This is how to read the Obituary Index 1883 - 1964.
I am sending the index in a seperate email.
This info. was from Bobby Troup
(Thanks Bobby!)
BobbyTrap(a)aol.com wrote:
I purchased a CD called The Gospel Messenger Obituary Index
1883 - 1964. The
info I sent you was from it. With the attached info, you
can probably figure
out what I sent. I had to write for an explanation as
nothing came with the
index.
Bobby Troup
--------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: OBITUARY INDEX
Resent-Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2000 17:13:51 -0700 (PDT)
Resent-From: BRETHREN(a)rootsweb.com
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2000 20:14:19 -0400
From: "Ralph C, Nearhoof Jr." <nearhoof(a)nb.net>
Reply-To: BRETHREN(a)rootsweb.com
To: BRETHREN(a)rootsweb.com
The following information is on the CD:
Users' Guide
The information provided for each obituary is as follows:
Parenthetical Information:
The names enclosed in parentheses include (in order),
spouse, father, mother. Where space permitted, the spouse
is
indicated with the notation m., although there was some
inconsistency as to whether the m. was used if it could be
implied from the order. There is also some inconsistency in
the
use of the & between names of parents, and spaces were
omitted
when space was tight. Abbreviations were occasionally used
in
the parenthetical data for names such as Samuel, David,
William,
Daniel, and John. Abbreviations were never used in the name
of
the deceased. The following are all ways to indicated a
spouse
named John, and parents named Samuel and Mary.
Examples: (m. John, Samuel & Mary)
(John,
Samuel & Mary)
(John,
Samuel, Mary)
(John,Saml,Mary)
If there are fewer than three names within parentheses,
the
m. becomes critical for interpretation.
Examples: (John) indicates father;
(Mary)
indicates mother
(John,
Mary) indicates
parents
(m. John)
or (m. Mary)
indicates spouse
Maiden names, both of the deceased and of the
deceased's
mother, were given when available.
Examples: (John, Samuel, Mary Smith) indicates
the
mother's
maiden name was
Smith.
Bowman,
Mary Brumbaugh
(Mary Smith) indicates
the
deceased's maiden
names was Brumbaugh,
her
mother's maiden name
was Smith.
Column Meanings:
The information in the columns at the right contain, in
order from left to right, the state where death occurred,
the age
at death, and the issue/page where the obituary is located.
In
later years of the index, I interpreted state to be
residence at
time of death rather than state where death occurred. There
are
two forms of issue/page citations due to a change in
pagination
in the periodical. Before 1931 each year was paged
consecutively
from the beginning of the year to the end. From 1931
onward,
each issue was paged separately.
Examples:
1895 597 means page 597 of year 1895.
04/29/58 32 means page page 32 of April 29,
1958.
Bowman, Ruth Brumbaugh (John, Samuel & Mary
Smith)...
PA 81 1894 318 means Ruth Bowman, married to
John
Bowman, daughter of Samuel and Mary Smith
Brumbaugh,
died in Pennsylvania at age 81. The obituary
is on
page 318 of the 1894 issue of the Gospel
Messenger.
See References:
When a person was married more than once and the name
of
each spouse is noted in the obituary, there is an entry for
each
marriage. The primary entry is for the marriage that
existed at
the time of death. Entries for former marriages use a See
reference to direct the searcher to the primary entry.
Examples:
Brumbaugh, Samuel (m. Mary Smith) See
Brumbaugh, Samuel
(m. Elizabeth Weaver) would indicate that
Samuel
Brumbaugh was first married to Mary Smith and
then
married to Elizabeth Weaver.
Brumbaugh, Elizabeth Weaver See Miller,
Elizabeth
Weaver Brumbaugh would mean that Elizabeth
Weaver's
first marriage was to a Brumbaugh and her
second
marriage was to a Miller.
Surname Groupings:
The same obituary appears in the index for every
surname
mentioned in that obituary.
Example:
Miller, Elizabeth Weaver Brumbaugh (David,
George &
Susan Kline) also would appear with the
Weaver,
Brumbaugh, and Kline entries as follows:
Miller, Elizabeth Weaver Brumbaugh (David,
George &
Susan Kline)
Miller, Elizabeth Weaver Brumbaugh (David,
George &
Susan Kline)
Miller, Elizabeth Weaver Brumbaugh (David,
George &
Susan Kline)
--
Rosemary Miller
Johnstown, PA