Reviewing a Death Certificate and Mortality Statistics for William Way Browning

Sometimes it takes a lot of work to find a death certificate or just the listing of a death in a ledger.  For my maternal 3rd great-grandfather I was easily able to find a copy of William’s death certificate on-line. 

(click on image to enlarge)

Now that I have a copy I wanted to really look at the certificate and see what information there is on this certificate.  Does the information match what I have already learned and what is new information?

I already knew: William lived in a rural area and he was a chairmaker.  William’s date of birth and death, occupation, father’s name and birthplace.  When I look at the mother’s information I see there is an error.  William’s son who gave the information (E.I. Browning) gave the name of William’s wife Amanda (son’s mother) instead of William’s mother (Lucy Welles Weaver).

What I learned:  the death certificate number, cause of death, duration of illness, who gave the information about William for the death certificate, the address where William lived with his son, date of burial and the Undertaker’s name.  Interesting that William was buried 10 days after he died.  That seems like a long time in 1908.

Frequently, in genealogical research, we get sidetracked with something that takes us down a path that we commonly refer to as a ‘rabbit hole’ and we may get lost there for hours. I wanted to learn more about William’s cause of death and went down a new rabbit hole but it gave me some interesting information.

On the death certificate it looks like the cause of death is ‘Urae’… something? Hmm?  As I googled and searched and reviewed the spelling I decided it must say ‘Uraemia’.  Well, what exactly does that mean? 

• “Uraemia"  is a dangerous condition that occurs when the kidneys no longer filter properly. It's likely to occur when a person is in the final stage of chronic kidney disease.

So, William was 92 years old and had chronic kidney disease lasting for 10 days as well as Arterio Sclerosis which he’d had for about 10 months.  Well, as I was researching ‘uraemia’ I had looked at common listings of death in 1908 hoping that would tell me something about ‘uraemia’ and before I knew it…I went down the rabbit hole and learned about death rates and causes in 1908.  How did William’s death fit into the statistics?

• In 1908 life expectancy for men was just 49.5 years.  Wow, William had lived 43.5 years longer than the average life expectancy for a man of his time.
• “The year 1908 was a year of remarkably low mortality throughout the United States," according to a comprehensive report called the "Bulletin" from the U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor titled Mortality Statistics: 1908.

I wondered what the Mortality Statistics were and if they would add something additional to William’s story?

• According to the Mortality Statistics (for the states that supplied information) the top 5 causes of death for males were:  All other and unknown causes, Tuberculosis of the lungs,  Other diseases of the digestive system, Other accidents and injuries, and heart disease.  I am thinking based on the list that William’s cause of death would fall in the first category of ‘All other and unknown causes’.

Looking at the deaths in Bradford County, Pennsylvania (#410) in the age group 90-94

(click on image to enlarge)

I see there is only one reported death.  That one must be William.  He was the oldest person to die that year in Bradford County.  He truly lived a very long life as compared to the general public.  Very interesting.  There were a total of 93 people that died in the county that year that were above the 50 years of age expectancy for men.  Did the rural life or genetics or lifestyles of the residents add to their high rate of longevity?

I would definitely use the Mortality Statistics again, especially to see how my ancestor’s cause of death compared to the general population.  This would also show deaths due to epidemics.  In 1908 the country was starting to look at occupations of those that died to determine if there was a correlation between occupation and cause of death.  Looking beyond the general information in a record can tell us so much more about the times in which our ancestor’s lived.

To learn more about William see posts Celebrating the Life of William Way Browning and The Joys of a Comprehensive Obituary – William Way Browning.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

The Joys of a Comprehensive Obituary - William Way Browning

For a researcher an ‘Obituary’ can give us valuable information about the life of an ancestor we never knew.  A comprehensive obituary can give us valuable vital statistics, names of parents, siblings and possibly tell us about the occupation of our ancestor.  For me, the best obituary contains information about the personality of my ancestor.  I can generally locate information elsewhere about the facts of their life but where, outside of an obituary, can I learn about the person they were?

The following obituary for my maternal 3rd great-grandfather William Browning is one of the most comprehensive that I have found to date:

(click on image to enlarge)
obtained from the Files of the Bradford County Historical Society

Transcription:

One of Towanda’s Oldest Citizens

William W. Browning, one of Towanda’s oldest and most highly respected citizens, passed from mortal ken Friday night. He had been in poor health for a long time and in bed for five weeks, with ailments incident to old age and peacefully passed away at 11:45 o’clock at the home of his son, Councilman E. I. Browning on Mechanic street.

William W. Browning was born in Orwell township on Jan. 20, 1816, his parents being pioneer settlers in that township. When a youth he learned the trade of chairmaking, a vocation he followed in Orwell township until 1874, when he came to Towanda and entered the employ of the late J. O. Frost, continuing with the firm of J. O. Frost Sons until failing health compelled his retirement. His wife died six years ago, since which time he has made his home with his son on Mechanic street.

Deceased was of a kind, friendly disposition, honest as the day, and firm in his friendships. His allotment of 92 years were quietly spent in humble pursuits, he being content with the simple life, as it were, doing his very best always. All during his residence in Towanda, he was a good citizen, a man worthy of respect and esteem at all times. He was a charter member of the Towanda Universalist church.

He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. L.M. Coolbaugh of Lockwood, N.Y. and two sons, E.I. Browning of Towanda, and Gay Browning of Susquehanna. There are no brothers of sisters of the deceased, he being the last of his immediate family.

The funeral was held on Monday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Browning home on Mechanic street, and interment was made in the Riverside cemetery.

Unfortunately, I am not sure of the newspaper this was found in.  I am, however, so grateful for this account of William’s life especially the third paragraph which gives me such rich information about the character of my third great-grandfather.  I wonder what his ‘humble pursuits’ were?

To read more on the life of William see post Celebrating the Life of William Way Browning.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Celebrating the Life of William Way Browning

William Way Browning

Today is the 205^th birthday of my maternal 3rd great-grandfather William Way Browning.  I wanted to remember him on his birthday and see what I could learn about him.

William was born 20 January 1816 in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania to John Wilkes and Lucy Welles Weaver Browning. William was the 5^th of 6 children.

William (25 years old) is first found in the 1840 US Federal Census living by himself in Towanda, Bradford, PA employed in Manufacture and Trade.

William (age 32) married Amanda Johnson De Leon (age 26) on 1 November 1848 in Orwell, Bradford County, PA and had the following children: Harriett (my 2^nd great grandmother), Eustace, Guy. I believe this may have been a second marriage for William as well as Amanda.

1850 US Federal Census on the 20^th day of September shows William (34 years old) living with his wife Amanda and baby daughter Harriet, 3 months old (my 2^nd great grandmother) in Orwell, Bradford County, PA with his occupation listed as a Chair Maker working in the Industry of Furniture and Fixtures. His Real Estate is valued at $400. His birthplace is listed as Pennsylvania. William and family are living next door to his inlaws-Joel and Sophronia Johnson. William’s brother Ephraim Browning (aged 31) is listed as living next door and his occupation is also a Chairmaker. I wonder if they worked together?

1860 US Federal Census on the 26^th of July shows William (44 years old) living in Orwell, Bradford, PA with his wife Amanda and four children. His Occupation is Chair Maker and his Real Estate is valued at $1400 and his Personal Estate is valued at $740. There is a Chair Maker apprentice, Edwin Sherman, aged 17 living with them also. William’s birthplace is listed as Pennsylvania.

1870 US Federal Census on the 15^th of August shows William (54 years old) living in LeRaysville, Bradford, PA with his wife Amanda and two children. His Occupation is Hotel Keeper. His Real Estate is valued at $2000 and his Personal Estate is valued at $1000. William’s birthplace is listed as Pennsylvania. I wonder how many hotels there were in LeRaysville in 1870?

1880 US Federal Census on 19^th of June shows William (62 years old) living in Towanda, Bradford, PA (Paptor Road) with his wife Amanda, one son and one granddaughter Flora DeLeon. Their daughter Amanda had a child by her first marriage named Florence. When she remarried it looks like her daughter went to live with her parents. (see post Followup-Hattie Browning DeLeon Coolbaugh) His Occupation is Chair Maker. William’s birthplace is listed as Pennsylvania. His mother and father’s birthplaces are listed as Massachusetts. Interesting, I have information that says his parents were born in Rhode Island?

1900 US Federal Census on 20^th of June shows William (84 years old) living in Towanda, Bradford, PA (19 Mechanic St West Side) His Occupation is Cabinet Maker. William’s birthplace is listed as Pennsylvania. Year of Birth-1816. His mother and father’s birthplaces are listed as Rhode Island. He can read, write and speak English. He Rents a home. He married Amanda in 1848. His son Eustace and his family live next door.

William’s wife Amanda died 23 June 1902.  They were married 5 months shy of 54 years when she passed.

William died six years later on 11 Dec 1908 at the age of 92 in Towanda, Bradford County, PA His Occupation was listed as a Chairmaker (death certificate). His son Eustace gave the information for the death certificate.

William is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Towanda, PA.

I wonder what type/style of chairs William made and if any of them still exist?

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

The Life of Daniel Markham

As we research further back, about 300 years ago, in history it becomes harder and harder to know for certain if we are recording the correct events for our ancestors at times. While I am piecing together Daniel’s life I have to use the pieces of recorded events I am able to find. I carefully review the information to see what makes sense. How much of the data matches? Does the information make sense? Sometimes it doesn’t and it’s back to square one. Other times all the information gathered seems to make sense in telling the life story. 

As I have gathered information for Daniel Markham, my maternal 7^th great grandfather there is also the added question of several generations of ‘Daniel’ Markham.  Hopefully, I have the right information for my 7th great grandfather:

Daniel was born 13 Nov 1704 in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut to parents Daniel C. and Deborah Meacham Markham.

• 
  Middletown is located along the western bank of the Connecticut River about 16 miles south of Hartford. It was incorporated by English settlers in 1650 under the original Native American name Mattabeseck. The native Mattabesett people were part of the Algongquian speaking tribes of the Connecticut Valley. The colonist renamed the settlement in November 1653 as Middletown because the settlement was about half-way between Windsor and Saybrook on the 'Great River'. The settlement of colonial Puritans had a hard life spent clearing the rocky soil of New England in order to build homes and tend farms. By 1676 the Puritans owned all but 300 acres of the Mattabesett territory. A mere twenty eight years later Daniel was born in this area.

Daniel was baptized in the Middletown First Congregational Church on 19 November 1704:

On 2 April 1729 Daniel, 25 years old, married 22 year old Patience Miller in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA.  

(click on images to enlarge)

The children of Daniel and Patience that I have been able to identify are Daniel and Deborah.

There is a record of Daniel and Patience being confirmed on 29 June 1729 according to Connecticut Church Records for the First Congregational Church in Middletown, CT.

Patience died on 19 March 1732/3 in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut.

There is no record as to why or when Daniel would leave Middletown and move to Strafford where he would meet and again marry.

On 14 November 1745 Daniel, 41 years old, married 28 year old Thankful Heath  in Strafford, Tolland County, Connecticut.

Their children: Daniel Jr, Lucy (my 6^th great grandmother), Samuel, Benjamin, and Stephen.

There is no record of why or when Daniel and Thankful decided to leave Stafford and move to Tryingham, Massachusetts.

Daniel's second wife Thankful died reportedly in the mid-1750s.

On 14 June 1768 Daniel sold 41 acres of land he owned in Tyringham, Massachusetts to his son-in-law Israel Alden, husband of daughter Lucy and my 6^th great grandparents. (See post The Life of Israel Alden)

Daniel died 16 March 1786 at the age of 81 in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

2020 A Year of Genealogical Research

Hard to believe that it’s time to look back at 2020, from a genealogy standpoint, again already but so glad to be done with 2020!

At the beginning of a New Year I like to take a look back and see what I have accomplished over the past year and develop goals for the new year. I retired at the end of June so…you’d think I would’ve had a lot more time for genealogy but I decided to take some time off and drive cross county. Harley and I were gone for a little over three months.  (See Genealogy Road Trip 2010)

Technically, I guess I did a bit of genealogy while I was traveling:

• visited 3 states specifically to do genealogical research
• found and visited the land a paternal great uncle owned in South Dakota and the land a maternal great-great grandfather owned in Iowa  (See posts Gerald G. Warner, Land Owner and Jacob Hamman’s Land)
• visited the town in Iowa where my maternal grandfather was born (Remsen)
• visited the towns my maternal great grandfather and grandmother were born in eastern Iowa
• met cousins I’d only previously corresponded with- 2^nd cousin in Wisconsin, a 3^rd cousin in Ohio and a first cousin in South Carolina
• visited 6 cemeteries in three states
• learned more about this Nation’s History (See The Wyoming Massacre and Congress)
• met some very kind, knowledgeable and helpful researchers
• spent very valuable time with family and friends

I use Legacy Family Tree software to maintain my family tree. I have trees in Ancestry and My Heritage but those are not the most up to date trees. (Sometimes in Ancestry and My Heritage I may collect information from hints and store them in my trees for future research and then discard them if the information is not correct. I use it as a ‘holding place’.)

From my Legacy tree:

A review of the statistics in my Legacy tree that I am most interested in since I have been blogging:

While I wasn’t able to add much new information to my Legacy Family tree in the past year I was able to go more in-depth with the information I have found on people in my tree.

In 2020:

I completed 37 Blog Posts (my goal was 50) with an all-time total of 117,002 page views.

Top 5 blog posts were:

I co-presented, Celebrating 400 Years of the Mayflower with Diane Gould Hall at the San Diego Genealogical Society on July 11th via Zoom.

Goals for next year:

• My usual goal, to complete 50 blog posts.  I have so much information from my road trip that I need to write about.
• Present a program about Carrie’s Letters via Zoom for the Chula Vista Genealogical Society on Wednesday, March 31^st.
• Complete the last edit of Carrie’s Letters finally so others can read her stories. There is so much rich genealogical information to be gathered from her letters.
• To get ready for the next genealogy road trip I want to map out the locations my ancestors lived. I have so many maternal and paternal lines from as far back as the 1600s that lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. Instead of crisscrossing back and forth across the states I had an idea to help me get organized that I’d like to work on this year so I can target the towns I would like to visit to do research. More to follow on this idea.
• Attend the 100^th Warner Family Reunion in July.
• Attend the Alden Kindred Reunion (for the first time) in August.
• Attend the Warner Cousin Christmas Luncheon.

In summary, I think it’s been another great year for research despite working full time for the first six months and then traveling for over 3 ½ months, oh yea, and Covid. There is something so amazing about being able to visit places that my ancestors lived and to walk in their footsteps.

I humbly thank all of you who read my stories! I am grateful for the photos or stories that you remember and share with me. The questions you ask spur me on to new investigations and discoveries. I appreciate hearing and knowing what you remember. It truly is the ‘journey’ that is the reward and you are all part of that. I wish all of you a very happy and healthy New Year.  Off to another exciting year of research!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby