Sometime last year, I went to the Minnesota Historical Society's website and ordered the death certificate for Ole Anthon Christopherson, who was my paternal 2nd great-grandfather. In my Legacy Family Tree I had his cause of death as asthma but I couldn't remember where I got that information (yep, this is an example of why citations are so important 😉).
I did not initially find Ole's death certificate information on the Minnesota Historical Society's website. It turned out that his name was listed as Ole Arthur Christopherson instead of Ole Anthon Christopherson. It's important to use various search strategies when searching for an ancestor. I'm glad to say that I was able to find and order his death certificate.
If you have ancestors from Minnesota, I highly recommend the Minnesota Historical Society's website. It's amazing! They have digital newspapers, maps, and more. I searched for Ole's death certificate in the Minnesota People Records Search link under the Research Tab on the website.
Here's Ole's death certificate.1
Information gleaned from Ole's death certificate:
Place of Death: Benson, Swift, Minnesota
Full Name: Ole Anthon Christopherson
Sex: Male
Color: White
Marital Status: Married
Date of Birth: April 20, 1837
Age: 77 yrs, 0 mos. 2 ds.
Occupation: Retired Hotel Keeper
Birthplace: Norway
Name of Father: Michal Christian Christopherson
Birthplace of Father: Norway
Maiden Name of Mother: Seryanna Olson
Birthplace of Mother: Norway
Informant Name: Abe Christopherson
Informant Address: Benson Min
Date of Death: 8 pm on May 12, 1914
Cause of Death: Asthma
Duration: 1 yrs. 3 mos. 0 ds.
Place of Burial or Removal: Benson Cemetery
Date of Burial: May 15, 1914
Ole's occupation in his death certificate is consistent with his previously stated occupations in two US federal census records. In the 1900 US census Ole's occupation was listed as a "Boarding H. Keeper" and there was one boarder listed in his household.2 In the 1910 US census Ole's occupation was listed as Manager in the Hotel Industry.3 His wife's occupation was listed as a Cook in the Hotel Industry.4 There were six boarders listed in their household.5
Ole's cause of death was asthma. What was the treatment for asthma in the early 1900s? I have another 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, who also suffered from asthma.
The informant on Ole's death certificate was Abe Christopherson. Ole had a brother named Henning Abraham Christopherson. Apparently Henning went by his middle name as I've seen him listed as Abraham on many records.
A big thank you to the Minnesota Historical Society for Ole's death certificate. The ordering process went well and I received his death certificate without any problems.
Thanks for stopping by!
Jana Last
© 2021 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved
1 Minnesota Division of Health, death certificate 14525 (1914), Ole Anthon Christopherson; Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.↩
2 1900 U.S. Census, Swift County, Minnesota, population schedule, Benson Village, enumeration district (ED) 270, sheet 8-B, Anthon Christofferson; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : 14 March 2021); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623.↩
3 1910 U.S. Census, Swift County, Minnesota, population schedule, Benson Ward 2, enumeration district (ED) 157, sheet 11-A, Anton Christopherson; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : 14 March 2021); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624.↩
4 Ibid.↩
5 Ibid.↩
