by Richard B. Robertson
(Mounted May 25, 2000)
The Oscar award-winning Steven Spielberg movie, Saving Private Ryan, has brought about a renewed interest in World War II
veterans and veterans of all wars in general. Other historic events, such the 25th anniversary of the close of the Vietnam War this past
April have also triggered a heightened interest in veterans records. It is in peacetime that many of us come to reflect upon our family
and friends who have been involved in one of these many wars. Who are, and were, these men and women? Genealogists and
historians often use a variety of methods to determine an answer this important question.
The most commonly consulted source is the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C. (and alternatively,
the National Personnel Records Center--Military Personnel Records in St. Louis, Missouri). There are several branches of NARA
located across the United States. If you live in Ohio, the closest branches are located in Chicago, Philadelphia, or Dayton.
Unfortunately, NARA in Dayton does not house veteran records, but NARA in Chicago and Philadelphia do possess fine collections.
Most people living in Ohio, however, often cannot afford to make such costly and time consuming trips. Fortunately, there are
alternatives available at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland. One such alternative can be found in MS 4809, the
"Pease Funeral Home Records".
Pease Funeral Home was founded in the early 1870s by James A. Pease (1841 - 1922) and his brother, Calvin Pease (1834 - 1903)
of Dover Village, now known as Westlake, Ohio. They both operated the funeral home and a family store. Eventually, James Pease
became the sole proprietor of the funeral home, while Calvin Pease became the owner of the family store until his death in 1903.
Following the death of James Pease in 1922, his son Clifford B. Pease (1879 - 1944) assumed operation of the business. He had
been a funeral director since the early 1900s and served the community as a civic leader for many years until his death in 1944.
Pease Funeral Home was then jointly managed by his widow, Alice Osborn Pease (1888 - 1959), and his daughter Marion E. Pease
(1910 - 1991). It was sold to Glen A. and Melvin Jenkins in 1955 and renamed the Jenkins Funeral Home, which is still in business
today at the old Pease location at 2914 Dover Center Road in Westlake, Ohio.
The Pease collection holds detailed funeral records from 1916 through 1975. In addition, Ohio obituaries range from 1935 through
1985. There are many Scandinavian, Germanic, and Italian funeral records, and this collection could be as useful to these ethnic
groups as the McGorray Funeral Home Records has been to Irish - Americans. For war veteran genealogy, the best source of
information can be found in the funeral record books, which date from 1941 through 1954. The record books list such vital information
as the name of the deceased, race, residence, next of kin and address, veteran status, occupation, employer and address, date of
death, age, date and location of burial, officiating clergyman, religion of the deceased, birthplace, state of residence, location and
cause of death, attending physician and address, names and birthplaces of parents, and lists of funeral expenses, including locations
of newspaper obituary notices. The records contain many personal notes handwritten by the Pease family. Ohio death certificates
date from 1937 through 1971, and in addition to the above-mentioned information, maiden names, ethnic origins, and military serial
numbers are also included.
The Pease collection can prove invaluable to researchers who have veteran ancestors from Ohio, or with personal connections to
Ohio. With the information contained in these records, it may be much easier to obtain military service records from primary military
service repositories in Washington D.C. or St. Louis, Missouri. As military anniversaries continue to arrive and films such as "Saving
Private Ryan" continue to be made, interest in exploring information about veteran ancestors will continue to thrive. Accessing vital
information about veterans via NARA resources as well as utilizing alternatives such as the Pease Funeral Home records at Western
Reserve Historical Society can make researching your military ancestors a successful and satisfying experience.
This article was originally published by the Western Reserve Historical Society and is reprinted here with their
permission.
Richard Barclay Robertson, M.Div., is a Manuscript Processor, Specialist in Genealogical Collections, for the Western
Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been a genealogist for over a decade and is in pursuit of his
certification. In addition, his educational goals include furthering his studies in history at The University of Akron and
obtaining a Master of Library and Information Science with a specialization in archives and record management at the
University of Pittsburgh. He contributed this essay to the Public History Resource Center while he was serving as an associate editor. [return to top]
