KinHelp - Welcome to KinHelp

Gordon Johnson wrote:-

KinHelp - Welcome to KinHelp home page : which "introduces you to me and my services. Some are free (indices, articles, etc.), but KinHelp is my professional fee-based research assistance, concentrating on Scottish people, and mostly pre-1700 (where there are few competent professionals), but I can help with any time and place in Scotland - ask and I can advise on what is possible.

The indices are free to use and to print off, but remain my copyright, as do my articles. My Oldnews pages are primarily for fun, and show news items from newspapers, etc. through the centuries. You might find an ancestor here if you are lucky! New additions will be added from time to time, but not very often.

The Library and Archive Sources is a list of libraries and archives which have genealogical material. This is hell to update, so expect it to be a bit behind the times. Corrections from the places listed will be welcomed."

Gordon's Blog:

Scottish Death certificates (1855 onwards)

"Regarding date, time and place of death, probably most people died at home, or at a relative's house. With few antiseptics, a broken leg or similar problem could be fatal through infection getting into an open wound.

Again, many older people died not from their initial medical
problem, but from pneumonia - which my doctor father-in-law called 'the old man's friend', as it was a relatively painless death.

Dying in a hospital was not common - partly because in the 19th centurymost of the population regarded going into hospital as a death sentence!

The doctor was usually called during daytime, simply to certify death and thus allow a relative to go to the registrar. The doctor was probably not present at the death, but the death certificate informant probably was (and the certificate would say: (present))"