Legacy Tree
Contact Us
x
  • Home
  • Services
  • Highlights
  • About Us
  • Press
  • Blog
  • English
    • Spanish
    • Portuguese (Brazil)
    • Swedish
    • Danish
    • Norwegian Bokmål
    • Russian
Contact Us
  • Services
  • Highlights
  • About
  • Press
  • Blog
  • .
  • English
    • Spanish
    • Portuguese (Brazil)
    • Swedish
    • Danish
    • Norwegian Bokmål
    • Russian

Finding the Owner

October 28, 2014 by Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

051013-N-6106R-117I love getting a bargain. Because of this, I’m a member of several local Facebook yard sale pages, and I check them regularly for things I need for my home or my children. However, this weekend there was a different kind of ad that drew my attention. A woman posted that she had gone to a yard sale where the people were selling the contents of a storage unit they had purchased. At this yard sale she found a folded up flag encased in a wooden frame, with a plaque that gave the name, birth date and death date of a soldier. It was the kind of flag the family usually receives when a veteran or active service member dies, and it also included a couple of medals this man had received during his service in World War II.

Wanting to find the family it belonged to, she purchased it from the yard sale, then posted on our local Facebook yard sale page to see if anyone with access to genealogy websites could help her identify the family. Within a few hours he had been identified in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) on Ancestry.com, where it was learned that he had died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His marriage record was found in Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950 on FamilySearch.org, which gave his wife’s full name. With his wife’s name known, it was quickly discovered that she is also deceased (again, using the SSDI). However, using both of their names and their last known residence in Pittsburgh, an obituary was found for his wife at ObitsforLife.com that listed her surviving children, grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild – as of 2007. Using the names from the obituary, family members in Pittsburgh were found on Facebook and contact was made with them.

How this special flag belonging to a veteran from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ended up in an abandoned storage unit in a small Utah town will likely remain a mystery, but thanks to a bit of genealogy work, it will soon find its way home!

Quick tips for finding living relatives or living descendants of an ancestor:

  • Search the Social Security Death Index for exact death information. A free database is located here.
  • Search obituaries for named survivors. There are many obituary databases on the Internet.
  • Use search engines and social media sites to find people by name in their last likely location.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
Legacy Tree Genealogists

Legacy Tree Genealogists

The team at Legacy Tree Genealogists has been helping clients worldwide discover their roots for over a decade. We're based near the world's largest Family History Library and connected with genealogists and archives around the world, and we love doing what we do! We also love sharing our genealogy tips with our readers.
Legacy Tree Genealogists

Latest posts by Legacy Tree Genealogists (see all)

  • RootsTech 2023 Recap: Uniting and Learning In Genealogy Family Research - March 10, 2023
  • Legacy Tree Genealogists RootsTech 2023 Schedule - February 9, 2023
  • Irish Family History: Online Resources to Help Find Your Irish Ancestors - January 26, 2023

Filed Under: Methodology, Military Service

Previous article: Genealogy Research in the Southern United States
Next article: Dealing with Shifting County Boundaries

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Popular Posts

Scottish Ancestors

5 Keys to Finding Scottish Ancestors with Genealogist Jamie Kay

March 6, 2023 By Jamie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 4 Comments

Legacy Tree Genealogists RootsTech 2023 Schedule

February 9, 2023 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 4 Comments

Scenic Ireland_Irish Family Hisroey

Irish Family History: Online Resources to Help Find Your Irish Ancestors

January 26, 2023 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 4 Comments

portuguese geneaology

3 Tips and Tricks to Kickstart your Portuguese Genealogy Project 

October 10, 2022 By Becca- Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 4 Comments

British Isles

Uncovering Hidden Jewels in British Isles Genealogy Research

April 26, 2022 By Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

Map of Finland

Ask a Genealogist: Interesting Facts about Finnish Genealogy Research

March 29, 2022 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 12 Comments

Brick Walls in British Genealogy Research

British Genealogy Brick Wall Breakthrough: A Case Study

March 8, 2022 By Jamie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher 4 Comments

CATEGORIES

SEARCH

SUBSCRIBE

  • Home
  • Services
  • Highlights
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Careers
Terms of Use Privacy Policy

© 2004 - 2023 Legacy Tree Genealogists. All rights reserved.

  • Services
  • Highlights
  • About
  • Press
  • Blog
  • .
  • English
    • Spanish
    • Portuguese (Brazil)
    • Swedish
    • Danish
    • Norwegian Bokmål
    • Russian