Genealogy mystery: Find that death certificate! (U.S., Pennsylvania)

October 31, 2023 1:25 PM

I’m trying to find my 3x great-grandfather’s death certificate in Ancestry’s Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1969 and am having trouble finding it via their search function. I’ve searched his name, by surname only, by first name only and narrowed it to his death date and death year and have had no luck finding it. Are there any genealogists out there who can work their magic and find it and link it here for me?

[Posting for a friend. She understands that these links may be paywalled. I'm including them to show her sources at the least; those who have access to Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com may be able to see the results. My apologies for the paywalled pages. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!]

His name was Jacob H. Wetzel and he died July 8, 1934 in Philadelphia according to his obituary (see here) and death notice (see also here), each of which appeared in the Reading (PA) Times on July 9, 1934, p. 17 and the Reading (PA) Times on July 12, 1934, p. 16, respectively. (His obituary appeared in the Reading, PA, newspaper because he was from the Lebanon/Berks County area and many of his children lived in that area at the time of his death. The cemetery cited in his obituary is in Lebanon County and is where his wife and parents, all of whom preceded him in death, were buried.)

And I’m also open to receiving any other documentation on this man (that I don’t already have).

This is what I have on Jacob H. Wetzel:

He appears on the 1870 US Census living in Jackson twp., Lebanon County, PA, with his parents, Jacob and Mary Wetzel. (see here)

He married Maggie Etter Aug. 26, 1882 in Reading, PA; both bride and groom were residing in that city at the time of their marriage. (see here)

I do not have a birth or baptismal record for him; I cannot find him in the 1880 US Census or the 1900 US Census.

I believe this is him in the 1910 US Census, listed as an inmate in a ‘house of correction’ at Philadelphia (see here).

I have baptismal records for his children with Maggie (no links; these were found in church records held at the Berks County Historical Society years before they were digitized and made available on Ancestry) as well as Maggie’s 1898 death record and obituary.

I am aware Jacob H. Wetzel b. 1857 got into legal troubles (unsure of the details) in Berks County, PA.

Please do not confuse him with his cousin, also named Jacob Wetzel b. ca. 1852, who also got into legal troubles (i.e. adultery and burying a child without the proper permit etc.) with a woman by the name of Leanda/Laura Moyer/Goodman in Lebanon County, PA in the 1880s/1890s.

posted by MonkeyToes to Grab Bag (12 answers total)

I can see your Jacob H Wetzel on Ancestry (and siblings Sarah, Kideon, Malinda, and Lydia) but I don't see his PA death certificate and it doesn't appear in any visible Wetzel family trees. Digital records are sometimes incomplete.

I can see him in the 1870 census as well as an image of his wedding record:
Name Jacob H Wetzel
Gender Male
Marriage Age 24
Birth Date abt 1858
Marriage Date 26 Aug 1882
Marriage Place Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, USA
Spouse Maggie Etter
Film Number 001465862

If you have other specific questions you are trying to answer, feel free to send me a memail.
posted by nkknkk at 1:36 PM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

The experts on the r/genealogy subreddit often take requests.

For regular folks like me, the things they can dredge up seem like miracles!
posted by wenestvedt at 1:43 PM on October 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The only Wetzel I can find who died in Pennsylvania in July 1934 at all did indeed die on July 8, but he is named “Harry J Wetzel”. Could the J be for Jacob? Did he ever go by his middle name of whatever H stood for (Harry?)? I found him on page 42 of this enormous PDF “Soundex” listing everyone who died in Pennsylvania in 1934 whose surnames begin with the letters W-Z and sound similar; this person is listed amongst Wetzels, Whitsells, and Wetsels. I found the PDF on this page listing Death Indices here. Notably, there is a State File Number in the listing: 64139. Might this be a certificate number?

Also, when I searched July 1934 deaths in Philadelphia using this number and “Harry J Wetzel” using a free Ancestry link (see below), I saw the first hit was for “Herry J Wetzel”, with some of the same names listed you’ve included above.

All of this came from Pennsylania’s page on death certificates here: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Death-Certificates.aspx. Importantly, they mention that Pennsylvania residents can access Ancestry.com Pennsylvania for free by entering their zip code here. I tried a random Philadelphia ZIP and it let me in, but I didn’t try to create an account.

If you’d like the actual certificate, you can apply by mail, online or in person if you are, among other relations, “Extended family members who indicate a direct relationship to the decedent (documentation may be required)”, which feels like this could include a three-times great-grandchild. It might be best to give them a ring at 724-656-3100 or toll-free at 844-228-3516 Mondays through Fridays 7:15 am to 10:00 pm to find out what they would need.
posted by mdonley at 2:53 PM on October 31, 2023 [7 favorites]

Best answer: I just looked at anyone named Wetzel or Jacob that died on that day.

This looks like him.
Parents' names and wife's name line up.
He was on a home for the indigent.
posted by ReluctantViking at 4:56 PM on October 31, 2023 [5 favorites]

Or maybe he was in a hospital or hospice (not sure if that word was commonly used back then, it certainly wasn't in the way we use it now) for the indigent, it's hard to read.
posted by mareli at 5:11 PM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

I can't read that last link, too fuzzy, but if it was a city "home for the aged" the Philadelphia city archives might have records. A number of organizations have been renamed and merged but still exist in some form.
posted by sepviva at 6:27 PM on October 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Popping in to say thank you! I’ll report back tomorrow, but in the meantime, my thanks and appreciation for your efforts!
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:15 PM on October 31, 2023

OMG like every answer here should be marked "best". What an amazing community.
posted by intermod at 7:54 AM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: From my friend:

Thank you to everyone who provided some help; I really appreciate it because I never would have found this death certificate otherwise given that his first and middle names appear to have been transposed. I agree with mdonley and ReluctantViking's comments. The Harry J Wetzel death certificate is indeed my Jacob Wetzel. The informant is one of his married daughters and the place of interment listed is also where his parents and wife are buried. I never knew what the "H" stood for as I'd only ever seen it listed as an initial. mdonley is likely right that the H probably stands for Harry (or maybe Henry?). Thank you!!
posted by MonkeyToes at 12:11 PM on November 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: P.S. I knew you would come through! This community is amazing. Thank you!
posted by MonkeyToes at 12:12 PM on November 1, 2023

Response by poster: mareli and sepviva, here's a little bit of history for you on the Philadelphia General Hospital, the institution listed on the certificate found by ReluctantViking.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:51 PM on November 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

There are definitely records from Philadelphia General Hospital / Blockly Almhouse at the city archives, U Penn, the College of Physicians, and probably other places.
posted by sepviva at 7:26 PM on November 1, 2023