*How to solve a mystery (attaching records) - pushed back & combined due to CRUISE!

 perhaps merge this topic with Pruning Your Family tree (duplicates and merging)! The combined title could be "The simple mathematics of family history" since we are either adding or subtracting.

For example: finding this obituary for Charles Francis "Mick" McGarry G6SJ-MLD

The Youngstown Vindicator Memorial Obituary:

NORTH LIMA – Charles F. McGarry, 82, of Assumption Village in North Lima, formerly of Poland, died Friday morning at the nursing home.

Charles, also known as "Mick," was born March 10, 1928, a son of William and Nellie Baker McGarry.

He was raised in Campbell, and was a 1946 graduate of Campbell Memorial High School. He worked at the cost accounting department of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube, retiring in 1984 after 37 years of service.

Mick loved baseball and football and was a fan of the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Browns. When his family was young, he loved taking his daughters on road trips throughout the United States.

He leaves two daughters, Kelly Turnbull of Greenville, S.C. and Kim (Richard) Salmen of Canfield; three sisters, Marilyn (Tom) Lapaze of Boardman, Janet Wilcox of Durham, N.C. and Eileen (Stanley) Fiorini of Port Charlotte, Fla.; two grandchildren, Rachelle Turnbull of Seneca, S.C. and Richard Salmen Jr. of Canfield; and one great-granddaughter, Samara Turnbull.

Besides his parents, Mick was preceded in death by an infant son, Kevin; one sister, Donna Tofil; two brothers, John and Bill McGarry; and two infant sisters, Roseanne and Phyllis.

Funeral services will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home, Poland. Interment will follow at Lake Park Cemetery.

Will add several people to his family tree! (6 siblings, a son and a daughter)

pruning your family tree (duplicates & merging)

 illustrate how this is to be done (live):

pull up Mary Jean Alagy (LFZT-4MS)

Notice she has two husbands named Stanley B Tofil, one living, one dead.

Steps to merge:

kill off the living spouse (mark as deceased)

can copy his ID number and merge (or it may pop up as a possible duplicate)

save all photos and info into remaining person on the right.

give a reason why. Merge. Done.

Another good way to discover duplicates is by attaching records. 

Let's look at James Arthur Parson (GW1G-VVT)

Under research help I see Ohio deaths. Clicking on the link I see a daughter Mary died at age 0. I do not have Mary listed as a child. I want to add her, but when I try, I see that the record is already attached to someone else.  I can get her on my tree by merging her parents with mine. 

Let's take GZTG-13H (the James A Parson the record is attached to) and merge with mine. Now do the same with Bessie Airgood.  That should put Mary under the children for that couple.