Yesterday, the Scottish Genealogy group on Facebook posted a great nugget concerning two phone calls you can make to find out additional information concerning a deceased ancestor.
When you are looking for your ancestor, don’t stop at the obituary or the gravestone inscription. Call or write to the cemetery and ask:
- Who purchased the plot
- What address was given for the person who purchased the plot
- Whether any other family members are buried in the same plot
The cemetery office may also tell you the names of any other people with the same surname who are buried at the cemetery.
While you are at it, contact the funeral home listed in the obituary. Funeral homes keep detailed records about the individuals that they care for. This can be a valuable resource.
The funeral home will have:
- A copy of the program or the card given to those who attend the service,
- A copy of the death record they issued for the family and information on the next of kin.
If an autopsy was performed, the funeral home may supply you with the information for the name and address of the coroner as
well, which will allow you to contact that resource for detailed information on the cause of death and the details surrounding the death.
It will not hurt to ask the funeral home if they will provide you with:
- The name of the deceased’s family physician
- The name of the insurance company
- The name of the clergy that performed the service.
- They might even be able to provide you with information about where to find a will for the deceased.
In Idaho Falls and Ammon, there are four funeral homes you can reach out to. Rexburg and Rigby each have one, while St. Anthony has two.
1 Assist Care of the Valley Senior Care: Assisted Living At Home is a home care company located in Rexburg, Idaho. We provide provide weekly family history tips on our blog to help others with their family history work and genealogy.
We also provide assisted living services in the home to seniors in Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Driggs, Ashton, and everywhere in between. For some of our elderly clients, that includes doing family history with them.
To find out more about how we can help keep your elderly loved one home and safe rather than putting them into a nursing home, call us at 208-557-4215.
