The accompanying file is a database of the 1,692 deaths listed in the Wilkes-Barre Record for the calendar year 1895. Generally, on Page 8 of each issue, there was a listing of Marriages and Deaths. However, not every death that was mentioned elsewhere in the paper appeared on this list. Conversely, not every death on the list was mentioned elsewhere in the paper.

A large percentage of the deaths are for children that occurred in one of the various epidemics that swept through the area – diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid, etc. Some of them were listed as "Son of …", "Daughter of …", or "Child of …".

There are few, if any, Slavic names on this list. Unfortunately, in many cases, no effort was made to discover the name of a Polish or Hungarian miner killed in a mining accident.

Death listings for women sometimes did not give their first name. For example, they were listed as "Mrs. John Davies", instead of "Mary Davies".

All comments contained in parentheses are the transcribers. These comments usually pertain to duplicate entries or the existence of a longer article elsewhere in the newspaper. Unfortunately, not every death entry is annotated if there was an article. Also, if there was an article in the newspaper, but the death was not on the list, there is no entry for that death or that article.

Basically, this is a starting point. However, if you know your ancestor died in 1895 and they do not appear in this database, do not make the assumption that your information is wrong!

Any errors in transcribing are solely my own.

On to 1895 Deaths


Last Updated on 4/2/2002
By Nancy Cook

© Mary Ann Lubinsky for the PAGenWeb Project, and by Individual Contributors