The three death certificates shown below, for the same person, are not 100% correct. The first one, has my 2nd great-grandmother's name totally wrong. She is listed as Fanny McGleason Pool and it should be Frances "Fanny" M. Gleason Poole (4 errors in the name). Since I liked the colorful green record, I made a quick call to Brookline, Massachusetts to get a corrected copy.
Corrected copy below.
Corrected copy, but the last name is still wrong.
There is no listing for the maiden name of mother, although it was clearly on the original record.
Name of cemetery isn't listed, although it was clearly on the original record.
Original state Death Record, obtained several years later was also filled with errors.
Name should be Frances M. Gleason
Husband's name should be spelled as William F. Poole
Maiden name of mother is incorrect, should be Fanny Belden Hubbard (error of informant)
Informant's name should be spelled as William F. Poole (son)
(Clearly the informant didn't proof this, as he would have noticed his name spelled wrong.)
Lesson learned: get a copy of the original, but don't assume it is correct.
Note: See Reflections From the Fence Blog article called "Reality Check - Why Death Certificates Tend To Have Errors"
