My webmaster Kathryn recently told me how she tracked down a still living 95-year-old woman. I asked her to write up the techniques she used, to stimulate you in your research. Here\u2019s how Kathryn did it:<\/p>\n
A lady named Patricia Bunin writes a Sunday column in my local paper, called Senior<\/strong> Moments.<\/strong><\/em> One Sunday, the title of the column was:\u00a0 “Finding a long lost Birthday Betty for my Mom.”\u00a0 It turns out that her mother had a friend in her teenage years in New York City. They lived in the same apartment building and had many mutual friends, but lost touch after \u201cMom\u201d (Jean) married and moved to the Bronx. Jean was turning 97 the next day and had wondered if her old friend was still living. Patricia said:<\/p>\n \u201cThere are not many things I can give her on her birthday that would be very exciting anymore. But the gift of her old friend; now that would be a Wow! So if, by some miracle, Mom\u2019s Betty \u2014 she would be about 94 \u2014 or a relative or friend of hers is reading this, please get in touch with me and I will put you in touch with Mom. She will probably cry. She won\u2019t be able to help herself.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Betty\u2019s name was distinctive, Betty (Scheufele) Goldfinger<\/strong>. I thought it would be exciting if genealogical skills could help. About 1\/2 hour after reading the column I sent Patricia an email (at 10:06 pm) telling her I had a possibility for her. (Someone else also found her but with different methods.) Betty seems to have been alive as of 2005 per obituary of her brother, which I found by doing Google<\/strong><\/em> searches on several variations of her name (with and without maiden name, with and without quotes, etc):<\/p>\n Scheufele, Arthur, 79, of Boynton Beach, FL, formally of Tamarac, and NY passed away March 28, 2005. <snip>. Husband of Ann, father of Clifford (Bonnie) and Carol Wray (Steve), grandfather of Margot, brother of Betty Goldfinger. <snip the rest><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here, you have a\u00a0 Scheufele with a sister named Betty Goldfinger. Seems pretty conclusive this is the right person. In the 1940 census, I found this family in the Bronx:<\/p>\n Head\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 William Scheufele\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 M\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 51\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New York<\/p>\n Wife\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mary Scheufele\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 43\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Russia<\/p>\n Daughter\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Elizabeth Scheufele\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New York (so born circa 1918) She was still single in this census. A momentary chance encounter in their 20s is how Jean knew Betty\u2019s married name. Arthur was buried in Star of David Memorial Gardens in North Lauderdale FL. There is a David Goldfinger<\/strong> (24 Aug 1909 – 4 Feb 1992) buried in the same cemetery as Arthur, who would be a candidate for Betty\u2019s husband. http:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/cgi-bin\/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Goldfinger&GSiman=1&GScid=72655&GRid=67254434&<\/a>\u00a0 – note space for the wife, with no inscription.<\/p>\n So, I looked to see if there is a Betty Goldfinger \u201clisted\u201d in Florida. I found an Elizabeth Goldfinger 65+ years old with an address and phone in Bay Harbor Islands, FL. That\u2019s only 20 miles from Ft Lauderdale where her possible husband is buried.<\/p>\n I told Patricia that if it were someone I was trying to find, I\u2019d call that phone number without delay and see if she\u2019s the right person.<\/p>\n The next week\u2019s column was headed \u201cReaders find Mom\u2019s long lost friend for her birthday\u201d and started out: \u201cJinxie, is that you?\u201d Betty asked Mom on the phone, using a nickname for my mother that only a very old friend would have known. And that made my mother\u2019s 97th birthday the best she ever had.<\/p>\n Patricia said: \u201cDozens of readers responded to my plea last week\u2026\u201d and \u201cThere were tips on searching, leads to resources, research notes, addresses, and copies of obituaries for a different Betty Goldfinger. Someone even found Betty\u2019s niece on Facebook.<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n The man she mentioned by name in the column \u201cmade it his personal mission not only to find Betty, but also to make sure she called Mom on her birthday. He worked almost around the clock using his own resources along with bits of pertinent information that I had sent him from other readers. His search had gone from the Bronx, to New Jersey, to Florida, and finally to Arizona where he found Betty\u2019s son-in-law\u201d and \u201cthe son-in-law had called his wife, Betty\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n Via subsequent correspondence with Patricia, I found out that “my” Betty was the same as the one the other person found and that he said it was my research that helped him over the top in his time sensitive search! Turns out that Betty had moved from the address\/phone I found, so the search needed both of us. She’s now living in AZ, and last week, Betty’s daughter brought Betty to Los Angeles to visit Patricia’s Mom. Patricia said: “The reunion of the two friends was beautiful. One of the best days I have ever seen my mother have.”<\/p>\n It was a fun challenge, and shows that genealogy skills can be used for non-genealogical purposes.\u00a0 Kathryn Bassett<\/p>\n PS\u00a0 Thanks to Kathryn, you gentle reader, can use the same sequence of techniques–all online searches–to track living family members of your ancestors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My webmaster Kathryn recently told me how she tracked down a still living 95-year-old woman. I asked her to write up the techniques she used, to stimulate you in your research. Here\u2019s how Kathryn did it: A lady named Patricia … Continue reading
\nDaughter\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jeanette Scheufele\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 F\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 21\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New York
\nDaughter\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lillian Scheufele\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 F\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New York
\nSon\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Arthur Scheufele\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 M\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 14\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New York<\/p>\n