Society Saturday - Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection Completed

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is very pleased to announce the completion  of the Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection 1887 - 1969.  The progress of producing this 20 book collection of over 70,000 indexed names was chronicled, in part, here and here.

Every Friday morning for over three years the extraction team lead by Marilyn Ulbricht assembled at the Center for Sacramento History where the records are held.  Each volunteer had a coroner's record book from which entries were extracted. The books were fragile and cumbersome to manage, some measuring nearly 18 inches square. Great care was taken to protect crumbling spines and delicate pages. Pat Johnson, Senior Archivist at the Center, welcomed the volunteers and the extraction project because it will increase public access to the records via published indexes and promote preservation of the actual books by reducing or eliminating handling.

The adage "dead men tell no tales" couldn't be further from the truth when it comes to coroner's records.  Genealogists with kin of all ages and gender who lived in Sacramento County from 1887-1969 could learn valuable clues about their last place of residence, cause of death and more from our newly completed collection. 

Dae Powell, the Shoestring Genealogist, wrote about the types of coroner's records, how to locate them, and online resources.  The article, written in 2007, remains relevant today except for need to add the Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection to her list of resources!

The books are available for purchase in the Store on our website or by contacting us by email.

posted by Denise H. Richmond

Society Saturday - New Coroner's Volume Released

This post has been updated to include a sample page from Book 13.

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that Book 13 of the 20 books in the Sacramento County Coroner's Records Collection has now been published as Volume 6. When completed, the entire collection will cover 1887 - 1969.



Sample page from Book 13, click to enlarge



Book 13 is titled Coroner's Register - Indexed and covers January 1935 through December 1940.  Information extracted consists of Surname, Given Name, Date of Death, Place of Death, Sex, Nativity, Age, Marital Status, Cause of Death, Inquest Date, and Remarks. This information provides valuable clues for the family history researcher.

Root Cellar volunteers extracted and indexed these records from original books of the Coroner's Office of Sacramento County held at the Center for Sacramento History and acquired through the efforts of the Sacramento Old City Cemetery Committee.

Book Description:

• Alphabetical Index of  2,714 names and extractions
• 8½" x 11" soft cover
• 240 pages
• $20.00 plus tax, shipping and handling

Orders may be placed by using the Publications Order Form on the Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society website at www.rootcellar.org.   Inquiries may be sent to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.

Society Saturday is just one of the blogging themes suggested on Geneabloggers.  You can show-off your ancestors here by sending a short story and photo to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond

Thankful Thursday: Volunteers Who Transcribe Original Records

Root Cellar Sacramento Genealogical Society is thankful for its devoted Records Extraction Team lead by past president Marilyn Ulbricht. The term 'extraction' sounds down right painful, but it is far from it.


This group of volunteers would probably describe their transcription work as a way of giving back to the genealogy community, possibly a labor of love and certainly educational.  Reference books are always at hand to clarify a place name or cause of death terminology of a bygone era like dropsy and marasmus.

Every Friday morning the team assembles at the Center for Sacramento History. Each volunteer has a record book from which to extract entries.  The books are fragile and cumbersome to manage, some measuring nearly 18 inches square. Great care is taken to protect crumbling spines and delicate pages.  Pat Johnson, Senior Archivist at the Center, welcomes the volunteers and the extraction project because it will increase public access to the records via published indexes and promote preservation of the actual books by reducing or eliminating handling.

The team's current project is huge:  extracting Sacramento County Coroner's Office records from 1887 - 1969.  These original records are held at the Center for Sacramento History which acquired them through the efforts of the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Committee.  The work of these dedicated volunteers will culminate in a 20 volume record set.  As of this writing, Book 13, covering the 1930s to 1940s, was just completed and sent to the printer!

According to Marilyn Ulbricht, "Coroner Records are a gold mine of information - they give clues to follow which can really get through some brick walls.  They really tell a story of life!"  Marilyn continues "Not everyone was buried in a potter's grave as there were contracts with various cemeteries in the area to bury decedents whose family was unable to bury them". 

The books contain inquisition certificates, inquests, receipts for property, indigent burial records, disposal of bodies and property, and buried location.  The information to be gleaned from each book includes place, date or cause of death; date and arrangements for burial; and property description and name and relationship of the person receiving such property.  These are valuable clues for the family history researcher.

Thank you again for your tremendous contribution to Root Cellar and the genealogy community!

This publication and others can be read at the Root Cellar Genealogical Library located inside the California State Archives, 1020 "O" Street, 4th floor, Sacramento, California.  You may also contact us about purchase. 

 

Thankful Thursday is just one of the blog themes suggested on GeneaBloggers.  Get your family research noticed here; send a short story and/or image to rootcellarsgs@gmail.com.

 

posted by Denise HIbsch Richmond