Death Records

Cathy · V.I.P. Joined: Jul 10, 2007 Posts: 2681

Now that I have all the records I can obtain from the microfilms on my great grandfather, I am really curious how he died. He was only 26 when he died and his baby (3 months old) daughter died within 2 weeks of him. I would really love to know what happened. Does anyone know if there is another type of death record that I can request that will give the cause of death? Thanks.

JB5150 · Explorer Joined: Sep 13, 2007 Posts: 78 Location: Florida

Hi Cathy,

Did your GGF die in the US or Italy? We had a similar situation in my family-- GGF died at 39 and 4 y/o daughter died not long after. They were in the US at the time and were both victims of the 1918 flu pandemic. My GGF's death certificate says the cause of death was pneumonia, but obviously it was brought on by the flu. Do you have any idea whether there may have been something similar going on at the time your relatives died?

Cathy · V.I.P. Joined: Jul 10, 2007 Posts: 2681

JB - Welcome to our group and thanks for your reply! My g grandfather died in Italy in 1895. I read something somewhere about an epidemic of cholera in Italy that year but I cannot confirm that or where in Italy the epidemic was. My g grandfather lived in Cosenza Province in Calabria and it is difficult to get information on this region. I think it is time to learn Italian! Shocked

Thanks again.