Funeral Cards - an Overlooked Genealogy Resource

Funeral cards are an overlooked free genealogical resource. They often contain both the Birth date and Death date and can be used as a substitute for vital records. Technically they are not a substitute for vital records as the person giving the info might not have known for sure when the deceased was born or died but they can be used with caution, just as genealogists should use death certificates.

Unfortunately these valuable resources are scattered and there has not been a single repository for this resource until now. AncestorsAtRest.com is working on  creating the largest funeral card database online.

To view the list of funeral card names, please choose a Funeral Death Card by location or by Surname Letter. Please Note: A lot of the funeral cards and Memorial cards on Ancestors At Rest do not have a known location so it is important that you look for the ancestor you want to find by surname.

 

 Choose from the following:

[A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I,J][K][L][M][N][O][P,Q][R][S][T][U,V][W][Y][Z]

Where to Find Obscure Genealogy Records

How many of us search the more obvious sources, don't find what we are looking for, then are stuck not knowing where else to look for that elusive ancestor? 

Obvious sources are census records, birth records, marriage records, land records, death records, passenger lists, and newspapers. Many of these basic records are found on Ancestry.com But are there other sources we can use?

There are also naturalization records, passport records, military records, cemetery records, almshouse and poorhouse records and more. Many are found online for free, others are pay-to-view.

What Other Genealogy Records Are Out There? 

It may surprise you to know that there are many valuable genealogy records that are less well known. I'm talking about education records, medical records, institution records, tax lists and so on. But there's even another layer of overlooked records that many people miss completely. 

Here are three that I find incredibly valuable but often overlooked.


Coffin plates Find ancestors in this wonderful genealogy resource at  Ancestors at Rest in  hundreds of coffin plates listed (with photographs) 

Coffin Plate of Peter Banta died 1889

Memorial Cards & Funeral Cards Find ancestors in this wonderful genealogy resource at  Ancestors at Rest

Edith Markham Memorial Card

Ledger books, Account books, Admission Registers Ancestors at Rest has dozens of free ledger books online from N. America (mostly USA)

Ledger Book dated 1856

Rescued Funeral Card Louis Burmister age 22

Original Funeral Card owned by Lorine McGinnis Schulze

This is another rescued Funeral Card. Louis Burmister was a young man with his whole life ahead of him when he died in 1886.

His Funeral Card reads:

Died at Collingwood on Monday June 21st, 1886, Louis Burmister, aged 22 years and 9 months.

Funeral will leave the family residence, Cedar Street on Thursday June 24th at 1:30 p.m for the Dunkerd Cemetery.

After rescuing this card from a flea market I wanted to give Louis a voice. I began my search at Ancestry. 9 year old Lewis (sic) is found in the 1871 census for Puslinch Township Wellington County Ontario with his rather large family of parents Ludwig (54) and Fredericka (33) and his 5 siblings ages 2 to 13.

Anyone interested in having this Funeral Card can contact me by leaving a comment on this blog post. Be sure to provide your email address.

Rescued Memorial Cards for Elias & Elizabeth Baker of Bethesda Ontario

Funeral and Memorial Cards are valuable tools for genealogists. Often overlooked as a resource, they can provide invaluable genealogical information.

My husband and I try to rescue these cards whenever we find them at flea markets and antique stores.

For me the joy is researching the individual and giving them a voice. Here is a wonderful find - the Memorial Cards for Elias Baker and his wife Elizabeth. 


Their Memorial cards are folded in two so that you have a front cover (above) then a left and right side when you open the card. Elias' card reads:

In loving memory of Elias Baker who passed away Saturday, November the sixteenth nineteen hundred and twenty-nine aged eighty-four years. Intered in Heise Hill Cemetery, Markham, Ontario.

The left side of the interior of Elias' Memorial card is a traditional verse. His obituary appeared in the Stouffville Tribune in November. The mention of the Burkholder farm was intriguing to me as I am a Burkholder descendant.

Elias' wife Elizabeth's Memorial Card indicates that she died in 1913. Her card reads "Died at Betheseda, on Saturday Nov. 29th 1913, Elizabeth Baker wife of Elias Baker"




 Information on Elizabeth's funeral is given on the right side of her Memorial Card:

The outside of Elizabeth Baker's Memorial Card:

We are happy to pass these cards on to family members. Please leave a comment here on this blog post with your email address, or write me directly at olivetreegenealogy AT gmail.com   Be sure to visit AncestorsAtRest.com for more Funeral Cards and Memorial Cards.

Don't Overlook Alternate Genealogy Records

How many of us search the more obvious sources, then are stuck not knowing where else to look for that elusive ancestor? Obvious sources are census records, birth records, marriage records, land records, death records, passenger lists, and newspapers. 

Of course there are also  naturalization records, passport records, military records, cemetery records, etc.

It may surprise you to know that there are also many valuable genealogy records that are less well known. I'm talking about education records, medical records, institution records, tax lists and so on. But there's another layer of overlooked records that many people miss completely. 

Here are three that I find incredibly valuable but often overlooked.

• Coffin plates Find ancestors in this wonderful genealogy resource at  Ancestors at Rest in  hundreds of coffin plates listed (with photographs)
• Memorial Cards & Funeral Cards Find ancestors in this wonderful genealogy resource at  Ancestors at Rest
• Ledger books, Account books, Admission Registers Ancestors at Rest has dozens of free ledger books online from N. America (mostly USA)

Weekly Featured Genealogy Database: Funeral Cards

Brian, of AncestorsAtRest, has a nice collection of Funeral Cards and Memorial Death Cards online.

Funeral cards are an overlooked genealogical resource. They often contain both the Birth date and Death date of an individual, and sometimes information about burial or funeral services is also provided. Some Funeral Cards contain photos of the deceased.

Funeral cards were meant to be sent out to family and friends to let them know an individual had died, and to inform them of funeral arrangements.

Memorial cards were just that - a card sent out to family and friends in remembrance of a loved one's death.

For help finding other death records when you can't find a death certificate, the free Ancestor Death Record Finder may be of help.

Lots of good tips and links to help you find alternate death records.