The prompt this week for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Random Fact.
I was excited about this prompt as I know a random fact about my paternal grandfather, Daniel W. HEISER (1882-1974). But when I re-examined the document, I was in for a surprise.
I found Dan HEISER’s WW2 draft registration several years ago. That’s where the random fact is found: removal of bone in the left forearm.
I always wondered what happened, and how did he do all the things he did if he was missing a bone in his forearm. I figured I’d never find out, though.
I looked at the registration before writing this blog post, and I realized that the second page of the registration wasn’t the second page of my grandfather’s registration.
The top is my grandfather; the bottom is not.
The man’s height was too short to be my grandfather. Also, his complexion was marked as dark, not the expected ruddy. It wasn’t my grandfather who had the bone removed from his left forearm.
I looked at the registration before and after my grandfather’s and found his actual second page. I am sure this one is his because the handwriting matches, the height is as expected, and the man’s complexion is ruddy.
Top is not my grandfather, but the bottom one is.
My grandfather didn’t have a missing bone from his forearm, but he had a scar on his right hand.
This served as a reminder to me that details can be missed and mistakes in research can easily be made. Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow for giving this prompt which lead to a correction in my research.
Copyright © 2018 Nancy H. Vest All Rights Reserved
Wow, very observant of you and good sleuthing to figure out the correct card. You were lucky to know him. so you were aware the height was a complete mismatch and the missing bone didn’t seem right. The cards must have been filmed in the wrong order. It makes me wonder how many other “facts” we have in our trees that are incorrect.
Thanks for commenting. 🙂 I don’t think the cards were filmed in the wrong order. I think the cards must have a front and a back, so they are filming the front of one card and the back of another at the same time. I expect that when I first looked at the impression, I wasn’t aware enough to realize that. And I expect I have other ‘facts’ wrong, too. I just haven’t found them yet!