Silas T. Cobb

[JMadonna]

Looking at a map and the Wiki of Grand Haven, I'm not really surpised that there is no death certificate. Grand Haven has a population of about 10,000 today. It was incorporated in 1867. I can't imagine the 1900 population was more than 5,000. It is also conveniently located near........not much. Often when a death is not mysterious or unusual, a coroner will not be involved. Often a local funeral director would sign off on a death certificate. I would say that since it was the mayor of Grand Haven reporting the deaths that were obviously from drowning, and that they were out-of-towners, heck, why bother with all the paperwork.

Jim,
Grand Haven was a busy port town at the time. Michigan lumber was building Chicago back then.

Why do you assume that Cobb was an out of towner? His pre-war occupation was a boot-maker. Singer sewing machines made that occupation practically obsolete during the war. He could just as easily been working in the logging or shipping trade. His death certificate would tell us that.

I don't care if it was the job of a doctor, coroner or mayor to sign-off on a death certificate, if you want to transfer a dead body across state lines that is a necessary piece of paperwork.

The second of the clippings on BoothieBarn says that two men were from Hollister, Ma and two were from Portland. Today you need a death certificate to remove a body across state lines. But, what was protocal 150 years ago? Did Edwin Booth need a death certificate to remove John Wilkes to Baltimore? Did John Atzerodt need one to remove George? I thinks it may be safer to assume that back then, you didn't need a death certificate than needing one.

Never assume Jim. The law was in effect.

Why do you assume that the goverment refused to give a certificate to Edwin Booth and John Atzerodt?