Don't Forget Me!

Several years ago, my sister Betty found a death certificate on FamilySearch that she had not been aware of before.  It was a death certificate for her mother-in-law's little sister, who was born at 5 1/2 months into her mother's pregnancy, and died the same day.

"Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-21234-1412-86?cc=1307272 : 21 May 2014), 1911 > 33211-35940 > image 2018 of 3256.

Betty kept asking me to help her get it into the computer and onto FamilySearch, but time kept slipping away.  It turned into a "one of these days things".  I was partly at fault, for this was my brother-in-law's family, and it wasn't at the top of my list of things to do.

Then, my brother-in-law passed away in Oct 2015.  

Sister Betty became immersed in all that is required around the death of a spouse, but continually kept running across this certificate.  One evening, she called me and asked me to help her again.  I responded, "Let's do it right now!"

Me:  Where did you find the certificate?
Betty:  On FamilySearch
Me:  What name is it listed under?
Betty:  Baby Schueneman
Me:  What year did this happen?
Betty:  1911

That was all I needed at the time to arm myself for a search.  And, I found the certificate in no time.

"Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-21234-1429-94?cc=1307272 : 21 May 2014), 1911 > 33211-35940 > image 2019 of 3256.

Or, so I thought.  

Because of the advent of modern technology, we have the capability to magnify and enlarge our screen images.  I saw a word after the cause of death that "looked" like it said "twin".  

I quickly called Betty, and told her to get her hard copy of the certificate out, along with her magnifying glass.  I waited while she located them, then told her to look very carefully at the copy that she had.

There was no question that these were two separate and distinct certificates, with Baby Schueneman's certificate numbers being 34908 and 34909.  And, until it was enlarged, I actually thought the word in parenthesis was "Irwin".

These babies had no entry on www.findagrave.com or on www.BillionGraves.com.  Betty contacted the cemetery where the babies' grandparents were buried, and found they were buried in the same plot with the grandparents, but had no headstone.  

Their parents were buried many years later in a cemetery approximately fifteen miles away.  I have since made entries on FindAGrave that connect the babies with their parents.  

Thanks to the persistence of an older sister who was trying to do the best she could with her husband's family, she kept after me until I finally gave in and found the time to help her.  

Otherwise, Baby Schueneman might never have been included in the family records.  

Lessons learned:
1.  When something is pressing on your mind concerning your ancestors, pay attention to it.  This was not pressing on my mind, but it had always been in the back of my sister's mind.

2.  Learn to examine every record carefully.  Use magnification tools to enlarge and enhance.

3.  Make an effort to find a burial site, and connect them on FindAGrave.  In this case, these two babies were buried alongside grandparents.

4.  And, most of all, don't forget them!  One of these babies would have been left out and forgotten if there hadn't been followthrough.