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Insurance Policies / Records – O.K. so, this is probably going to be dif-icult to -ind as well. But not impossible. GenealogyToday.com [ LINK ] has a collection of insurance records that can be searched for free, but an annual subscription is needed for detailed information. However, a listing of surnames is included as a part of the free information. Ancestry.com has some insurance records online too [ LINK ]. In addition, there are many people out there (myself included) who collect ephemera from antique stores, both online and of-line. Just what is ephemera? According to Dictionary.com [LINK ], the second de-inition reads “items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, esp. pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.” Well, it may have been designed to only be important for a short period of time, but to a genealogist or family historian, this is paperwork that is useful for a long period of time. At least we hope it is. AncestorsPast.com [ LINK ] is a company that sells ephemera, books, photos, etc., and can be searched by keywords that include surnames, locations, etc. It's a virtual antique store, if you will. Another place to look would be eBay. You can also Google to -ind places that sell speci-ic types of ephemera, such as postcards. Orphanage Records ‐ The local librarian in the area that you are researching might be able to point you in the right direction for the history of orphanages in the area and if the records still exist, where they might be archived. A child was not necessarily orphaned because both parents had passed away, but may have been orphaned because their family was too poor to take care of them. However, if one or both parents had passed away, it's quite possible that their death information might be listed in their child's orphan records. The Orphan Train Heritage Society of America may be of some help as well [ LINK ]. Family Bibles – While not always accurate, they can be useful in -inding out the date of death of an ancestor. Don't have a family bible? Then search online at virtual antique stores and on eBay. You never know until you look. County Histories – These also may not be accurate, but still are a source for information concerning the life and death of your ancestor. These can be found sometimes transcribed on the county sites on USGenWeb.org [ LINK ]. Some of the books have been digitized on Google Books [ LINK ], and a portion of those are out of copyright so you are able to read the full version online. If your library participates
102 Shades MAGAZINE | Memento Mori 2010