Barking Up the Wrong Tree: A Double Wedding

05 June 2012

A Double Wedding

Comments after the jump.

JOHANNES ZACHARIAS RECKSRODT (1725 Germany-1799 VA)

Married on 19 Nov 1751 in Berks County, PA

To Catherine (surname unknown) AND Anna Marie Voegel

With CATHERINE (1729-1848) CHILDREN With ANNA MARIE (1731-1759)

Christina Rexrode (b. 1736 VA) Heinrich Rexroad (b. 1756 PA)

Barbara Rexroad (b. 1759) Sophia Catherine Rexroad (b. 1759 PA)

Zachariah Rexrode (b. 1761 VA) Sophia Catherine Rexroad (b. 1759 PA)

Dorothy A Rexrode (b. 1763 VA)

Nathan Rexroad (b. 1766 VA)

Sophia Catherine Rexrode (b. 1769 VA)

Johann Adam Rexroat (b. 1770 PA)

Margaret Rexrode (b. 1770)

John M Rexrode (b. 1771 VA)

Leonard Rexroad (b. 1771 VA)

Henry Rexrode (b. 1778)

Mary Rexroad (b. 1782 VA)

Catherine Rexrode (b. 1787 WV)

Jacob Rexrode (b. 1789 VA)

Samuel Rexrode (b. 1794 VA)

George R Rexrode (b. 1798 VA)

Barbara Rexrode (b. 1799 VA)

Solomon Rexrode (b. 1803 VA)

Henry S Rexrode (b. 1806 VA)

A FEW RECORDS

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

Immigration in 1773, Germany to Philadelphia, PA

1790 Census, Reading, Berks, PA

Zacharias Rexrode

Persons (all free and white): 4 males under 16, 2 males over 16, 1 female

Family Data Collection

Johannes Zacariah Rexrode, b. 1725 in Berks, PA

Married to Anna Marie Voegel on 19 Nov 1751, Berks, PA

Attached to BOTH marriage events

Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-1999

Death of John Zacharias Rexroad (1746-1791)

1840 Census, Pendleton, VA

Zachariah Rexroad

Born about 1761, veteran, living with son Solomon and family

1850 Census, Western District, Ritchie, VA

Henry Rexroad

Born about 1778 in VA, living with Catherine (age 72) and Louisa (age 15)

ⓑⓐⓡⓚⓘⓝⓖ ⓤⓟ ⓣⓗⓔ ⓦⓡⓞⓝⓖ ⓣⓡⓔⓔ

Usually a double wedding means two brides and two grooms. Not in this case. Absolutely no proof that there was a second bride but the creator of this tree decided they'd attach the marriage record to a second bride, using the same marriage date, anyway.

Unfortunately these two errors are not uncommon:

1. First child, Christina, was born when her father was 11 and mother was 7.

2. The last 8 children were born after the mother was 50 years old.

But this person didn't just copy trees. There are actually records attached so let's look at those. In bold is the info chosen for the profile.

BIRTH
1725 Germany

1725 PA - Family Data Coll.

1746 - Veterans Burial Cards

1761 - 1840 Census

1778 VA - 1850 Census

IMMIGRATION
1773
1773 - Immigration Index
Note: Children's births - Those with birth places before 1773 are all born in the US.

DEATH
1799 VA
1791 - Veterans Burial Cards, buried in PA
1840 Census - not dead
1850 Census - not dead, 125 years old and named Henry

This is what happens when you break Commandment #2. You wind up with a 47 year span for someone's birth, conflicting death dates and records that don't even have the name of the person you're supposed to be researching.

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Dear Emma, Hannah, Jemima, Mary Jane, and all of her other personalities agree that I use "the banner of 'education' to actually mock, deride and laugh at [Ancestry's] own customers" and I "can make [my] point concerning tree inaccuracies & cock-ups and their effect on our 'hints' system without being downright unpleasant and sarcastic about it."
Allen says, “your cute little blog is a waste of bandwidth at best”
Ann thinks I'm "...copying and pasting mistakes on trees and calling it a blog" and that my readers are "mean-spirited people...who like to have a laugh at the expense of others."
Sue was really offended by the “...continual stream of sarcasm and constant poking fun...What a nasty taste in my mouth your blog left me with. Unpleasant, sarcastic and jeering at people who you obviously see as your intellectual inferiors. Won't be reading that again.”
And finally from Les, "You truly are a horrible woman, pointing out mistakes is one thing but blatantly laughing and taking the p is completely out of order."

Why?

Researching our family histories we are bound to make mistakes. Hopefully we are quick to correct them. Unfortunately some people refuse to read or think before adding information to their family trees. Some trees have been abandoned so the errors are there for eternity. Here we will laugh, mock and shake our heads at the carelessness, stupidity and/or ignorance of those errors.
All examples are taken from trees published online.
I'll also post tips occasionally, though the messed up trees are a great example of what NOT to do.
If you have an online tree to suggest for a future post please send me a link: buwtree(at)gmail(dot)com

The Fine Print

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