Massachusetts, Forester Mortuary Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The Irish Catholic Foresters Collection contains life insurance membership applications for Irish immigrants in Massachusetts for the years 1879 to 1935. The application includes personal data, family information, and a physical examination. Death benefits, disbursements with named beneficiaries and additional correspondence are included in the Foresters Mortuary Record. These records are located at the Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) in Boston, Massachusetts.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Key genealogical facts found in this collection may include:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death and burial
 * Name of heirs, spouse or other family members
 * Age of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Name of physician

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the deceased
 * The approximate date of death
 * The approximate date of burial

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the locality and relative’s names to locate census, church and land records
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful 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 in the same area or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. 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

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Massachusetts.
 * Massachusetts Guided Research
 * Massachusetts Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

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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.