This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: CareyChilcote Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.pennsylvania.counties.huntingdon/3606.1.1.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi Kim, long time no type. Ron, I hope you don't mind my butting in here since these folk you're discussing are my cousins too. I'm pretty sure you've been researching much longer than I have but I have learned a few things that you might not be taking into consideration. Obituaries are good sources of information but they are not always free of error. They are often based on second- or third-hand information to begin with and that information then goes through several, shall we say, less than totally concerned individuals before it appears in ink on a newspaper page. Even when no errors of commission occur it doesn't mean an obituary is all-inclusive. Your mileage may vary but I can't remember ever seeing an obituary which included negative aspects of the deceased's life. In 1911, I imagine there was much more stigma involved with giving birth to an illegitimate child than there is today, even if the child was given away to be raised by others. Even if a woman in this situation had later reconciled with her daughter it's not a given that the daughter would be acknowledged in the mother's obituary all those long years after. An obituary, I remind you, is based on what in court might be deemed hearsay. I respectfully submit that just because something wasn't included in an obituary doesn't mean it didn't happen. What about this Josephine's obituary? I don't know if it's correct or not but information I received from Barbara Jean (Peace) Crain in 1999 indicated that Josephine died 6 Feb 1991 in Baltimore, Maryland. I just now looked her up in the Social Security Death Index and found the following: SSDI: Josephine M. Manges SSN: 208-07-1214 Last Residence: 21234 Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland Born: 25 Jun 1911 Last Benefit: 21234 Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland Died: Feb 1991 SSN Issued: Pennsylvania (Before 1951 ) Ron, if you have Josephine's obituary then how about sharing it. If you haven't got it, perhaps you could use the SSDI data to acquire it or, better yet, with her SSN you could request a copy of her original application for a social security number. Kim, I think it's possible there's room for more research here. Thanks for hearing me out. Carey L. Chilcote Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.