Ohio, Summit County, Coroner Inquests, Hospital and Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of the following records:


 * Edwin Shaw Hospital admittance cards (1915-1947)
 * Edwin Shaw Hospital employment cards (1915-1940)
 * Edwin Shaw Hospital and Briar Hill Cemetery burial permits (1915-1947)
 * Coroner's inquest books (1882-1922)

The hospital was was originally named Springfield Lake Sanatorium. It was renamed Edwin Shaw Sanatorium in Auguast 1934 in honor of one of the long term Trustees of the hospital.

The Briar Hill Cemetery is located on the Edwin Shaw Hospital grounds and was established for the Tuberculosis patients. However, not all patients that passed away at the Hospital are buried at the cemetery. The cemetery does not have headstones. There are numbers on concrete at each grave. A list of the patients buried at Briar Hill Cemetery is available at the office of the Summit County Executive in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

This collection is being published as images become available.

The county began recording vital events in accordance with state law.

Deaths were recorded to better serve public health needs. They were also used in connection with the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

For a list of records by event and date currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
The following information is generally found in these records:


 * Date and place of death
 * Name and gender of the deceased
 * Age of deceased usually in years, months and days
 * Sometimes, date and place of birth of deceased
 * Marital status of deceased
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Names of parents, including maiden name of mother
 * Sometimes, parents' date and place of birth
 * Residence of deceased, including length of residence at that address
 * Occupation of deceased
 * Name and location of cemetery where buried
 * Name of the informant, who may be a family member

How to Use the Records
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Category" ⇒Select the "Record Type, Volume, and Year Range" category which takes you to the images Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The place where the death occurred
 * The name of the person at the time of death
 * The approximate death date

Compare the information in the death record to what you already know about your ancestor to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s death record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find or verify their birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents (if the deceased is a child) to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment records or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county.
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members.
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have died or been buried in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in these records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Geauga County Vital Records
 * Summit county on Wikipedia.com

Related Wiki Articles

 * Summit County, Ohio
 * Ohio Cemeteries
 * Ohio Vital Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Ohio, Summit County, Coroner Inquests, Hospital and Cemetery Records, 1882-1947

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Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.