One truth we learn as family historians - data may not always be true. People may not know the information, have part of the facts, or outright lie. We hope what our ancestors share is gospel. But, that is rarely the case.
Incorrect information caused years of confusion locating my husband's 3rd great-uncle, Ezra Starr. Brother to his 2nd great-grandfather, Alfred Platt Starr. We have very few facts about Ezra. His approximate birth date, place of birth, and the profession of blacksmith. Sometimes he used the middle initial "J". Surprisingly, there are few Ezra's fitting the description.
Several years ago, I discovered what was to be the first puzzle piece. Or, was it?
Here we have a Kentucky death certificate for Ezra Starr [1]. Correct name, age and occupation. But, we see him born in Germany, along with his parents. My husband's Starr line came from England, to the United States, in the late 1600's. This doesn't seem to be our guy. But, just because you never know, I saved the record to my Shoebox on Ancestry.com. Didn't want to lose the "possible" information.
Kentucky Post
Covington, Kenton, Kentucky
23 Sep, 1904
During my weekly "Starr" family newspaper searching [2], came across the next piece of the puzzle. Located in Covington, Kenton, Kentucky. Same town referenced in Ezra's death record. We link Alfred and Ezra! The case received lots of press. Giving details, confirming the relationship between our Starr brothers. But, why Germany on Ezra's death certificate?
This Starr line moved from Massachusetts, to Connecticut, to New York, to Pennsylvania. Once in Pennsylvania, they settled in and around Littlestown, Adams County. Most of the family records are located in this town.
A podcast led me to the final puzzle piece. One favorite is Research Like a Pro with the Family Locket Genealogists. Listening again to all the previous episodes. Sometimes we miss information that may be vital. A light bulb went off with an episode about locality research. Did I miss something in Pennsylvania?
FamilySearch has wonderful locality pages. Researching the Adams County, Pennsylvania Wiki page [3] we discovered the answer. Listed are boroughs, unincorporated communities and townships. One of the townships being Germany Township.
"Germany Township is in southern Adams County, along the Maryland border. It borders the west and south sides of the borough of Littlestown. Pennsylvania Route 97 passes through the township, leading northwest 9 miles (14 km) to Gettysburg and south 12 miles (19 km) as Maryland Route 97 to Westminster, Maryland. Pennsylvania Route 194 crosses Route 97 in Littlestown and passes through the township, turning to Maryland Route 194 and leading southwest 5 miles (8 km) to Taneytown, Maryland."
Ezra most likely told his fellow Kentuckians he was from Germany Township. The official filling out the death record may have interpreted this as a country. Having no knowledge of the area in Pennsylvania, they wouldn't know about the township. Not a lie, just a case of misunderstanding the facts. We see this in many records.
All the pieces have come together. Solving the mystery of Ezra J. Starr. Also, we now have the story of a family law suit.
Moral of the story? Keep records, even when they seem not to be part of the puzzle. Don't stop digging. Connect with other researchers, in every format possible. And, never give up! The puzzle piece you need to complete the story, could be around the corner.
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Sources:
[1] Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852-1965; indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (https//www.ancestry.com : accessed December 8, 2020), "City of Covington, KY, Department of Health,Bureau of Statistics", page 206 (image 223 of 1092), Ezra Starr death entry, February 19, 1904.
[2] "Want Settlement of an Estate, Heirs Filed Suit Against the Administrator," Kentucky [Covington, KY] Post newspaper, Friday, Sep 23, 1904, page 5 column 3, GenealogBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com : accessed December 8, 2020).
[3] Adams County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Wiki Page, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org) : accessed December 8, 2020),
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