure to scan the index carefully for variant spellings and spelling errors – no attempt has been made to correct or confirm the original spelling. During some years, the letters i, e, u, r, m, n, w, l and t were particularly difficult to differentiate. In some cases, more than one certificate was issued for the same individual, usually because information was changed or added. The Notes section was added by the author for clarification purposes.
Information contained on the death certificate may include name, sex, age, marital status and color of deceased; occupation; date and time of death; nationality and where born; length of residence in Illinois; place of death; cause of death, complication, duration of complication, and duration of disease; place and date of burial; name of undertaker and place of business; name and residence of physician returning the death certificate.
Certified copies of the death certificates can be ordered from the McHenry County Clerk, McHenry County Government Building, 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098. Be sure to provide the full name of the deceased and the certificate number.
Visit the McHenry County Clerk’s web page for complete details regarding search and photocopy fees and to download an application form. www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/countyclerk/Pages/VitalRecords.aspx
Reporting the death of an individual in Illinois was not legally required until 1916. However, some County Clerks kept a record of reported deaths for many years prior to the state’s registration law. Early McHenry County death records begin in December 1877 (reported in 1878), but are incomplete and do not include all persons who died in the county during that time frame. The original death index is alphabetized by the first letter of the surname only and certificates are not listed in strict order by day, month, and year of death, but are recorded on the date the death was reported, which may have varied by as much as a year or more after the actual death. Spelling and handwriting are very poor. The names of several of the deceased were omitted from the index entirely.
In checking the original death certificates against the original index, many transcription errors were discovered.
Examples:
ANDREWS, Geo. B. is listed as the deceased in the index, but the actual death record states that the deceased was a child of Geo. B. and Julia A.
ANDERSON, Violet is listed as the deceased, but the actually death record lists the unnamed boy and girl of Violet.
Certificate #1157 was assigned to both Mrs. Ester L. CRANDALL and Mrs. Caroline FINCH.
This index corrects the discrepancies and lists the name of the deceased as it appears on the original death certificate in Book I. Be sure to scan the index carefully for variant spellings and spelling errors – no attempt has been made to correct or confirm the original spelling. During some years, the letters i, e, u, r, m, n, w, l and t were particularly difficult to differentiate. In some cases, more than one certificate was issued for the same individual, usually because information was changed or added. The Notes section was added by the author for clarification purposes.
Information contained on the death certificate may include name, sex, age, marital status and color of deceased; occupation; date and time of death; nationality and where born; length of residence in Illinois; place of death; cause of death, complication, duration of complication, and duration of disease; place and date of burial; name of undertaker and place of business; name and residence of physician returning the death certificate.
Certified copies of the death certificates can be ordered from the McHenry County Clerk, McHenry County Government Building, 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098. Be sure to provide the full name of the deceased and the certificate number.
Visit the McHenry County Clerk’s web page for complete details regarding search and photocopy fees and to download an application form. www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/countyclerk/Pages/VitalRecords.aspx
