September 19, 2012

Death Notices Name Family Members, or do they?

The New York Herald Tribune published a death notice in April 1899 for Mrs. Erastus Corning which provided quite a bit of detail about her family -- things we often long for like maiden name and parents.  Here are the people listed:

The deceased was Mary Parker Corning, widow of Erastus

Her parents: Amasa J Parker and Harriet Langdon

Her children: Parker, Harriet, Edwin

Her siblings: General Amasa Parker, Mrs VJL Pruyn

However, her daughter Harriet was listed as "now Mrs. Wheeler H. Peckham, Jr" -- no, that was not her husband !