California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in the Collection?
This set is a collection of various records maintained by several San Francisco funeral homes, including


 * N. Gray and Co., (records of the Burlingame and San Francisco branches)
 * Halsted and Co. Undertakers
 * H.F. Suhr &amp; Co.
 * Godeau Funeral Service, (branches in San Francisco and Stockton)
 * George H. Clark Funeral Home (Sacramento)
 * Clark &amp; Booth Funeral Directors (Sacramento)
 * Kremple &amp; Halsted-Undertakers
 * W.P. Peterson &amp; Co.
 * H.W. Gantner (Gantner Bros.)

Several different types of records were created. The collection includes records from 1835 to 1979. The indexes are arranged alphabetically by surname, grouped by type of record. Some indexes will index the names of the deceased, others will index the persons making the funeral and financial arrangements, and others will index both. Some indexes refer to only the name and page number. Others may also include death and/or burial dates, the age at time of death, birth place, residence, cause of death, grave site, cemetery name, and the persons making funeral and financial arrangements. Some page numbers were incorrectly transcribed when the indexes were created and such records are usually found within a page or two of the page given.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records usually contain:


 * Name of the deceased
 * Age of deceased
 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Name of physician

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the person
 * The place or date of the event

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page. br>
 * 1) Select City (County)
 * 2) Select Year Range
 * 3) Select Funeral Home
 * 4) Select Record Type and Volume/Page Range

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the [URL to custodian (space) Custodian Name].

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section.
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index.
 * If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation Top of Page

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