It's not often I feel the need to blog about my family history experiences, but today is one of those days. Some months ago, I was expanding our family tree in FamilySearch. I found my way into three people who deserve to have their story told. Not that all stories shouldn't be told, but I can't tell all the stories I find, and this one is extraordinary. This one bears special mention.
Where they are in the family:
On my first pass through this region of the family back in July, I found Maggie and Ed, and I stopped, thinking their children were too close to the hundred-and-ten year "Permission Required" rule to do the work on for the time being. Then yesterday, as I was preparing for our upcoming trip to the temple to do baptisms for all these people, I was reviewing my documentation, filling in missing dates. In trying to find Maggie's death date, I got a list of death records. One of them was hers, and another had her name and Ed's name on it. I had found a missing son, born in 1899: Harry Edward Moyer!
I attached Maggie's death record, set up a new record for Harry in Ancestry.com, and attached Harry to his father. I synched the new information over into FamilySearch and set Harry up there as well. I switched over to FamilySearch to make sure I had everything in order there. I went to reserve the ordinances, and this is what I found:
Knowing that the baptism, confirmation, initiatory and endowment are not performed for children who die under the age of eight, my jaw dropped when I looked a little closer at the birth and death dates. On February 24, 1899, at the age of 21 years old, Maggie Reppert Moyer had given birth to this little boy. Two months and two days later, on April 26, 1899, their infant son died. I have not been able to identify the cause of death, but my presumption is that he became very sick and just didn't make it.
This morning, I found this, cropped out of a church record in Northampton, Pennsylvania:
Tomorrow night, I'll have my Mom be baptized for and in behalf of Maggie R. Reppert, wife of Edward Moyer and the mother of this little boy. I'll see to it that Ed Moyer receives his endowment. I already have the yellow card for Maggie and Ed to be sealed to each other. In the coming weeks I'll print out a little blue card that will have four boxes 'X'-ed out and one box for sealing to parents. My goal is to have this baby boy sealed to his parents for time and all eternity this spring.
I hate to think I would have missed finding Harry Edward Moyer if I hadn't gone back and reviewed these records one last time!
Where they are in the family:
- Granpa Bernie's grandparents: Reuben Clinton Smith and Ellen "Ella" Bowman
- Reuben and Ellen's son Clyde is my great-grandfather
- Reuben and Ellen's son Mervin (Clyde's brother and Grandpa Bernie's uncle) married Hallie Rehrig
- Hallie Rehrig's mother is Zenobia Wagner
- Zenobia's parents are James A. Wagner and Ellen Hahn
- Ellen's parents are Jacob Hahn and Sophia Cope Diehl (she re-married to a Diehl after Jacob died - need to find him on her death certificate)
- Jacob and Sophia's son Jacob W. Hahn married Minnie Marie Reppert
- Minnie's sister, Maggie is the mother in question
- Maggie married Edward Moyer
On my first pass through this region of the family back in July, I found Maggie and Ed, and I stopped, thinking their children were too close to the hundred-and-ten year "Permission Required" rule to do the work on for the time being. Then yesterday, as I was preparing for our upcoming trip to the temple to do baptisms for all these people, I was reviewing my documentation, filling in missing dates. In trying to find Maggie's death date, I got a list of death records. One of them was hers, and another had her name and Ed's name on it. I had found a missing son, born in 1899: Harry Edward Moyer!
I attached Maggie's death record, set up a new record for Harry in Ancestry.com, and attached Harry to his father. I synched the new information over into FamilySearch and set Harry up there as well. I switched over to FamilySearch to make sure I had everything in order there. I went to reserve the ordinances, and this is what I found:
Knowing that the baptism, confirmation, initiatory and endowment are not performed for children who die under the age of eight, my jaw dropped when I looked a little closer at the birth and death dates. On February 24, 1899, at the age of 21 years old, Maggie Reppert Moyer had given birth to this little boy. Two months and two days later, on April 26, 1899, their infant son died. I have not been able to identify the cause of death, but my presumption is that he became very sick and just didn't make it.
This morning, I found this, cropped out of a church record in Northampton, Pennsylvania:
Tomorrow night, I'll have my Mom be baptized for and in behalf of Maggie R. Reppert, wife of Edward Moyer and the mother of this little boy. I'll see to it that Ed Moyer receives his endowment. I already have the yellow card for Maggie and Ed to be sealed to each other. In the coming weeks I'll print out a little blue card that will have four boxes 'X'-ed out and one box for sealing to parents. My goal is to have this baby boy sealed to his parents for time and all eternity this spring.
I hate to think I would have missed finding Harry Edward Moyer if I hadn't gone back and reviewed these records one last time!
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