Who needs to go trick or treating when you can devote your time to researching free records? And, of course, genealogy research has zero calories.
For Halloween, MyHeritage is providing free access to its collection of nearly 1.2 billion death, burial, cemetery, and obituary records, from October 29 to November 1.
In its announcement about the offer, MyHeritage said, “Halloween is so much more than costumes, pumpkins, and sweets — it’s a time to honour the departed, especially our ancestors.”
To begin searching these records, all you need is to set up a free MyHeritage account.
Info for Quebec deaths can be inaccurate at times
A note about MyHeritage’s Quebec collection, Canada, Quebec Deaths, that was added in September. This collection contains death records from the year 1926 onwards, and it’s a good source of information and hints. Records typically include the deceased’s name, date of birth, residence, date and place of death, and the names of their parents and spouse.
For some reason, however, the information about the deceased’s civil status is not always accurate. The dates, however, seem to always be correct.
For example, in the case of one of my great-uncles, the record says his civil status was Divorcé. The problem is he was never divorced. When he died, he was married, and his wife lived for many years after his demise.
The records for two aunts, who were single their entire lives, indicate they were each in a Union civil, which is also incorrect.
It’s not a question of language. In the case of all three relatives cited above, the marital status information is inaccurate in both English and French.
These Quebec records are also available on the subscription site, Genealogy Quebec, and the civil status there for my two aunts is correct, i.e., single. In the case of my uncle, no civil status is provided.
Perhaps the problem lies with how MyHeritage’s system transcribed some of the information.
Nevertheless, while we cannot see the original Quebec Deaths records, the information provided can be very useful in our research. We can use these hints to track down other sources, such as cemeteries and newspaper obituaries and articles.
