Death Certificates Vol 1 Part 2 - 1915

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Document Description 

Transylvania County began keeping Death Certificates in the latter part of 1913.  Volume one contains death certificates for 1913 through 1915. All subsequent years have a specific volume for that year.  In keeping with this later pattern, this index for volume one is divided into 1914 - with the few certificates for 1913 included and 1915, with a few certificates from 1914.  The following part of volume one breaks at a somewhat natural change within the original book.

Adding to the date confusion, the original books of death certificates is no longer available after being water damaged as a result of poor storage methods.  The current set of duplicate certificates have been rearranged to reflect a more chronological order tat no longer matches the page numbers listed in the official index  New page numbers have not been added.  This index continues to use the original page numbers since they are still used in the official index and it is hoped that the original order will be restored.  The digital images will help provide the information of the original documents.  Any users needed the official copy are on their own in finding it.

The order and page numbers in the index list below are from transcription notes of the original book made by Linda Hoxit Raxter in 1998 prior to the damage to the original book.  The images were created by Linda Anders using a digital camera.  Beyond the addition of an identifying caption in blue, no alterations to these images have been made.

However, it is important to bear in mind that it would be several years before all families adopted the practice of registering family deaths.  In addition, many certificates were incompletely or improperly filled out.  Accuracy and legibility vary by township and their local registrars.

The following index list is not intended to be used as a transcription of the Death Certificates.  Instead it is a finding aid to locate the actual images of each death certificate.  Birth and death years only are given to help in identifying an individual.  Complete dates, when available, will be found on the image.  Frequently an exact birth year is not listed.  In these case an approximate year is listed.  Both parents are also listed when available to aid in identifying an individual. 

Names in the index are frequently standardized to facilitate searching with the "Find" command.  The original spelling can then be viewed on the original certificate by following the hyperlink.  To use the find feature with Microsoft Explorer use CTRL+F and enter the surname.

Some certificates do not include names or only have a partial name.  In these cases names may have been added to the Index.  These additions are indicated by parenthesis.  Some characters are difficult if not impossible to read.  These are indicated with underlines.

Images were made from a set of photoduplicated copies at the Transylvania County Registrar of Deeds office.  After these certificates were duplicated, the original was stored in the leaky courthouse basement with other original vital records where they sustained water damage.  

While this Internet access to the records is convenient, it is also made through a new media and instable national project.  In addition, these images are not archival quality and should not be considered a substitute for the original or for the necessity of microfilming these records with a copy placed in State Archives as a permanent backup to prevent further loss of these documents.

 - Originally posted March 30, 2003 by Linda O. Anders and Linda Hoxit Raxter

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** This "December 1916" death is very much out of sequence and may be in error.  It probably should read 1915 - LHR