Margaret Strebel Hartman Genealogical Collection Finding Aid

MS 9

• Introduction
• Access and Use
• Access Points
• Scope and Content
• Coroner's Duties and Historical Note
• Container Listing  

Series, Campbell County Coroner’s Office Records

INTRODUCTION:

Size: 2.5 linear feet

Span Dates: 1938-1962

Accession Number(s): M2006-0002, M1992-1119

Donor: Robert Hartman

Custodial History: Records were donated with Margaret Strebel Hartman Genealogical Collection and exist as a series within this collection. 

Summary: The Campbell County Coroner’s Office records contains coroner’s inquests and verdicts from 1938-1962. The one-page reports are occasionally accompanied by news clippings, police reports, and/or receipts.
 

ACCESS AND USE:

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research access and use.

Use Restrictions: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code) governs the reproduction of copyrighted material. The User assumes full responsibility and any attendant liability for the fair use of materials requested in total compliance with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) that may arise through the use of any requested materials.

Preferred Citation: [Box#, Folder#], Campbell County Coroner’s Office records, MS-9 Margaret Hartman Genealogical collection, Eva G. Farris Special Collections, W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University.

Processing Information: Reprocessed by Anne Ryckbost and Kellie Peyton in April 2012. Processed by archives staff in March 2006.
 

ACCESS POINTS:

Subject(s):
Coroners.
Coroners--Kentucky--Campbell County.
Death--Causes.
Death--Causes--Statistics.
Police reports.

Person(s):
Draime, Robert (Dr.)
Sauter, Leo C. (Dr.)
Stevens, Donald M. (Dr.)

Geographic Location:
Campbell County (Ky.)
 

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SCOPE AND CONTENT:

This series, Campbell County Coroner’s Office records, contains records created and maintained by the Campbell County (Ky.) Coroner in the execution of official duties from 1938-1962. The Coroner’s Office is called to inquire into cases of suspicious, unnatural, or unusual deaths. An inquest record is created for investigations into the cause and manner of deaths. In some circumstances, the inquest records were presented before a jury. In these cases, a coroner’s verdict was also issued citing the cause and manner of death. These verdicts are fact finding in nature. The records are arranged chronologically.

The records are mostly comprised of inquest and coroner’s verdict reports that include information such as inquest number, date and time notice of death received by coroner, name, gender, race, family relations, place of death, description of deceased cause of death, jury members (if applicable) and names of witnesses. Inquests within a given year were assigned consecutive numbers (e.g. Inquest no.1 for the first death in 1940 requiring a coroner’s report). Not all categories of information are complete for each case. Most of the inquests in these records are “titled inquests” because they were not official inquests before a jury. The report forms used for August-December 1962 are all coroner’s verdicts.

In some instances, police reports, coroner’s verdicts from jury trials, receipts for personal possessions, and receipts for payment of coroner’s services were attached to the titled inquests. The personal possessions receipts document that items found on the body of the deceased were returned by the coroner to the next-of-kin or other individual.

In addition to the inquests, researchers will find annual statistical reports listing causes of deaths and numbers of deaths for 1940, 1947, 1956-1962 at the beginning of each of these years. There is also an index to names of the deceased for 1938. Beginning in 1957, news clippings were attached to some reports.

The series has one folder of 5 items not found within the coroner’s reports. These items include two coroner verdicts from 1955 (inquest no. 55-110, October 20, 1955 and no. 55-010 A, January 30, 1955 signed by deputy coroner Dr. Donald M. Stevens); two receipts, and a letter from G.W. Bailey of the Mercantile Library, Cincinnati, Ohio thanking Dr. Leo Sauter for lending the library items for a lecture on a murder-suicide dated December 9, 1948.

Originally produced to explain and document causes of death, the coroner’s records also offer rich details for topics such as public health, social violence, and genealogy.
 

CORONER'S DUTIES AND HISTORICAL NOTE:

The Campbell County Coroner is an elected county official serving a four-year term in accordance with Section 99 of Kentucky’s present Constitution. Coroners have the full power and authority of peace officers. It is the duty of the coroner to investigate and create records for deaths that occur under accidental, unusual, or suspicious conditions in accordance with Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 72. A formal inquiry is not made in the case of every death.

Dr. Leo Sauter served several terms as the Campbell County Coroner during the period of 1938-1962. Other coroners whose signatures can be found on inquests include Dr. Donald M. Stevens, Dr. Edwin Marselas (acting Coroner), and, beginning around June-August 1962, Dr. Robert G. Draime.
 

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CONTAINER LISTING:

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