This is a post card with a photo of Evansville's St. Mary's Hospital submitted by TSGS member Claudia Gleason. She stated that this card was mailed 03 Feb 1910 (about 100 years ago!). Please click on the photo to get a larger image.
I may be using the modern campus at St. Mary's in the near future to have a pacemaker defibrillator installed to make sure my old engine is performing at maximum efficiency.This reminds me of a good research tip to pass on. Since I judge the 4-H Genealogy project exhibits in several of the counties surrounding Evansville, I have discovered that many of the kids & their families do not think about where their family members were born or died. Taking Warrick and Posey counties as examples... at the time this postcard was created some people were being born or died at home, but as time went along more were going to the nearest hospital to have a baby or to get medical treatment and, hopefully, not to die. If they came to St. Mary's Hospital to give birth or died there, the place of the event would be in Vanderburgh County and that is where the event is recorded and certificates can be obtained. They may have been born and lived their entire life (and even buried) in Warrick or Posey County; however, their record of birth or death would be in Vanderburgh County.
Where there are rural counties surrounding a larger town or city... there may be only one hospital and that would be in the larger community. Check the county they lived in first. If you can not find a record of birth or death, check for a nearby county with a hospital. Also, consider this: your county may have had a hospital, but it was not the one your family would use. St. Mary's is a Catholic hospital, Deaconess is a Protestant one with Welborn being a Baptist hospital... religion affiliation might have played a factor, as well.
- Post card submitted by Claudia Gleason
- Article compiled by JGWest
