"That's okay. If we don't know, we just put down John." A Not so Funny Story of Contradictory Evidence

There were three records naming Cecelia Quinn Costello's husband. A marriage record in 1895, a ship's manifest in 1898, and Cecelia's death record in 1946. The first two records show him as Thomas Costello while the death record shows him as John.

This death record appeared to be without flaws. It was thoroughly completed and, except for a husband named John, facts matched the information I knew. Generally, I could not ignore this contradictory evidence. I would locate all possible records and analyze these records and their sources in an attempt to determine the correct name. However, in this case, I did not do any of that. I knew the backstory. 

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On 22 December 1946, Helen, my husband's cousin, accompanied her father and
sister to a nursing home where her father's Aunt Cecelia had died earlier that day. The woman completing the death record asked the name of Cecelia's late husband but, her father did not remember it. The woman said, "That's okay. If we don't know, we just put down John." Helen and her sister found this extremely funny as their father's name was John. 

Helen was laughing as she told me this story. I couldn't laugh. All I could think about were the genealogists looking for all of those men named John.

 

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Diana

© 2022 

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1895/10519/5831616.pdf : accessed 15 July 2021); digital image, Thomas Costello-Celia Quinn, marriage, 31 January 1895; citing Group Registration ID 2200685; filed 14 March 1895 by W. J. Nally, registrar. 

New York, Bureau of Records and Statistics, Department of Health, New York County, death certificate number 27230 (22 December 1946), Cecelia Costello; Bureau of Records and Statistics, New York City. 

Telephone conversations between H. Quinn (NY) and D. B. Quinn (VA), between 18 September 2020 and 29 December 2020. Transcript held in 2022 by D.B. Quinn (VA). 

UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960, database with images, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll? : accessed 14 November 2021); 17 November 1898, Teutonic, ticket number 35103, entry for Thomas Costello and Celia Costello; The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27.