Trust, But Verify

When I was a treetrack'n newbie I knew that Charles Trogg's parents were Ernst and Julia (Nehring) Trogg. Julia was the informant on Charles' death certificate¹. Case closed. "This genealogy stuff is easy" said my innocent newbie self. 

I started to doubt my nice tidy facts when I found Ernst and Julia's marriage certificate². Hold on! They married in 1879 when Charles was 7 years old. And Julia is listed as Mrs JuliaTiedt. Nuts!

I couldn't find a marriage certificate for Julia's previous marriage but I did find one for Ernst³. He married Miss Mathilde Duesing on Sep 15, 1872 when Charles was 7 months old.

The final document I looked at was the July 17, 1872 New York passenger list for Mathilde⁴. She is listed as Mathe Düsing and is traveling with son Carl Düsing, Now I know his mother was Mathilde. Is his father Ernst? They married 2 months after Mathilde immigrated. Or did she leave Germany and the father behind looking for a new start in America? Maybe it was an arranged marriage. Maybe, what if, could it be? 

See what I mean? Trust, but verify. And keep looking for Charles' father.

1Cook, Illinois, (Cook County Courthouse, Chicago),death certificate no. 24019 (1915),  Charles W Trogg; FHL microfilm 1,287,530.

2Cook, Illinois, (Cook County Courthouse, Chicago), marriage certificate no. 39618 (1879), Ernst Trogg-Julie Tiedt; FHL microfilm 1,030,108.

3Cook, Illinois, (Cook County Courthouse, Chicago), marriage certificate no. 5182 (1872), Ernst Troch-Matilda Duesing; FHL microfilm 1,030,079.

4"Records of the U.S. Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization," online images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed Mar 11, 2010), manifest, Westphalia, Jul 17, 1872, Mathe Diesing.

Once more with feeling!

I don't remember where I first heard that phrase. It may have been during a piano lesson when my teacher was particularly exasperated with me. She felt that way a lot.

Beginning bloggers all seem to have the best of intentions. I should know. I have started and abandoned 3 different blogs over the years. I hope this one will be a keeper.

I will be focusing on family stories and mysteries, genealogy how-I-do-its, and other items I find interesting. You'll forgive me if I throw in a few pictures of the grandkids from time to time, won't you?