Maryland, Baltimore, Locks Funeral Home Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This collection consists of funeral home records from the Locks Funeral Home in Baltimore for the years 1936 to 2007. The records are located at the Maryland State Archives accession number MSA SC 6147.

Funeral records are generally a late nineteenth, early twentieth century record. Embalming within the United States was not a widely accepted practice until the Civil War and the death of President Abraham Lincoln. Most funerals prior to the early twentieth century were a family and friends event taking place at the decedent’s home with burial taking place within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of death. Funeral homes or parlors were not used and caskets were made by the local cabinet or furniture maker. Large cities are more likely to have earlier funeral home records. Most rural areas did not have funeral homes until the early twentieth century. Funeral directors are now responsible for initiating and filing the death certificate. Since the 1950s, many funeral homes have merged with other firms or gone out of business. Funeral records are generally recorded in the locality where the person resided or is buried. They were not used by the general population until local regulations required embalming and the use of a funeral home became a generally accepted practice.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Funeral records may include death certificates, ledgers, obituaries, and miscellaneous loose papers.
 * Name, age and race of deceased
 * Death date and place of deceased
 * Residence of deceased
 * Burial date and place of deceased
 * Birth date and place of deceased
 * Name and birth place of father of deceased
 * Maiden name and birth place of mother of deceased
 * Name of informant
 * Date and place of funeral
 * Date and place of burial
 * Religious preference
 * Names of surviving family members
 * Names of other relatives or friends
 * Copy of obituary or notes used to prepare obituary
 * List of newspapers where obituary was placed

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual
 * The date or place of residence

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If the funeral home does not have a death certificate, search for the actual record
 * Use the information found in the funeral record to search for a birth or marriage record
 * Search for military, land, and probate records
 * Search for an obituary and cemetery records

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

 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Maryland.
 * Maryland Guided Research
 * Maryland Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research
 * United States Funeral Home Records

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Lock Funeral Home records, 1936-2007
 * Baltimore City, estate papers, 1849-1928

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999
 * Maryland Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1796-1940
 * Maryland Deaths and Burials, 1877-1992

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.