In a message dated 4/3/2006 5:46:11 PM Eastern Standard Time, james_l_stokes@yahoo.com writes: Hi Joan, Have you been able to confirm the information provided on the death certificate ? Have you found a marriage in church records ? Death certificates are usually pretty reliable but the information for it was probably provided by the son's widow and she could have been wrong. Whenever I run into a dead end where the source information isn't from a primary document, I try to confirm the information in some way, like checking for a marriage to confirm the last name. I saw a Catharine Dietz, age 19 living in the South Ward of York Borough, she was the daughter of Jacob. It would be pretty easy for someone to confuse Dietz and Dietrich, especially if it wasn't your relative and it may have been something you heard years before. Jim ---- The informant on the death certificate is James' son--so I'm guessing he'd know where his grandmother was born. You are correct that the identity and relationship of the imformant is very important. Her maiden name was definitely DIETERICH as it is also included in the baptismal record for her son, James, and she, herself, would have given that info. On the 1860 census she is age 30 and in 1870 she is age 42. I have not found a marriage record for Samuel SMITH and Catherine DIETERICH. On the 1850 census Samuel is 27 and single and by 1860 he is married to Catherine and their oldest child is age 8. So they must have married after the middle of 1860 and before 1862. I don't know if they married in Lancaster County or York. Do you have any information about a Catherina DIETRICK born 4 April 1829 in Earl Twp. Lancaster County? She is the daughter Jacob DIETRICK and wife Christina HOSTER (dau. of Wilhelm and Catherine HOSTER). This couple were married on 1 Aug. 1819 in Earl Twp. I sort of suspect this is my Catherine based on age and location of birth--but I'd like to find additional evidence that would definitely prove it or refute it. Joan

Hi Joan, If you think Catharine Dietrich was born in Earl Township then the question becomes, how would she meet and marry someone that lived 40 or 50 miles away ? Does Samuel Smith show up on the tax lists for Earl Twp ? Did Catherine's father or one of her brothers move to York County ? Do you know when the Jacob Dietrich of Earl Twp. died ? Might he have mentioned his daughter by her married name in his will ? Where was Jacob living when he died ? These are the questions you can check into in order to build a case that it was his daughter that married Samuel Smith. Jim JYoung6180@aol.com wrote: In a message dated 4/3/2006 5:46:11 PM Eastern Standard Time, james_l_stokes@yahoo.com writes: Hi Joan, Have you been able to confirm the information provided on the death certificate ? Have you found a marriage in church records ? Death certificates are usually pretty reliable but the information for it was probably provided by the son's widow and she could have been wrong. Whenever I run into a dead end where the source information isn't from a primary document, I try to confirm the information in some way, like checking for a marriage to confirm the last name. I saw a Catharine Dietz, age 19 living in the South Ward of York Borough, she was the daughter of Jacob. It would be pretty easy for someone to confuse Dietz and Dietrich, especially if it wasn't your relative and it may have been something you heard years before. Jim ---- The informant on the death certificate is James' son--so I'm guessing he'd know where his grandmother was born. You are correct that the identity and relationship of the imformant is very important. Her maiden name was definitely DIETERICH as it is also included in the baptismal record for her son, James, and she, herself, would have given that info. On the 1860 census she is age 30 and in 1870 she is age 42. I have not found a marriage record for Samuel SMITH and Catherine DIETERICH. On the 1850 census Samuel is 27 and single and by 1860 he is married to Catherine and their oldest child is age 8. So they must have married after the middle of 1860 and before 1862. I don't know if they married in Lancaster County or York. Do you have any information about a Catherina DIETRICK born 4 April 1829 in Earl Twp. Lancaster County? She is the daughter Jacob DIETRICK and wife Christina HOSTER (dau. of Wilhelm and Catherine HOSTER). This couple were married on 1 Aug. 1819 in Earl Twp. I sort of suspect this is my Catherine based on age and location of birth--but I'd like to find additional evidence that would definitely prove it or refute it. Joan ==== PALANCAS Mailing List ==== List Owner can be reached for help with the list at PALANCAS-Admin@rootsweb.com --------------------------------- Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.