Massachusetts, Forester Mortuary Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Massachusetts

What is in the 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 this Collection 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 the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the deceased
 * The approximate date of death
 * The approximate date of burial

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "County, Town" ⇒ Select the "Cemetery" 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 if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors 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.

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 Who 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 Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

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

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

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