J. D. Deutsch Funeral Home and Crematory Records, 1909-1960 (MS 4339)

The J. D. Deutsch Funeral Home and Crematory was founded in the late 1890s on Cleveland’s east side by Jacob Deutsch (1861-1914), a Hungarian Jewish immigrant. Originally located on Woodland Avenue, the funeral home moved to Crawford Avenue in 1925 and included Cleveland’s first funeral home with a built-in crematorium.

This collection provides the genealogical researcher with valuable information, particularly those interested in Jewish genealogy in Cleveland from 1909 to 1960. From 1933 to 1938, the funeral home also conducted burials and cremations for non-Jews, and these services are recorded separately.

The records can provide the researcher with the name of the deceased, address, spouse’s name, parents’ names and birthplaces, cause of death, name of attending physician, location of death, and location of cemetery.

This index allows researchers to search the burial books in MS 4339 J. D. Deutsch Funeral Home and Crematory Records, 1909-1960. The index provides the full name, death year, and age of the deceased, and the name of the cemetery where the deceased was buried. Once the researcher knows the year of death, the location of the funeral documentation can be ascertained from the collection finding aid descriptions which can be viewed here.

More detailed information, as described above, is provided in the WRHS Research Center Reading Room.

Researchers can access and make copies from the collection at the Western Reserve Historical Society Research Center Reading Room. Reference staff can provide copies for researchers unable to schedule a visit to the Western Reserve Historical Society. For information about the WRHS Research Center location, hours, admission fees, and research fees, contact the reference staff at 216-721-5722, x1509, or via email at reference@wrhs.org.