Post-1906 Death Certificatesīeginning in late 1874, the date of death was entered in the probate index. The only record that exists is the register itself there are no certificates on file. Records are incomplete not every death was recorded. The records do not include the names of parents unless the deceased was a minor. Often a death was recorded six months to a year after the actual event. ![]() 1893-1906 Death Registersīetween 18, information on deaths was compiled by local tax assessors and then turned in to the county. The records are incomplete many deaths were not recorded. The 1852-1855 death records contain detailed information, including date and place ofīirth, names of parents, and name of spouse. The closer the event took place to West Chester, the higher probability it was recorded. There are several townships that never submitted any returns to the Register of Wills Office and a large majority only submitted a few. These records do not represent all the deaths that took place in Chester County during this time period. The records in this index begin on Jand end in January 1855. ![]() This dearth of records may be an indication of a lack of compliance with the law, which may have lead to its eventual repeal. During those three years, only a few births, deaths and marriages were recorded within the county. The Registration Act of 1852 was repealed on Janu, only 3 years after its inception. ![]() The law, however well intentioned, was short lived. As stated in the preamble, the law was prompted by a need to document births, deaths and marriages that could not be substantiated for legal cases, whereby “the rights of many have been sacrificed, and great wrongs done” as well as to validate “important truths, deeply affecting the physical welfare of mankind” that could be drawn from the recording of these records. On January 12, 1852, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted its first statewide law requiring the registration of vital records.
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