His baptism was recorded at New Hanover Lutheran Church in Montgomery County: “Heinrich Yoerger born 30 Aug 1804 to Heinrich Yoerger and Maria.”

His tombstone in Union County, however, says that our Henry was born 31 Aug 1804. The tombstone also states his age at death 71 years, 3 months, 8 days. And that presents an arithmetic conundrum. If we start with his date of death 8 Dec 1875 and subtract 71 years (8 Dec 1804) then 3 months (8 Sep 1804) and then 8 days -- we get 31 Aug 1804 as the tombstone says.

However, if we count forward from what I believe was his date of birth -- 30 Aug 1804 -- and we add 71 years (30 Aug 1875) then 3 months (30 Nov 1875) and finally 8 days -- we get 8 Dec 1875. As I said it is a conundrum. Had his tombstone only given his date of death and age, it would be ambiguous whether he had been born 30 Aug or 31 Aug 1804.

I believe he was born Aug 30, 1804 and he was indeed the same Henry whose baptism record I have found at New Hanover Lutheran in Montgomery County. I think this is absolutely proven by any number of other source documents that connect Henry of Middlecreek to Henry of Centreville and he to Michael of New Hanover Lutheran Church in Montgomery County. The one day discrepancy between his tombstone and that baptism record seems totally unimportant to me and explainable in any number of ways.

1810-1820. He can be accounted for in his father’s household. In 1830, he appears as head of household (Henry Jr.) for the first time and then he is present in each succeeding Census until his death.

1830. Union County, Centre Township. Henry Yerger Jr. age 20-30 with wife 20-30 and 2 males and 1 female all under 5. It took me a while to find this listing, but it is the evidence that ties a lot of things togther. Henry Yerger born in 1804 was Henry Jr -- thus the son of Henry (who is listed on same Census page). It ties together the Gene Pool report and the 1852 will of Henry Yerger of Centre Twp naming Henry and Israel as Executors.

LDS Film 962404 gives the History of the Freeburg Charge and includes some history of St Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Church in Middlecreek Township. Henry Yerger was a contributor to the building fund in 1857. He is also listed among the earliest members of the congregation and as father of Henry B and David.

Wagensellar published a major work on Snyder County Marriages and it shows that on 4 Aug 1870 Henry Yerger Sr. married Mrs. Nancy Smith of Hartley Township. Since this is two years after Magdalena dies, I am sure this is the second marriage of Henry and this is verified by Census listings.

Buyers at his vendue 1 Feb 1876 included Benjamin Kramer and George Diehl.

For a long time I did not know who Henry’s parents were. There were several sources that, if true, suggested he was the son of Henry and Maria. But I didn’t know if I could trust them.

Early on, I found a database called “Family Data Collection” on Ancestry.com that seems as if it is based on scientific gene-based research. It is basically a big list of apparent birth records and it lists Henry Yorgey or Yerger born 31 Aug 1804 in Middlecreek died Dec 1885 in Middlecreek, spouse Magdalena -- and that he was the son of Henry Yerger and Maria.

I basically think his “birth record” in this database came from his tombstone -- he died therefore he was born. That is why it said 31 Aug 1804 and that is why it said he was born in Middlecreek -- no, that’s where he died. But where did they get the additional information that Henry’s parents were Henry and Maria? From gene testing? I don’t think so.

I still don’t know on what basis the names of his parents were determined. In any event, despite the fact that his parents names are correct in this database, I still think it is a totally bogus source and only goes to show that even a source is not always a source.

But then, additional valid sources of proof began to fall into place:

• I found an abstract of the will of Henry Yerger of Centre Township proved 31 Dec 1852 with letters to Henry Yerger and Israel Yerger (his sons, I was willing to assume, though it didn’t say that). This seemed to confirm the silly gene-based-source that Henry’s father was also named Henry, but I still considered this not proven.

• Then I found Henry age 26-45 in the 1830 Census where he was listed as Henry Jr., neighbor of Henry Yerger (who must have been Sr. from the ages as given as well as why else call the younger man Henry Jr.?) It all fit together and the relationship seemed validated.

• But locking it all together was the death certificate of Henry Sr. It connected Henry of Middlecreek, the respondent, to Henry who was buried in Centreville. Moreover, it connected Henry of Centreville to Michael and Margaretha of Berks County who can be proven to have worshipped at New Hanover Lutheran -- the very place where the baptism of Henry Jr. took place.

Henry’s tombstone is at St. Paul’s (also called Erdley’s) Cemetery in Middlecreek Township, Snyder County. I have personally seen and photographed it. That his wife was Magdalena is taken from her tombstone next to his and that she and Henry were the parents of Henry B Yerger is based on Census listings, though Magdalena was called Mary uniformly in the Census listings.

The will of Henry Yerger of Middlecreek was written 31 Jul 1875. He first gave a house and a half lot on Market Street in Mifflinburg to Jane, Margaret, Charles, Abraham Lincoln, Gertrude and Bertha Yerger -- who I believe were the children of his son George. The house was next door to “the widow Kleckner.”

He gave son George $5. And after the obligatory third share to his widow (second wife) Nancy, he left the residue of his estate to his children: Susanna married to Adam Sauers, Hannah married to Charles Crouse, Hetty married to Jacob Dauberman and Henry Yerger.

These names became very important to me because once I figured out that Henry’s wife was not Mary Magdalena Benfer -- as I had mistakenly thought for a few years -- the only way I could figure out how to identify his wife was to get a death certificate of one of their children. Death certificates were very rare until about 1906 when the State of Pennsylvania began requiring them. But as the State only reluctantly recognizes genealogy as a legitimate reason to request one, you have to fill out a form with as much information about a person as you know and then wait several months hoping some clerk will be thorough enough to find the right certificate if one existed.

So tracing the children of Henry and Mary Magdalena, I learned that three had lived to a time when death certificates were presumably required. (Henry B died in 1905, just a year or so too early.) My first request was for Susanna Sauer -- but for the $9 fee, all I got back was an official form with the State Seal saying no such person existed. Really, or did some clerk not allow for a small variation in spelling? There was no way to know since no one but state officials have access to the database (unlike other states where they are searchable for genealogical purposes.)

So then I tried, for another $9 fee, George. I hit pay dirt -- almost. I did get a death certificate for him but it was terribly smudged and very hard to ready and while I thought it listed his mother as Polly Boyer, it was too important to let that be my only source for this fact.

So, one more $9 application and a long wait later, I finally got the death certificate for Ester Dauberman which clearly says her mother was Polly Boyer. I reproduce it here even though I am probably violating some Pennsylvania law but maybe before they come to arrest me, they might consider how totally inconsequential this is to anyone save those of us descended from Polly who needed this to know who our 3G grandmother was. (And we really didn’t need a copy with the raised seal of the state, just a database listing would have sufficed.)