Author Topic: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Plus Births for 1906. Online and free  (Read 27275 times)

Offline johnnyboy

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Updated with link to 1906 births.
The State of Pennsylvania has put its death indexes online at its own website. The death indexes cover the years from 1906 to 1961. Also online is an index of 1906 births. Those are the only Pennsylvania births online at the moment.

Read the entire post to make your search easier.

Added Feb. 29 Here is the URL to go to Pennsylvania's page with a clickable link to the 1906 birth indexes (the only year indexed):
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1086145&mode=2

The 1906 births are in PDF form and seem to be in simple alphabetical order. The second column on the PDF seems to be the mother's maiden name, but there are no column headings to verify that. Place of birth is also noted.

The first births PDF has 1906 births that were not indexed until the 1970s and later. They are arranged in index card form, from A to Z. They have the mother's maiden name and place of birth.

Here is the URL to go directly to the death indexes. There is an individual link for each year:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1085804&mode=2

Added Feb. 24: Because navigating Pennsylvania's death indexes can be confusing, I'm adding a sample search in boldface below.

The general order of the death indexes is alphabetical within a particular year. However, the years 1920-1924 and 1930-1951 are organized according to the Russell Soundex System, which orders names using the first letter of the surname followed by a 3-digit code based on the other consonants in the surname.

To download a PDF with instructions on how to determine the Soundex number, go to http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/public_records/20686

This Russell Soundex PDF link is halfway or so down the page. This entire page at the second link explains the indexes and tells you how to get a copy of a death certificate.

The good news is that uncertified copies cost only $3.00. The bad news is that the turnaround time for mailing the certificate is 16 to 18 weeks.

Added FEB. 24:
AN EXAMPLE
The reply below prompted me to add an example of how to find someone who died in a year when the indexes are arranged using the Soundex system. Here's the surname COOKE, died in 1933.

COOKE is fairly easy to figure out. The problem is that the instructions for determining the Soundex code don't make it clear that the first letter of the surname is not part of the code. It's the letter under which in any particular year you look for the three-digit code.

So using C as the letter to look under, and ignoring the vowels, which are not included in any code numbers, we're left with one letter in Cooke, the letter K. The number equivalent for K is 2. Since there are no additional consonants in Cooke, the rest of the three-digit code is two zeroes. The code for Cooke, then, is C 200.

Three-digit code numbers under any letter start at 000, and they can go up to or beyond 663.

When you click on 1933 in the link (above) to the actual indexes, you get the following alphabetical list of of PDFs:

D-33 A-B.pdf
D-33 C-D.pdf
D-33 D-E.pdf
D-33 F-G.pdf
D-33 H-H.pdf
D-33 H-J.pdf
D-33 K-L.pdf
D-33 M-M.pdf
D-33 M-N.pdf
D-33 O-P.pdf
D-33 Q-R.pdf
D-33 S-S.pdf
D-33 T-V.pdf
D-33 W-Z.pdf

Cooke obviously is under C. So open the C-D PDF. There you get another list, this one of various letter combinations beginning with C, each followed by a three-digit code. For example:

COO 160
COOUET 230
CHA 320
CAL 414 and so

Since you're looking for C 200, you would click on COO 160 and scroll down in that group of pages until you came to the entries under C 200.

It's best to resize the PDF page down to 66% so that you can have all of the page columns on your screen, since unfortunately, in 1933, the code number (C200 and any other number) is in a center column, following the place where the death occurred.

In 1933, C 200 starts on p. 12 and runs through p. 18. Cooke (and Cook) are found on all of those pages, among other names coded C 200.
ENGLAND (all Yorkshire but one)
SLATER: Ovenden, Halifax, and Massachusetts
DOBSON, LONGBOTTOM: Thornton (Bradford)
DRURY: Darton, Halifax, and Massachusetts
NEVIL(LE): Wigan (Lancs.), Darton
MEGSON: Dewsbury, Ossett
GARSIDE: Woolley, West Bretton

SCOTLAND
ROBERT HENDRY: b. 1856, Who-knows-where-shire, Scotland; 1882 to US
DEMPSTER, HOUSTON: Lesmahagow, Glasgow, and Massachusetts
GALBRAITH, MEIKLE: Kirkmichael, Ayr.; Hamilton, Glasgow, and Massachusetts

Offline sccond

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Online and free
« Reply #1 on: Friday 24 February 12 13:17 GMT (UK) »
That is the most complicated thing I have ever seen. And I think I am a reasonably intelligent person. How the heck would Cooke be indexed???
Bentley-Lancs & West Yorkshire, Schofield- Lancs, Cooke & Abbott-Northamptonshire & Canada, Smith & Careless-Staffs, Stewart-Scotland & Canada, Hamill-Ireland, Canada & Maine

Offline sccond

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Online and free
« Reply #2 on: Friday 24 February 12 18:46 GMT (UK) »
Looking through now.  Is one of the columns age?
Bentley-Lancs & West Yorkshire, Schofield- Lancs, Cooke & Abbott-Northamptonshire & Canada, Smith & Careless-Staffs, Stewart-Scotland & Canada, Hamill-Ireland, Canada & Maine

Offline johnnyboy

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Online and free
« Reply #3 on: Friday 24 February 12 21:32 GMT (UK) »
Looking through now.  Is one of the columns age?

I sent you a PM just now explaining. But I wanted to answer your question about whether or not there was a column for age. The 1933 index, which is the year I used in my example, does not have a column for age.

In 1933, there is a two-digit column just before the date of death. I think that is a code number for the city/town of death, since deaths in Philadelphia seem to have the number 51 before the date of death.

Other years may or may not have age. I have not seen any ages yet, however, in my searches for several people.

John  :o :o :o
ENGLAND (all Yorkshire but one)
SLATER: Ovenden, Halifax, and Massachusetts
DOBSON, LONGBOTTOM: Thornton (Bradford)
DRURY: Darton, Halifax, and Massachusetts
NEVIL(LE): Wigan (Lancs.), Darton
MEGSON: Dewsbury, Ossett
GARSIDE: Woolley, West Bretton

SCOTLAND
ROBERT HENDRY: b. 1856, Who-knows-where-shire, Scotland; 1882 to US
DEMPSTER, HOUSTON: Lesmahagow, Glasgow, and Massachusetts
GALBRAITH, MEIKLE: Kirkmichael, Ayr.; Hamilton, Glasgow, and Massachusetts


Offline sccond

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Online and free
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 25 February 12 02:22 GMT (UK) »
John - Do you know if there is a similiar function for PA births??

Thanks again, lisa
Bentley-Lancs & West Yorkshire, Schofield- Lancs, Cooke & Abbott-Northamptonshire & Canada, Smith & Careless-Staffs, Stewart-Scotland & Canada, Hamill-Ireland, Canada & Maine

Offline johnnyboy

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Online and free
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 25 February 12 04:18 GMT (UK) »
Lisa: One year of births are online: 1906. I neglected to mention it. In case anyone is interested.

John  :o :o :o
ENGLAND (all Yorkshire but one)
SLATER: Ovenden, Halifax, and Massachusetts
DOBSON, LONGBOTTOM: Thornton (Bradford)
DRURY: Darton, Halifax, and Massachusetts
NEVIL(LE): Wigan (Lancs.), Darton
MEGSON: Dewsbury, Ossett
GARSIDE: Woolley, West Bretton

SCOTLAND
ROBERT HENDRY: b. 1856, Who-knows-where-shire, Scotland; 1882 to US
DEMPSTER, HOUSTON: Lesmahagow, Glasgow, and Massachusetts
GALBRAITH, MEIKLE: Kirkmichael, Ayr.; Hamilton, Glasgow, and Massachusetts

Offline barryd

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Online and free
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 28 February 12 23:59 GMT (UK) »
I have found the death site for Pennsylvania very useful but have not been able to find the index for 1906 Births! Is it actually on the site?

Offline johnnyboy

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Plus Births for 1906. Online and free
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 29 February 12 15:35 GMT (UK) »
I've updated this thread with a link to Pennsylvania's 1906 births, the only year that is online so far.
ENGLAND (all Yorkshire but one)
SLATER: Ovenden, Halifax, and Massachusetts
DOBSON, LONGBOTTOM: Thornton (Bradford)
DRURY: Darton, Halifax, and Massachusetts
NEVIL(LE): Wigan (Lancs.), Darton
MEGSON: Dewsbury, Ossett
GARSIDE: Woolley, West Bretton

SCOTLAND
ROBERT HENDRY: b. 1856, Who-knows-where-shire, Scotland; 1882 to US
DEMPSTER, HOUSTON: Lesmahagow, Glasgow, and Massachusetts
GALBRAITH, MEIKLE: Kirkmichael, Ayr.; Hamilton, Glasgow, and Massachusetts

Offline barryd

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Re: Pennsylvania Death Indexes, 1906-1961. Plus Births for 1906. Online and free
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 01 March 12 12:06 GMT (UK) »
The new 1906 link works well. Found the name and more! Thank you.