What are the death cards for 1900-1907 and how do they differ from the death certificates?

The death record cards date from 1900 to 1907 and precede the official death certificates. The cards are transcripts of death information that were compiled by the Health Department. Although they cover the entire state, they are not complete, and they are not official documents.

Each card, if completely filled out, includes the date of death (year, month, and day), place of death (local jurisdiction and county), primary and contributing causes of death (and frequently the during of each cause), the decedent’s full name, age, sex, color, marital status, birthplace (usually only state or country), and occupation; the father’s name and mother’s maiden name and birthplace of each (usually only state or country); names and addresses of attending physician and undertaker; place of burial and burial permit number; and the name and address of the person reporting the death (usually the township clerk, village clerk or city health officer).

Researchers should know that many cards were filled out very incompletely. Cards, especially for the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, frequently contain little more information than the name of the decedent, date of death, sex, marital status, birthplace, cause of death, and person reporting the death.

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