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Research object · BT-CLM-00343

When was George Smith born, when did he die, and where is he buried?

Documented· 4 sourcesLast reviewed August 20, 2026
Research & Interpretation byAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

The Claim

A George Smith born 21 April 1881, died 3 March 1936, and buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois, with a mother recorded as Laura Taliaferro, is the same George Smith named in this family.

Public Summary

A user-contributed online cemetery index gives a birth of 21 April 1881, a death of 3 March 1936, burial at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois, and a mother named Laura Taliaferro. That entry is a research lead, not evidence: no original death certificate, cemetery register or obituary has been examined by this archive. The dates are shown here as an unverified lead and are not written onto George's record.

Evidence Reviewed

  • Partially SupportsWeak

    A user-contributed online cemetery index records a George Smith with a birth of 21 April 1881, a death of 3 March 1936, burial at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois, and a mother given as Laura Taliaferro. No image of an original record accompanies the entry, and the archive has not verified the contributor's sources. The mother's name is the reason the entry is being followed; it is not the reason to accept it.

    Source: Find a Grave memorial 92711754 for George Smith (21 Apr 1881 - 3 Mar 1936), Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois · Find a Grave (database and images), online

    A derivative index entry naming a mother "Laura Taliaferro" is a strong reason to order the underlying records and a poor reason to accept the dates. It is carried as a lead until a death certificate, cemetery register or obituary is examined.

  • SupportsStrong

    The same entry records George Smith as Black, male, age 54 at death, born 21 April 1881 in Mississippi, occupation janitor, residing in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

    Descriptors: Black, Male, 54 [1881] / Birth Date: 21 Apr 1881 / Birthplace: Mississippi / Occupation: Janitor / Residence Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois

    Source: Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County · FamilySearch online index

    Gives the death date, age, birth date and residence.

  • SupportsStrong

    The entry records burial on 6 March 1936 at Lincoln Cemetery, Worth, Cook County, Illinois - the same cemetery given on the Find a Grave memorial.

    Burial Date: 06 Mar 1936 / Burial Place: Lincoln Cemetery; Worth, Cook, Ill.

    Source: Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County · FamilySearch online index

    Fixes the burial place and date.

  • ContradictsModerate

    The death record gives George Smith a birth of 21 April 1881. The 1880 Copiah County census enumerates George in the John Smith household as age 8, pointing to a birth about 1872 - nine years earlier. Both readings are recorded here. The census age was reported while the child was in the household; the 1881 date was supplied by an informant reporting on a man who had died. Neither is treated as settled.

    Source: Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County · FamilySearch online index

    The 1881 birth date conflicts with the 1880 census age. Recorded as an open conflict.

The Evidence Trail

Step 1 · Claim

When was George Smith born, when did he die, and where is he buried?

Documented· 4 sources

BT-CLM-00343

A George Smith born 21 April 1881, died 3 March 1936, and buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois, with a mother recorded as Laura Taliaferro, is the same George Smith named in this family.

Step 2 · Evidence & Source

  1. Partially Supports · Weak weight

    A user-contributed online cemetery index records a George Smith with a birth of 21 April 1881, a death of 3 March 1936, burial at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois, and a mother given as Laura Taliaferro. No image of an original record accompanies the entry, and the archive has not verified the contributor's sources. The mother's name is the reason the entry is being followed; it is not the reason to accept it.

    Find a Grave memorial 92711754 for George Smith (21 Apr 1881 - 3 Mar 1936), Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois · Find a Grave (database and images), online · Index

    BT-EVD-00350 ← BT-SRC-00041

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    A derivative index entry naming a mother "Laura Taliaferro" is a strong reason to order the underlying records and a poor reason to accept the dates. It is carried as a lead until a death certificate, cemetery register or obituary is examined.

  2. Supports · Strong weight

    The same entry records George Smith as Black, male, age 54 at death, born 21 April 1881 in Mississippi, occupation janitor, residing in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

    “Descriptors: Black, Male, 54 [1881] / Birth Date: 21 Apr 1881 / Birthplace: Mississippi / Occupation: Janitor / Residence Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois”

    Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County · FamilySearch online index · Index

    BT-EVD-00526 ← BT-SRC-00524

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Gives the death date, age, birth date and residence.

  3. Supports · Strong weight

    The entry records burial on 6 March 1936 at Lincoln Cemetery, Worth, Cook County, Illinois - the same cemetery given on the Find a Grave memorial.

    “Burial Date: 06 Mar 1936 / Burial Place: Lincoln Cemetery; Worth, Cook, Ill.”

    Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County · FamilySearch online index · Index

    BT-EVD-00528 ← BT-SRC-00524

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    Fixes the burial place and date.

  4. Contradicts · Moderate weight

    The death record gives George Smith a birth of 21 April 1881. The 1880 Copiah County census enumerates George in the John Smith household as age 8, pointing to a birth about 1872 - nine years earlier. Both readings are recorded here. The census age was reported while the child was in the household; the 1881 date was supplied by an informant reporting on a man who had died. Neither is treated as settled.

    Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County · FamilySearch online index · Index

    BT-EVD-00532 ← BT-SRC-00524

    Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

    The 1881 birth date conflicts with the 1880 census age. Recorded as an open conflict.

Step 3 · Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 2 · Current · High confidence

Researcher interpretation · Amberly R. Carter-Mills

George Smith died 3 March 1936 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, and was buried 6 March 1936 at Lincoln Cemetery in Cook County. He was working as a janitor and living in Chicago at the time. His birth date is not settled: the death record gives 21 April 1881, while the 1880 census points to a birth about 1872.

What is not known: Which birth year is right. A man enumerated at age 8 in 1880 cannot also have been born in 1881, and the archive does not choose between the two readings here.

What could change this: Examine the death certificate image and look for a Chicago-area record - marriage, draft registration, or a later census - that gives George's own reported age.

How the Evidence Sits Together

What supports the claim

Observations that carry the claim forward.

  • A user-contributed online cemetery index records a George Smith with a birth of 21 April 1881, a death of 3 March 1936, burial at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois, and a mother given as Laura Taliaferro. No image of an original record accompanies the entry, and the archive has not verified the contributor's sources. The mother's name is the reason the entry is being followed; it is not the reason to accept it.

    Partially Supports · Weak weight

    Find a Grave memorial 92711754 for George Smith (21 Apr 1881 - 3 Mar 1936), Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois

    A derivative index entry naming a mother "Laura Taliaferro" is a strong reason to order the underlying records and a poor reason to accept the dates. It is carried as a lead until a death certificate, cemetery register or obituary is examined.

  • The same entry records George Smith as Black, male, age 54 at death, born 21 April 1881 in Mississippi, occupation janitor, residing in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

    Descriptors: Black, Male, 54 [1881] / Birth Date: 21 Apr 1881 / Birthplace: Mississippi / Occupation: Janitor / Residence Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois

    Supports · Strong weight

    Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County

    Gives the death date, age, birth date and residence.

  • The entry records burial on 6 March 1936 at Lincoln Cemetery, Worth, Cook County, Illinois - the same cemetery given on the Find a Grave memorial.

    Burial Date: 06 Mar 1936 / Burial Place: Lincoln Cemetery; Worth, Cook, Ill.

    Supports · Strong weight

    Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County

    Fixes the burial place and date.

What complicates or contradicts it

Kept in view rather than discarded.

  • The death record gives George Smith a birth of 21 April 1881. The 1880 Copiah County census enumerates George in the John Smith household as age 8, pointing to a birth about 1872 - nine years earlier. Both readings are recorded here. The census age was reported while the child was in the household; the 1881 date was supplied by an informant reporting on a man who had died. Neither is treated as settled.

    Contradicts · Moderate weight

    Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County

    The 1881 birth date conflicts with the 1880 census age. Recorded as an open conflict.

What only provides context

Consistent, but not identifying or probative on its own.

  • Nothing in this column for this claim.

Research Conclusion

DocumentedVersion 2 · Current

George Smith died 3 March 1936 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, and was buried 6 March 1936 at Lincoln Cemetery in Cook County. He was working as a janitor and living in Chicago at the time. His birth date is not settled: the death record gives 21 April 1881, while the 1880 census points to a birth about 1872.

What is known: Death 3 March 1936 in Chicago; burial 6 March 1936 at Lincoln Cemetery; age given as 54; occupation janitor; residence Chicago.

What is not known: Which birth year is right. A man enumerated at age 8 in 1880 cannot also have been born in 1881, and the archive does not choose between the two readings here.

Future research: Examine the death certificate image and look for a Chicago-area record - marriage, draft registration, or a later census - that gives George's own reported age.

Amberly's Research Notes

No research note has been published for this claim yet.

From the research notebook ofAmberly R. Carter-Mills— Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist

What We Still Need to Find

Can a death certificate, cemetery register, obituary or funeral record independently establish George Smith's dates and burial?

Provenance, Access and Use

Source creator
Varies by record — see each source
Who made the original record.
Researcher of record
Amberly R. Carter-Mills — Founder, Creator & Descendant Archivist
Located, transcribed, weighed and interpreted the evidence.
Publishing archive
BEFORE TILL: The Living Evidence Archive
Holds the object, its identifiers and its revision history.

Find a Grave memorial 92711754 for George Smith (21 Apr 1881 - 3 Mar 1936), Lincoln Cemetery, Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois

BT-SRC-00041
Evidentiary weight 1 of 4. Research lead — derivative sourceOriginal image: Derivative source onlyCompiled or user-contributed content. Used to direct research, not as proof.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
Find a Grave (database and images), online
Collection
Find a Grave Memorial ID 92711754
Record form
Index
Source type
Cemetery
Accessed
Not recorded

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947, entry for George Smith, died 3 March 1936, Chicago, Cook County

BT-SRC-00524
Evidentiary weight 2 of 4. Derivative sourceOriginal image: Citation entered — image review pendingA transcription, abstract or index standing in for a record BEFORE TILL has not yet examined directly.
Creator
Not recorded
Date created
Not recorded
Repository
FamilySearch online index
Collection
Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947
Record form
Index
Source type
Vital Record
Accessed
Not recorded

Access and use

No rights statement has been recorded for this source. Verify rights with the holding repository before republication.

BEFORE TILL publishes description, transcription and analysis. Reuse of the underlying record is governed by the holding repository. Cite this archive by its persistent identifier when quoting our reading of the record.

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