Data re: Dunham Deaths in Montana
1800's -- 2002

Here are some caveats for using these data.

 These date are consolidated from two separate index files.  One is in the format used by the state’s vital records bureau and the second is in the format prepared by the Montana State Genealogical Society in its project to computerize early death records.  The records are essentially the same.

 The state’s file does not include sex, age or county name.  Where the county name is in braces, it signifies data that I have imputed from the county number.

 The indexing methodology has undergone some changes over the years so several different formats have been consolidated into this table.  If there is a –1 in the age column it indicates the individual was under the age of 1 – these are primarily stillbirths.  In these instances it was usual for the father’s name to be used for identification purposes, so the sex and name may sometimes seem in conflict.

 The index number and file number, particularly when taken with the county information, ordinarily will provide the best clue about the death location.  At one point the index number were comprised of a number pre-fixed by a code standing for a city or county.  In the Pre-1954 file these were all evaluated to the county identity.  From the 1800’s through 1918, the indexes did not show the county where death occurred.

 The State Bureau of Vital Statistics in the Department of Public Health and Human Services in Helena, Montana would be able to locate the certificate from the information provided here.  Of course, there is a fee for the service.