Often when reading newspaper obituaries, wedding and engagement announcements there may be errors as far as relationships listed in the articles. An example of errors was found in a couple wedding and engagement announcements that I was perusing the other day. Johnny Smith was getting married to Janie Jones. Johnny's step-father, Joe Doe Sr., was listed as father of the groom and there was no mention of biological father. Johnny has a half-brother who is a Joe Doe Jr. The article mentions that Joe Doe was the best man. There was no mention of Junior or Senior after the name of Joe Doe. Since I personally know this family, I know that Joe Doe Sr. was also the best man because Joe Doe Jr. was deployed with the military. Confused yet?
An obituary I had gone over listed a woman's grandchildren. Well, actually her natural grandchildren were listed, 1 of her 3 step-grandchildren was listed and there was no indication that the included 1 was not biological. A non-related, non adopted person was listed as grandchild when in fact this person was an honorary grandchild since no legal adoption had taken place.
Rule of thumb--If these newspaper articles seem "fishy" then they very well might be. Do not accept as truth until you have found more reliable documentation, preferably a primary source.
Another thing, if you are responsible for providing information for obituaries, wedding and engagement announcements, then lets stick to the facts.
Happy hunting!
Sharon
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