Maryland, Dorchester County Historical Society Obituary Collection - FamilySearch Historical Records

	This article describes a collection of historical records scheduled to become available at FamilySearch.org.
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Record Description

This collection consists of images of obituaries and other personal documents from collection at the Dorchester County Historical Society in Cambridge, Maryland for the years 1923 to 2013.

You will be able to browse through images in this collection when it is published.

Record Content

• Maryland, Dorchester County Historical Society Obituary Collection Record Examples
• 

  Obituary

• 

  Social Security Death Index

• 

  Death Certificate

• 

  Newspaper Clipping

• 

  Marriage Notice

• 

  Registration Card

• 

  Army Enlistment Record

• 

  Will (page 1)

• 

  Notice of Public Sale

The information varies by record. You may find any of the following:

• Name of the primary individual
• Age
• Birth date and place
• Marriage date and place
• Death date and place
• Names of parents, spouse or other relatives
• Biographical details
• Name of newspaper, date and place of publication

How to Use the Record

To begin your search you will need to know the following:

• Name of deceased
• Identifying formation such as death date

Search the Collection

To search the collection:
⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page
⇒Select the appropriate "Surname Range" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:

• There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
• You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
• Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information

When you have located your ancestor’s obituary, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These records are often brief so it can be easy to confuse individuals. Compare what information is given with what you already know about your ancestor to make sure it is the correct person.

Next, look at the pieces of information given in the obituary for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors. For example:

• Use the birth date or year to search for birth records.
• Use the birth date along with relative’s names to find the family in census records.
• Use the locality and relative’s names to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

• Information in these records is brief so it is easy to confuse individuals.
• The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.
• Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
• Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
• When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

• Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
• Search the indexes and records of local newspapers.
• Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries.

Related Websites

• Dorchester County Historical Society
• Dorchester Public Library

Related Wiki Articles

Maryland Directories

Citations for this Collection

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.

Image Citation:
This template has been deprecated and is no longer used.

The image citation will be available once the collection is published.