Thursday, August 11, 2011

Treasure Chest Thursday - Sophia (Newton) Hildreth's Death Certificate

...
It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is 
Sophia (Newton) Hildreth's (1834-1923) death certificate in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts....





I obtained this death certificate in person at the Leominster Town Hall (on election day - they were really busy!).

Here is the transcription of the death certificate (typed parts in italics, form lines underlined):

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
--------------
CERTIFICATE of DEATH
From the Records of Deaths in the City of Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
======================
1. Date of Death: August 29, 1923
2. Name:  Sophia Hildreth
Maiden Name: [blank]
3. Sex, and whether Single, Female
Married or widowed: Widowed
4. Age: 86 Years 11 Months  15 Days
5. Color: White
6. Disease or Cause of Death:  Old Age
7. Residence: Leominster, MA
8. Occupation:  None
9. Place of Death: Leominster Hospital, Leominster, MA
10. Place of Birth: Springfield, VT
11. Name of Husband or Wife:  Edward Hildreth
12. Name of Father:  Not Listed
13. Maiden Name of Mother:  (Buck) Newton
14. Birthplace of Father:  Cannot be learned
15. Birthplace of Mother: Massachusetts
16. Place of Interment: Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, MA
====================
I, AUDREY J. JOHNSON, depose and say that I hold the office of City Clerk of the City of Leominster, County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that the records of Births, Marriages and Deaths required by law to be kept in said City are in my custody, and that the above is a true extract from the records of Deaths in said City, as certified by me.

Date of Recording: 1899 WITNESS my hand and seal of said City, on the 17th day of September 19 90.
/s/ Audrey J. Johnson, City Clerk.

I am not surprised that the informant did not know Sophia's father's name, or his birthplace.  Sophia's daughter (Hattie Louisa Hildreth) and son-in-law (Frank Walton Seaver) died before she did, and one of her grandsons, either Frederick Walton Seaver or Harry Clifton Seaver was probably the informant. 

The birth date of Sophia from her death certificate calculates to 14 September 1836.  It is likely that Sophia was born 14 September 1834, rather than 1836.  She was 18 years old at her marriage in 1852, age 46 in the 1880 Census, born in September 1835 in the 1900 census, age 73 in the 1910 census, and age 82 in the 1920 census.  So we have a range from 1833 to 1837. 

Her birthplace is also in question.  In her marriage record, she is listed as born in Vermont.  In her son's death record, she is listed as born in Cambridge, Vermont.  In her death certificate, she is listed as born in Springfield, Vermont. 

I just realized that I don't have an image of the death certificates of Hattie Louisa (Hildreth) Seaver and frank Walton Seaver.  Drat, did I miss them when I scanned all of my certificate collection?  Or do I not have them?

No comments: