I have read many death certificates as a part of my family history research. Often times I found numbers written by hand in the margins and in the middle of the page. I just assumed that they were some codes used in filing the death certificates so I did not pay much attention.
Today, I was looking at a death index from the State of New York. One of the columns was labeled "cause of death." The contents of that column were all numbers. The numbers were mostly 3 digits long. Being curious as to the cause of death of a relative, I was curious what those numbers meant.
There is an international classification of diseases (IDC) that has been in existence since the early half of the twentieth century. It has been revised over the years and is now replaced with a different coding system.
I revisited the images of death certificates that I have. My great-grandmother's death certificate was one of the first at which I viewed. Her name was Anna Stevens Stoutenburg so it was near the top of the list of files. She died in 1955. Since I remember visiting her and the dresses she made for me, I was hoping that I would find a handwritten number somewhere on her death certificate.
In the left margin were written three numbers, one on top of the other. They were 277, 270, and 99. None of these numbers in the 1948 revision of the IDC fit with her cause of death. It is written on her death certificate that she died of a cerebrovascular accident, i.e., a stroke.
I found 270 also written in the part of the form that gives her usual residence. Next to the name of her spouse, I saw written 331X. In the IDC, 331 is the code for cerebrovascular accident. Now I knew what the cause of death of the distance New York cousin.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is changing its name to Scouts of America. The BSA has seen a gradual decline in its membership. The organization experimented with allowing girls to join in their younger program (7-10 years old). It was a success and the boys in this age group did not have a problem with girls in the organization. As a former marketing executive the decision by the BSA made complete sense to me for an organization that wants to survive.
American Express and Wells Fargo are companies that transformed themselves in order to survive. Both of these companies that are well-known in the financial section started out as wagon freight and passenger companies. These companies were threatened by the emergence of the transcontinental railroad.
It looks like the BSA is also trying to transform itself somewhat in order to survive. It is no surprise that the Girl Scouts of America is having issues with the BSA's decision as the organization sees the BSA as potentially taking away potential members.
Change is hard for many. I remember when my church replaced the hymnals that included the order of service. I had memorized every part of service and then this new hymnal changed a lot of chanting portions. I suddenly felt as if I had come to a new place. I adjusted and thankfully I have been able to adjust to other changes that have happened in my church over the years.
So when was I a boy scout...
I was in high school in the 1960s. I wanted to be a doctor. I discovered a club at my high school. It was called Medical Explorers so I joined. More girls joined than boys. We went on several trips to the Orange County Medical Hospital. At some point, the Boy Scouts of America discovered that it had a troop of more females than males. That was when I lost my status as a Boy Scout.
I was a Girl Scout and a Pioneer Girl too.
