There are two obituaries for one of my ancestors. One says he died at the home of son George. The other says he died at the home of son Fred. The reminders from this are:
- cite your source–so you know what said what
- get as many different sources as you can–they may not agree
- any source can be in error
- all obituaries are not created equally
When I only look in one place and fail to cite where I got it, I’m eventually going to be confused.
4 Responses
Is it possible that the two brothers lived together? Can you check city directories to find the addresses of the brothers?
Good thought Jeanette, but not in this case. They were living on separate farms at the time their father died. I’d have to check the township there were both living in at the time–the death certificate is only as specific as the township.
Michael – does it make a difference that one byline is Basco, IL and the other is Bentley IL? Could the paper have been told *at the home* and thought that it was the local son?
Wold like to know the final resolution.
That’s a good point. I’m going to have to see if I can determine where George was living in 1924 as precisely as I can. The death certificate is only as specific as the township which may not be specific enough to distinguish between the two sons. Fred would have been living on the “home place” at the time of John’s death.