Massachusetts, Forester Mortuary Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
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.

Record Content
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 to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the name of the deceased and some other identifying information such as the death and burial dates.

Search the Collection
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.

Using the Information
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. For example:


 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

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

Related Websites
Forester's Mortuary Records

Related Wiki Articles
Massachusetts

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image citation: