The funeral home that took care of your ancestor’s funeral may have additional information on your ancestor besides what appeared in the obituary and on the tombstone. Why paid the bill, where they lived, biographical details, and more may be in their files. However funeral home records are private business records and the funeral home is under no obligation to provide you with any information from their files. Because of this it pays to be respectful, polite, and courteous when dealing with the individuals who may still have possession of these records.
If your ancestor’s “middle” name was a common last name, is it possible that the middle name got used by a records clerk as a last name. My Hinrich Jacobs Fecht uses the last name of Fecht on every record in the United States–except the 1870 census where he is Henry Jacobs. Jurgen Ehmen Tonjes occasionally is referred to as Jurgen Ehmen. Isaac Rucker Tinsley could easily be listed in one record or more as Isaac Rucker.
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