Use of PUBLICATION DATE AS Death Date: US, Minnesota, Brown County—Obituaries, 1855–1990

John Empoliti

Moderators: I found the following instruction on indexing the Death Date as a remark in an excellent little example of Indexing an Obituary referenced in the What To Remember About this Project Section of the Project Instructions. Here is the link https://fh.familysearch.org/system/files/team/ait/indexing/IndexingObituaries.pdf

When no death date was given, use the publication date.

This instruction is traditional for indexing Obituaries, but I could only find it in this example via the link and not explicitly in the Project Instructions, nor the Field Helps for the Death Date Fields. I suggest that the Instructions be updated to include this guidance in every Death-Date Field Help.

judyannehenry1

I have been reviewing these records and find that the hand-written "Publication Date?" is being indexed by many as the burial date. I realize it isn't likely either the death date or burial date in all cases, but in regards to the above comment, it should be indexed as death date, correct?

John Empoliti

YES. If a Death Date were not given, then “traditionally” the Publication Date could be used in its place. But the Project Instructions (PIs) refer the reader to the Indexing Example in which the Publication Date is used in just such a way. So, by extension, that article/example is part of the PIs. I wish it were included in the Death Date Field Helps rather than hidden in a referenced Example.