Peanuts In My Pocket

One of the many ways I spend my retirement is on genealogy research—especially resolving conflicts between my records and those of other researchers. It’s an endless source of both frustration and discovery. Dates seem to be the most problematic, and resolving something as simple as a birthdate can take hours of work.

Today’s research focus was my uncle, Harry Clifton Masterson (1927–2000). I discovered another family tree listing his birth year as 1926. While it may not seem like a big deal, details matter. The gold standard for verifying a birthdate is a birth certificate, which I haven’t found yet. So, I have to rely on other sources. I currently have nine sources, with the most reliable being the Social Security Death Index and his World War II draft card. Harry was a U.S. Marine, having entered service in 1948.

However, some conflicting records exist. The Social Security Applications and Claims Index lists his birth year as 1926, and a few U.S. Census entries provide a range that includes 1926. For now, I’ve marked 1927 as his provisional birth year. I’m fairly confident in this, but ideally, I’d want to see a birth certificate for confirmation.

I know very little about Uncle Harry. I met him only once as an adult, sometime in the late ’90s during a trip to Las Vegas with my father, Joe. I don’t remember much about that meeting other than that he was short—about 5’8″, with gray hair—and very kind. Unfortunately, I don’t have many stories about him. I know that he worked as a shoemaker while living in L.A. during the 1950s and later as an electrician in Las Vegas. Sadly, I don’t even have a photo of him.

It gets more complicated. Harry was married twice and may have had two children, Gordon and Darleen, but I have very little information about either of them. They could be real, or they might not be. That’s the challenge of genealogy—it’s often easier to find information about those who have passed away.

Uncle Harry was cremated and is interred at Bunkers Memorial Garden Cemetery. His memorial ID is 92056099. When visiting Find a Grave, I have a few tips to make the experience smoother:

1. I always leave flowers. It’s a small gesture and serves as a reminder that I’ve visited before.
2. I make a note of the memorial ID in my Ancestry records.
3. I add the information to my master notes for the individual I’m researching.

These steps help me stay organized and reduce redundant research. After more than 20 years of genealogical work, I often find myself retracing the same research paths over and over again.