BMD info California

[KerriC]

Hi All,
A general enquiry for someone who is trying to make some headway here.
I have found a distant relative dying in California  (There are others) and I went on the county website and I have the impression that only direct family can obtain such certificates.Is this so or does some historical time line come in e.g family historians ?
 I have seen a site called Archives .com has any one had experience with this site.
Would appreciate any advice on how get further with my Californian connections, with thanks Kerri

[aghadowey]

When and where did the death take place?

[KerriC]

Hi Aghadowey,
Nicholas Kirkwood  died 7 Jan 1919 of Contra Costa county California.He is buried with his niece , Mary Buchanan Gay nee Kirkwood and her family.He never married. I have read his obituary. I hoped if I could get death certificate it might show his parents  names.
Nicholas's sisters Isabella Ferguson, Agnes Lewis,also lived in California and Margaret Hastie? Their brother ,William my connection, lived and died in Australia.
Thanks for your interest,Kerri

[Lisa in California]

This doesn't help with your search, but if you haven't seen this yet, it is a short paragraph about a Nicholas Kirkwood's farm (dated 1863).  Perhaps it is your Nicholas?
 http://www.rootschat.com/links/0k7o/   

[shellyesq]

It looks like you should be able to get an informational copy, as explained here:  http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdeathmar/Pages/AthorizedCopyvsInformationalCopy.aspx

[Lisa in California]

I see that you already have a lot of facts about Nicholas, but in the event you have not seen his headstone:
 http://www.rootschat.com/links/0k7p/   

[Lisa in California]

Kirkwoods:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0k7q/

Gays:
  http://www.rootschat.com/links/0k7r/

Click on the name to see the headstone.
Click on the headstone to enlarge the photograph.

Regarding getting "further with my Californian connections" - if you haven't yet done so, you can try internet searches using the person's full name,  place of residence, county of residence, birth year, year of death, occupation, etc.  You may have to add additional words to the search if the surname was common.  Remember to also try searches with surname and then first name and surname and first initial.  (The same is true for newspaper searches.  An N Kirkwood was mentioned a few times on the newspaper site mentioned previously.)

[O1dgobbo]

Hi

The 1910 census shows Nicholas Kirkwood, 75, a farmer, living with his sister-in-law, Mary Gay, 60, in Contra Costa, Township 13, District 0175. He was born in Scotland and entered the USA in 1854.  His parents were both Scottish so you need to search scotlandspeople for a Kirkwood family with children named Nicholas, Isabella, Agnes, Margaret and William, born about 1835.

Alternatively you can search for William's Australian death certificate, which I think will give the names of his parents.

Good luck

Gobbo

[KerriC]

Thankyou  All for your help.
 Shelly thanks for certificate info.I will apply for that with fingers crossed 
Gobbo, Unfortunately when William died the informant on the certificate  didn't know William's details.Hence the search for his siblings. I have been on Scotlands people and haven't been successful in finding A  Nicholas Kirkwood birth. YET
Lisa,I was wrong about being buried with his niece  Mary B Gay.Mary is the sister of  William A Kirkwood .(the other Headstone)They are the daughter and son of my William.Have recently learnt of another daughter  Jemima who also spent her life in the U.S.Many thanks again,Kerri