The Incredible Shrinking Task – and Another Correction

I am down to 575 items to enter into my database. I have not worked on that task much since I last reported in. I did make a trip up to my hometown of Cadillac, Michigan, and looked through a large collection of yearbooks that the high school librarian there has archived. The earliest one was 1918, and I wished they had started just a little earlier. I did enjoy them, and they helped me sort out which family pictures were from which year in high school. I have been side-tracked working on a genealogy society project. We are also sliding down hill to my husband’s retirement.

I recently wrote about affidavits files to correct or change information on the birth records of Eliza J. Murray, and Ina Belle Murray, her sister. The Lamunion bible transcription also listed Etta Murray born March 29, 1883 died July 20, 1964. Etta was the last child listed for this family, and was born after the 1880 census. Two children were born between Ina and Etta. Arthur was born 29 June 1879 and died 8 November 1879, and George was born 16 June 1881 and died 21 August 1881.

I searched for Etta’s birth record and found this:

murray etta may mi births 1867-1902 4207046 64

Etta’s birth record, #1269, recorded on Page 39 of the birth returns of Allegan County, Michigan has a correction, too! The date is changed from March 30, 1883 to March 29, 1883, and her name is changed from Etta M. To Etta May. Her parent’s name’s are also corrected, the H in her father’s name changed to Henry, his last name changed from Murry to Murray, and her mother’s name changed from Mary A Murry to Mary Ann Lemunyon. Etta filed for the correction on the same day as her sister Ina’s, “5-29-1941”.

I really don’t have any conclusions about this. It does make me wish I had known the three sisters, who were obviously interested in having these records mirror the bible record.

5 comments

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    • Carol on February 21, 2012 at 10:29 am

    Guessing, the corrections were done during the time they were applying for Social Security card numbers. The corrections were done and then a birth certificate would have been issued, copy of which goes to the Social Security administration for proof of birth, etc. Your 3 sisters did good work! LOL

  1. That’s what I think, Carol. It is fun to speculate, right?

    • Dani on February 21, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    I’ve come across those cross outs/correction on the same types of documents out of Michigan. I never thought it was the actual person that would come petition for the change. I just figured it was a clerical error the office corrected. Very Interesting!!

    I’ve also come across a person who was completely crossed off. Didn’t know what to make of that.

    • Carol on February 21, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    Pam, have you ever ordered Etta’s Social Security card application?? Compare the dates on it if you have, would be interested to know if the dates are close.

  2. No, I have not. She is a rather low priority research target, a first cousin twice removed from my husband. It might be interesting, but I’ll leave that to closer relatives.

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