My maternal grandmother died in Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida, in 2008. For a variety of reasons, I never bothered to obtain an actual copy of her death certificate. I had first hand knowledge of her death, so the date and place were not in question and information about her birth was already known from a variety of sources so there was no real rush to obtain a copy of the record, especially when there were other records that would tell me something "new" that I could allocate my genealogical funds to.
Today I decided to go ahead and obtain a copy of her death certificate. A Google search for "florida death certificate" resulted in numerous hits. Many directed me to sites that wanted an exorbitant amount for her death record.
Given the recent nature of her death, I decided to view the websites for the Florida state office responsible for vital records and the same office in Manatee County.
I could get one of the "overnight" places to send me a copy of her death certificate for over $30.00. The "overnight" delivery wouldn't be immediate as it was indicated the certificate would not be mailed for 1-2 days, depending upon when they received it.
A little surfing and reading indicated that the Manatee county office in charge of vital records could send me the certificate for only $6. A fax received by 1:00 pm. today would guarantee it would be put in the mail tomorrow. That seemed the most expedient way to receive it. We'll see how long it takes to arrive.
The clerk really wanted to make certain whether or not I wanted the cause of death. I said to go ahead and include it as there was no additional charge and I fit the list of individuals qualified to obtain the cause of death.
I doubt there's anything new on it, but only time will tell. We'll post an update when I receive it.
I'm wondering outloud if there are any limitations on publishing her death certificate on my blog. I'm not really considering it, but am wondering if there are any restrictions upon publishing the information--particularly the cause of death to which only certain individuals are privy within the first fifty years.
For those with an interest my Grandmother was Dorothy Habben Ufkes who died in Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida, in September of 2008.
