Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- The Sacramento County (Calif.) Coroner's Office records contains case files, registers, indexes, death certificates, and inquests of deaths registered in Sacramento County, California, from 1850-1977, with separate transcribed indexes available for each of the coroner's various records. The collection also contains papers from Sacramento County's first deputy coroner, Laura (Synhorst) Santos, and Coroner John T. Skelton. Santos' papers include crime scene notes, coroner and police reports, and notes for identifying bodies from the 1988 Dorothea Puente serial murder investigation; photographs and other material that document the coroner's office and staff from 1958-2001; and copies of inquests from 1850-1934. Skelton's material dates from 1899 to 1923 and primarily documents his work as coroner, with a small number of records related to his work at Miller and Skelton funeral parlor and his efforts to improve traffic safety in Sacramento.
- Extent:
- 104.5 Linear Feet, 137 boxes, and 16 volumes
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Sacramento County (Calif.) Coroner's Office records, CNTY0005, Center for Sacramento History.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Sacramento County (Calif.) Coroner's Office records contains case files, registers, indexes, and inquests of deaths registered in Sacramento County, California, with separate transcribed indexes available for each of the Coroner's various records. Volumes include registers of property description, coroner's record (chronological), coroner's record (alphabetical), record of inquisitions, coroner's receipt of property, and indigent property burial records. The bulk of the records are inquest case file reports, which were created when deaths were unattended by a physician or of a suspicious nature. These are arranged alphabetically within each calendar year, and include a general report with vital statistics and a statement by reporting official, and sometimes supplemental reports.
The collection also contains papers from Sacramento County's first deputy coroner, Laura Synhorst Santos (series 4), and Coroner John T. Skelton (series 5).Santos' papers include crime scene notes, coroner and police reports, and notes for identifying bodies from the 1988 Dorothea Puente serial murder investigation; photographs and other material that document the coroner's office and staff from 1958-2001; and copies of inquests from 1850-1933. Skelton's papers date from 1899 to 1923 and primarily document his work as coroner, with a small number of records related to his work at Miller and Skelton funeral parlor and his efforts to improve traffic safety in Sacramento.
- Acquisition information:
- Coroner's inquest records were transferred from the Sacramento County Coroner's Office in 1982, 1985, 1987, 1987, 1990, 1999, and 2008 (accessions 1982/091, 1982/156, 1985/014, 1987/002, 1990/079, 1999/045, and 2008/026), and from the California State Archives in 1980 (accession 1980/132). Death certificates were transferred from the Sacramento County Clerk's Office in 1978 (accession 1978/093). Laura Santos donated her papers in 2004 (accession 2004/042). Brenda Sloan donated John Skelton's papers in 1997 (1997/008).
- Processing information:
-
Transcriptions of the coroner's inquest case files and registers were performed by members of the Root Cellar - Sacramento Genealogical Society. Finding aid was created by archivists Sean Heyliger (2019) and Kim Hayden (2021). Inquest box numbers were altered for the finding aid to provide for a continuous box count (boxes 1-138). Previously, boxes were numbered 1-64 and 1/72-72/72 (now 65-138). Descriptions of unknown bodies were described by the person's race by the coroner's office and may include antiquated racial terms that may be considered offensive.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged into 5 series:
- Series 1. Inquest reports, 1850-1977
- Series 2. Death certificates, 1901-1902
- Series 3. Registers, 1850-1969
- Series 4. Deputy Coroner Laura Santos papers, 1850-2001 (bulk 1968-2001)
- Series 5. Coroner John T. Skelton papers, 1899-1923
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research use.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Sacramento County (Calif.) Coroner's Office records, CNTY0005, Center for Sacramento History.
- Location of this collection:
-
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.Sacramento, CA 95811, US
- Contact:
- (916) 808-7072