Transcription of Death Certificate for Peter Washington

On March 11, 2020 I ordered the Coroner's Certificate of Death for my maternal great grandfather, Peter Washington.  I received the document on April 8, 2020 via email attachment.

Following is a partial transcription of the first half of the document. I put asterisks at the information I believe to be questionable or incorrect.

1. PLACE OF DEATH:
     a. COUNTY: Cook Illinois
     b. CITY: Chicago
     c. LENGTH OF STAY (in this place): 17 yrs
     d. FULL NAME OF HOSPITAL OR INSTITUTION (If not in hospital or institution, give street address or location): 3011 S. Calumet Ave*

* Peter Washington probably died at home and was pronounced by the Coroner who, along with the Deputy Coroner, signed the Certificate the following day (May 5, 1953).  Perhaps he died before he could be taken to the hospital. Or perhaps going to the hospital was not an option due to finances or medical coverage.  The Provident Hospital was about three miles from Peter Washington's home.
      An historical aside: As late as the mid-20th century many hospitals in Chicago refused to treat Negroes or even hire Negroes as doctors and nurses.  The Provident Hospital  was organized by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams in 1891 to ensure hospital care for African Americans, as well as a place of employment for African American medical professionals.   (Buelow, Paul A. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago; Chicago Historical Society: Chicago, Illinois: 2005)

2. USUAL RESIDENCE:
    a. STATE: Illinois
    b. COUNTY: Cook
    c. CITY OR TOWN: Illinois
    d. STREET ADDRESS: 3011 S. Calumet Ave
 
3. NAME OF DECEASED: Pete Washington **

** His name is listed as Peter Washington in the U.S. Census records of 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930; as well as his marriage record (Ancestry.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 {database on-line}. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013)

4. DATE OF DEATH:  May 4,1953

5. SEX: Male

6. COLOR: Negro

7. MARRIED, NEVER MARRIED, WIDOWED, DIVORCED (Specify):  Widowed

8. DATE OF BIRTH:  Dec. 25, 1892***

9. AGE (in years last birthday):  60 ***

*** According to the 1900 U.S. census, Peter Washington was born Dec 1872. This would make him 80 years old at the time of his death. (1900; Census Place: Beat 1, Holmes, Mississippi; Roll: T623_810; Page: 8A; Enumeration District : 34)

*** If Peter Washington was born in 1892 he would have been eight years old when his son (and informant) Ned Washington was born in 1900. In the 1910 U.S. census Holmes County, Mississippi, Ned is listed as 9 years old and his father, Peter, is 38 years old. (U.S. 1910 Census, Place Beat 1, Holmes, Mississippi; Roll T624_742; Page 5B; Enumeration District 39; Image: 861)

*** In 1953 (Peter Washington year of death), his son, Ned Washington was 52 years old. Ned's date of birth is July 17, 1900 which is listed on several documents --  including his WWI Draft Registration Card and WWII Draft Registration Card.

10a. USUAL OCCUPATION (Give kind of work done during most of working life even if retired): Laborer

10b. KIND OF BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY:  General

11. BIRTHPLACE (State or Foreign Country):  Georgia

12. CITIZEN OF WHAT COUNTRY:  U.S.A.

13. FATHER'S NAME:  Peter Washington ****

14. MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME:  Mary Barrett ****

15. WAS DECEASED EVER IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES: No

16. SOCIAL SECURITY NO,:  Unknown

17. INFORMANT:
      Name:   Ned Washington
      Address:  3011 S. Calumet
      Relationship to the deceased:  Son

**** Peter Washington and Mary Barrett are the parents of Ned Washington, the informant; not the parents of the deceased.   (U.S. 1910 Census, Place Beat 1, Holmes, Mississippi; Roll T624_742; Page 5B; Enumeration District 39; Image: 861)

18.  CAUSE OF DEATH:  Atherosclerotic Heart Disease

20. AUTOPSY? No

What I learned:
1. My great grandfather, Peter Washington, may have lived in Chicago for 17 years
2. He died at home and his son, Ned Washington, was the Informant for the death certificate
3. Cause of death
4. Burial date of May 9, 1953
5. Funeral Home: Douglas Funeral Home, 4521 So. State Street
6. Place of Burial: Lincoln (the same cemetery as his wife, Mary Barrett Washington)
7. Reinforcement of the need to analyze information

Questions for further research:
1. Who are Peter Washington's parents?
2. Confirmation of when he moved to Chicago
3. Did Peter Washington live with his son, Ned --  or visa versa?
4. Was there a church service for his funeral?

Copyright © 2020 by Sandra Williams Bush, Ancestor Callings: Georgia and Mississippi Roots. All Rights Reserved.

Reaching Out to Mary Barrett Washington, 1875-1942

During the summer of 2013, my brother Flick (Richard L. Williams) and I took a day trip to visit our Cousin Elizabeth Tyus (Cousin Lizzie)  in Ashtabula, Ohio.  While sitting around laughing, talking, and enjoying the meal she prepared for us, she revealed that her grandmother, Mary Washington, died and was buried in Chicago IL.  Cousin Lizzie was a child but she remembered that time when she saw her mother cry.  Her mother, Estelle Washington Tyus (Aunt Stella), had visited her sick mother in Chicago IL and came home when it seemed that her mother was stable.  A few days later she received the news that her mother had passed but she couldn't afford to go back to Chicago for the funeral.  Cousin Lizzie said that her mother held on to the phone, crying and wailing for a long time after the call had ended. 

Up until that point I had always thought that my great grandmother had died and been buried in Ashtabula perhaps living with her daughter, Estella.  Or maybe she had been buried in Mississippi, where she lived from 1900 until 1930  --  according to the 1900 through 1930 U.S. census records.  Yet another lesson to never assume with family research and the importance of talking with the elders!

So with the knowledge about my great grandmother's death, I virtually visited the Cook County Vital Records department where I found and purchased a copy of my great-grandmother's death certificate.

From November 11-16, 2014 I was in Chicago attending the National Association of Black Storytellers Festival and Conference (NABS).  I arrived a day early for the conference so I could locate my great-grandmother's grave site.

On November 11, 2014 I visited the Lincoln Cemetery, Cook County, Worth IL 

History of Lincoln Cemetery

In 1911, a group of black funeral directors approached the owner of Oak Hill Cemetery and proposed that a portion of the undeveloped land that he owned be opened as an African-American Cemetery. Mr. Olson agreed and Lincoln Cemetery was opened. Its first burial took place in April 1911.

Through nearly 100 years, Lincoln Cemetery has served thousands of well-known families.

Lincoln has grown through the years and today consists of three areas, each with a unique history and appearance. Old Lincoln is approximately 71 acres at the northwest corner at 12300 S. Kedzie Avenue in Chicago. Lincoln Cemetery South is approximately 23 acres at the southwest corner. Lincoln Cemetery East is approximately 18 acres on the northeast corner.

 from Lincoln Cemetery website  http://www.dignitymemorial.com/lincoln-cemetery

At the unmarked grave-site of my maternal great grandmother on 11 Nov 2014

The office staff was extremely helpful, calling a caretaker to escort me and my daughter to the unmarked grave.  It was a beautifully serene area with few headstones.  It touched me that at the time my great grandmother died (December 1942), the family probably couldn't afford a funeral, let alone a headstone.  It was evident that probably many other families were in the same way financially.  

As we drove back to our hotel, my daughter was full of questions and I was happy to share what I knew about family connections and what the paper trail had revealed to me so far.  We called my mother later that day and she was amazed at my "find". Unfortunately, she doesn't recall ever meeting her grandmother or even hearing stories about her.  So I will continue to follow paper trails and try to get the remaining elders to open up about family history.