Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Freaked Out Friday - What Happened?

Yeah, yeah. I've been blogging for quite a while, you'd think I'd remember to schedule my post, but no, I left it in draft? I think maybe because I couldn't quite believe that I couldn't find my mom's Aunt Rose on the Michigan Death Records Index (familysearch.org) 1921-1952.

You see, my mom lived with her Aunt Rose and Uncle John Ochsenfeld after her mother died and until Rose died of cancer in 1939. In Detroit. I did find John's death recorded in 1948, but no go for Rose. I do have her death certificate and I could not find a reason why she wasn't listed.

Also found was my great-grandmother, Rose's mother, Augusta Wilhelm Mena Zimmeth (no joke, that's how it was indexed) in 1932. And Amelia Knost Meyer's death record (my mother's maternal grandmother) was found. Only they had her father as Martin Knost. Um, he was her brother, not her father.

Which brings us to the importance of searching beyond the obvious. Yes, death records can be great, but since the person who really knew the information is now dead, mistakes are made.  Many times, I have seen the parents listed of the informant and not the decedent. So, do your homework and find that birth or baptismal record. I can hardly wait to note the above information in my genealogy

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

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